New Balance

NBX 1260v3 Running Shoe - Men's

With the Men's NBX 1260v3 Running Shoe, New Balance proves third time is the charm. Lighter than the original by two ounces, the 1260v3 strikes the sweet spot of running, balancing cushioning with stability and flexibility with support. A redesigned sole uses round patches of rubber instead of not-round rubber bits so moving your foot forward just flows. Whether you call yourself a Clydesdale, Athena, or you waffle more than most politicos, this pillowy shoe stays on the straight and narrow for exceptional comfort, mile after mile.

You'll appreciate the seamless air mesh and synthetic upper as blisters become a distant memory. Put together sans stitches and with Fantom Fit skeletal engineering, this upper sticks close to your toes without being clingy. Rather than waste space with cheap insoles, New Balance attached the top to a layer of Abzorb foam to start softening your footstrike almost immediately. Then, the N2 low-riding, super-soft cushioning system takes over. Acteva Lite foam sucks up the impact of your footstrike so your body isn't rudely jostled as you make your way through the run. And even though it's lighter than standard midsole foam by up to 24%, Acteva Lite is 100% tough against compressive forces.

A hat trick of tech takes away foot-founded instability to reduce your chances of gait-generated injury. An Abzorb heel crash pad provides heel strikers with soft guidance as to which way to go. The T-Bean TPU midfoot shank offers your arch a bit of support and encourages torsional stability regardless of where you're running. Finally, dense foam makes the medial post stand strong against your inclination towards over-pronation. The sole takes a new tack to maintain durability and overall shoe flexibility. Circles of rubber up front with a more traditional block design in the heel helps the bottom of your shoe move like a Motown legend while standing strong against the wear and tear of your daily 5-mile run.