Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25232
• • • • gear TRAIL RUNNER TRUTHS Text: Wally Nichols ------------------------------------- -- ------- --------- --------------------------,--------------------------------------------- I I I I 1 ______ --------------------------------------- Freakish thing, really, being stopped on the streets and complimented on your trail-running shoes. Unheard of in my fashion circles. That is, until I slipped into my first pair of uber-comfy New Balance 802s a few years back. Almost instantly, members of a quickly growing cult of NB afi- cionados began doing the unspeakable-talking to me (and other random strangers) about the superior fit, world- class performance and dashing good looks of the shoes we shared. "Hey' Great kicks," became a common refrain in the unwitting pep ra lly that New York City can sometimes be. The madness hasn't stopped even three years (and two sequential models) later. A New Balance fan club? A New Balance cult? Something like it anyway, in the form of completely satis- fied, chitchatting customers. New Balance 804 is the latest incarnation in the well-heeled lineage of aggressive trail- running shoes. Sharp lines, light weight and not-too-absurd color schemes help keep these kicks real. The ABZORB cushioning provides boundless comfort that even knee doctors have to respect. New Balance's C Cap® midsole is a stealthy compression-mold- ed component incorporated into the design to smooth out the bumps of the path-beating you may do before, during or on your way to work. New Balance boasts maximum shock absorption . Their proprietary Stability Web® pro- vides superior lateral support at the mid-foot and heel in case you find yourself scaling the Brooklyn Bridge or the walls of your office. The feel? Priceless. The price? Almost free, if you had a dollar for every time some stranger stopped you on the street and commented on them. NEW BALANCE, 800-253-SHOE, WWW.NEWBALANCE.COM. $85 _________________________________________________ __ _________ _____ _ _______________ J ____________________________________________ . I I I I , _____________________________________________________ --- - - ----------------- ______ 1 L ___________________________________________ _ I 66