New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 Review: A Generalist Gem?

Introduction

The Hierro is New Balance’s thick soled trail cruiser. Fresh Foam X protects the legs while Vibram rubber keeps you connected to the trails. A versatile shoe which can take you from daily cruising to faster paces, the Hierro is a jack of all trades. However, with its generalist nature, does it really excel at anything?

Theo and Esther took to the trails in the Hierro v9 to find out.

This version brings comfort which is on the narrow side

Theo: I have had a previous experience with the New Balance Hierro. At that stage, it was the second version and I used it for my first long trial (80km at Festival les Templiers). Therefore,  I have quite a unique relationship with these shoes. Ten years have passed since this run so I was impatient to see how New Balance developed the product. 

Firstly, the fit on these shoes is quite narrow, This can be felt both along the sides of the feet and on the big toe. That said, I have not run so much in the shoes yet. Maybe the upper will stretch to my foot over time. My first instinct is that while the sides of the shoe are tight, the upper has extra volume atop the foot. Furthermore, I found that the upper material wrinkled on the top of the foot and wasn’t the most pleasant feeling upper on the market. Another con would be the breathability of this mesh. Unfortunately, this shoe does not breathe at all. At the moment, during winter time, this is a plus. However, I’m not sure I would appreciate it so much during the summer. 

Esther: After noticing its fresh design, the narrow width was one of the first things I noticed about the Hierro v9. At first, I thought it might be an optical illusion, due to the lack of overlays. The shoe looks narrow on that deep platform, but yep, it’s definitely narrow on your foot too. That said, the signature Hierro mesh gives the toes quite some flexibility, so the shoe is more accommodating than you’d think. As for the heel and tongue, they’re going for long hours on the trails, bucking the paper-thin tongue trend. The Hierro 9 offers enough plushness you could rip off a bit and use it as a pillow for a quick nap on the trail. Laughs aside, I appreciated the semi-gusseted tongue, an important update from its older sibling.

Theo: I did find some positive qualities of the upper. While maintaining a classic design, the laces do a marvellous job. Then, due to the padding, the ankles are held perfectly on the trail, on technical parts and also in the downhills. Overall, the general comfort is good. The foam of the tongue is really pleasant on the top of the foot and the toe protection works perfectly. It has been a long time since I’ve seen such effective toe protection on a shoe. 

Esther: I agree, the laces do a good job locking the foot in. This was not always the case in the Hierro. In terms of comfort, they’re plush, albeit maybe not the most comfortable shoes out there. Ironically, removing the insole actually relaxed the fit, turning them more into that cozy, all-day shoe I was after. As for breathability, I faced no issues with the Jaquard type mesh during my winter testing. That said, stepping in muddy puddles did give me that soggy feeling through the upper for quite a while. The high midsole platform does help keep the water at bay for a bit.

Theo: In a nutshell, the upper is comfortable despite a rugous mesh on the forefoot and a lack of breathability. Due to the width, I would not advise this shoe to a person with large feet. Finally, this shoe locks down the feet perfectly on all terrain.

A neutral shoe with a neutral purpose?

Theo: At first glance, I found the Hierro v9 very cushioned, almost too much and this resulted in a lack of reactivity. Finally, after a few miles, I changed my mind on the softness of the midsole. On the whole, reactivity and bounce is not really a strong point. On the other hand, we can not say they are not dynamic at all. At times I pushed them a bit on the trails and roads and they did a decent job. Nonetheless, I found them a bit unbalanced because the midsole is heavy and you feel it a lot while running fast. 

They are made for a neutral striker: the density of the foam is exactly the same on the heel and forefoot. If I could change something on this midsole, I would add a more pronounced rocker to gain some dynamism in the ride. Surprisingly, despite a large midsole, I found this agile and precise on technical trails. Nonetheless, they are, for my tastes, definitely more aimed at gravel and light trails.

So here in fact I have a question for New Balance: for which purpose is this shoe really and how do you place it on the market? 

It is an average shoe in every aspect: dynamism, cushion and so on. After a few miles, I can not tell for which training exactly I could use them but most probably long easy runs. 

Esther: Chunky monkey! There is about as much Fresh Foam on the Hierro 9 to rival your stack of pancakes at a Sunday brunch. The dual density foam means that what you feel is on the firmer side, not exactly helping in the bounce department. But that adds some nice stability to the shoe.

So who is the Hierro v9 for? The Hierro v9 offers a midsole for the runner who doesn’t want to feel the terrain underfoot. I think it’s pretty effective at that. A heavier runner might enjoy this more solid midsole that will take a while before it breaks down. This does come at a cost to responsiveness which it is lacking in my opinion. 

Who is it not for? The Hierro v9 is not for heel strikers, with no real heel to strike from. If you are a midfoot striker, this might be a good thing. The Noah’s ark geometry of the midsole would remind you of the earlier HOKA shoes, making up for the lack of responsiveness in a clear rocker movement. They offer a nice boost on uphill segments. This geometry also makes it slightly unstable on the downhill. At the end of the day, you are going to be happier with these shoes on more moderate, buffed out trails.

A grip which is reliable on every surface

Theo: I had some prejudices before running in these shoes regarding the grip. The geometry of the lugs is quite unique: some sort of barres perpendicular to the ground. Despite my initial skepticism, I can not say the grip is bad. On the contrary, even on wet trails, I found the Hierro v9 really reliable. In my opinion, the only way to improve the grip would be to change the geometry of the shoe. Once again, the outsole is made by Vibram so I have no worries about the quality and durability of it. 

Esther: The real beauty of this shoe lies in its lug pattern and improved grip from earlier iterations. I remember giving my Hierro v7 up after 40km as I was slipping and sliding all over muddy trails. Thankfully, this is not the case in the Hierro v9. 

The 4.5mm traction lugs have little spurs and a pattern wildly reminiscent of previous Hoka Speedgoat and Mafates I have in my closet but made out of a more firm outsole rubber. That Vibram outsole is going to give you a lot of hours on the trails.

As for the Megagrip, it works wonders on rocks and gravel. Even when wet and snowy. Good job, team New Balance!

It is decent in every aspect, but it’s nothing to write home about

Theo: The New Balance Hierro v9 ticked all the boxes we ask for a trail running shoe but they do not excel in any of them. It is quite comfortable, reasonably cushioned and offers a mildly dynamic ride. Only the grip is more than average. The real question is the purpose of these shoes and for which population of runners? I would advise them for heavy neutral runners who are looking for easy short runs on easy trails. I will not use them in competition but for my recovery runs. 

Esther: The Hierro v9 is a stout, protective shoe, particularly thanks to a chunky midsole and a serious toe cap. New Balance has changed the lug pattern over previous versions with a really nice update here with spurred lugs using Vibram rubber. This shoe being on the heavier side, isn’t going to be your race day shoe, but it does offer the casual runner secure traction and durability in a plush packaging. I could see it as a great first trail shoe option, for lighter, moderate trails like on a forest or gravel path. I could also see it as a great hiking shoe thanks to its traction.