New Balance Leadville v3 Review

The Leadville Trail 100 is a race that ranges in terrain from steep mountain climbs to smooth, buffed out trail, to extensive sections of flat paved roads. The Leadville v3 is a perfect shoe for handling everything that race throws at you. Updated to version 3 in 2016, this shoe remains unchanged for 2017 and remains quite similar to the previous version, the Leadville 1210v2 that we tested in the past. Most noticeable is a different pattern of lugs on the outsole, although we found the performance to be pretty much the same. Different mesh materials in the upper meant that it absorbed far less water in our water test, an improvement, considering the multiple wade-through creek crossings one encounters on the Leadville 100 course. All-in-all, this remains the same comfortable, high mileage shoe that we have come to expect from New Balance.

Performance Comparison

Foot Protection

The Leadville v3 offers a fantastic amount of underfoot protection by using ample firm cushioning. In fact, it was tied with the super cushioned Hoka Challenger ATR 4 and the super thick sole of the Brooks Caldera as the most protective shoes in this review. The REVlite foam combined with N2 technology are both designed to offer more cushioning with less volume and weight. New Balance also claims that REVlite does not break down any faster than traditional EVA midsoles, but is less bulky. While not exactly low-profile, the shoe does feel more cushioned than other classic shoes with a similar stack height. We also loved the wrap around toe bumper and the 8mm heel-toe drop, all of which serve to make this a protective shoe.

Traction

The Vibram outsole on the Leadville v3 is the most noticeable change that was made over the older 1210v2 model. While Vibram still makes it, the outsole is now only one single piece, and no longer includes the horizontal groove cut outs.

The lug pattern consists of a row of triangularly shaped lugs in the middle and directional incut lugs around the edges. We found that the rubber offered a good balance of stickiness and durability. It did a decent job of shedding mud well, and also gave us enough traction for navigating late spring snow fields in the mountains. While we found it to be just as sticky in the grass and on dry dirt as the aggressively lugged Saucony Peregrine 7, they performed comparatively poorly on wet rock.

Stability

Stability is not the primary feature of this shoe. Even though the REVLite foam is more compact than similar EVA foams, this shoe still leaves you with a lot of foam underfoot. Comparing it to other traditional shoes in our test, it wasn't as the Salomon Speedcross 4, but did not provide the same kind of Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 4 | stable platform as our best overall trail running shoe. We also felt that the upper was a bit loose and didn't hold the foot in place as well as other shoes, especially in the heel. This allowed our foot to move around a bit, sacrificing the stable platform.

Comfort

Comfort out of the box is perhaps the strongest feature of the Leadville v3. This shoe feels great the moment you put it on and stays that way for the life of the shoe. The no-seam upper provides no wear points, the sure-lace system does a great job of staying tight, and the cushioning underfoot feels great. The one thing that held it back in the past was water absorption, and that has been addressed by using different mesh materials in the construction of the upper. This version was among the least absorptive shoes we tested in the water test, a significant improvement over ranking last place (the previous version). During the Leadville race, your feet will no longer be sloshing wet as you climb Hope Pass after the river crossing above Twin Lakes.

Our only complaint about the fit of this shoe is that the heel is wide. There are no laces around the heel, of course, so we couldn't figure out a way to tighten the shoe up at this point. Our narrow heels were able to slide up and down with every step we took, especially going uphill. While room to breathe is great, we also prefer our shoes to lock our feet in place to prevent slipping and sliding around, and we couldn't rectify this problem in the v3. Thus, it was not as comfortable as the very similarly designed Nike Wildhorse 4, or even the form fitting New Balance Vazee Summit v2.

Weight

Our pair of Men's size 11 Leadville v3 shoes weighed 23.5 ounces straight out of the box. This was on the lower end of the comparative scale, in line with similarly heavy Salomon Speedcross 4 and the burly Vasque Constant Velocity. While these shoes certainly weren't overly heavy, they didn't run with a feeling of lightness, instead of feeling like a solid protector.

Sensitivity

In the past, we proclaimed how the Leadville 1210v2 struck a near perfect balance between underfoot cushioning and great sensitivity. We aren't sure if New Balance changed the composition of their foam compounds, or whether the competition we are comparing them to made them feel different, but we couldn't say the same thing about the Leadville v3. While they certainly felt protective underfoot, they didn't feel at all sensitive to us. As such, they received that absolute lowest score in our review for sensitivity, lower even than the Brooks Caldera or the super cushioned Challenger ATR 4. The good news is, by mile 80 at Leadville, your feet will certainly not want any extra feeling of sensitivity, and the extreme amount of underfoot protection that the v3 compensates with will certainly make you a happier camper.

Best Applications

This shoe is designed for the rigors of the Leadville Trail 100, the most popular mountain 100 in the country. On the way from Leadville to Winfield and back again, runners will encounter countless miles of dirt trail, plenty of rocks, a couple of huge mountain ascents, multiple stream crossings, and even lengthy sections of paved road. These shoes are certainly capable of taking on those exhausting 100 miles, and will also perform well for any other high mileage application, or as a durable daily trainer.

Value

The Leadville v3 will cost you $125 retail, or right in the middle of the spectrum of quality trail shoes, we have reviewed here. They are designed for high mileage and longevity, so we think you will get plenty of miles for your dollars with these shoes.

Conclusion

Little has recently changed to make the Leadville v3 what it is today. That speaks volumes to the quality design and construction that already went into this shoe, and ensures that advocates will love what changes have been made. This shoe will take you the distance over 100 miles, or simply provide a solid tool to build your long distance training foundation around. While it wasn't the highest scorer in our testing, we still thought it was an excellent and refined shoe that we would love to own.