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Fresh Foam 980

New Balance Fresh Foam 980

Name: New Balance Fresh Foam 980
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.2 (30 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock.

How it ranks

The New Balance Fresh Foam 980 rates in the 1st percentile overall among daily trainers. Its strongest dimension is looks (52nd percentile); its weakest is durability (1st). Of 12 runners who came to it from another shoe, 1 preferred it to what they ran before.

Based on 30 runner reviews.

Bottom-tier

39/100

Overall

Bottom-tier 39

Appearance

Appearance rating

We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely rating range.

Better Shoes Rating

Good (75/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 52% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Good 75

Cushioning

Cushioning rating

Better Shoes Rating

Good (74/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 46% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Good 74

Value

Value rating

Better Shoes Rating

Average (67/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 31% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Average 67

Comfort

Comfort rating

Better Shoes Rating

Average (64/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 24% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Average 64

Durability

Durability rating

Better Shoes Rating

Below average (51/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 1% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Below average 51

What runners say

“Rubber is way too soft and wears out very quickly—no rubber left in toe area by around 100 miles.”

going woodward 3/5 Full review

“Two rubbed forefoot near the toe line, causing deep cuts and heavy bleeding during runs.”

4/5 Full review

“Feels nearly as responsive as the Kinvaras and much more comfortable for longer runs.”

beaconheel 5/5 Full review

“Lacks traction—running on well-maintained gravel or trails feels much more slippery than traditional shoes.”

runintherain 4/5 Full review

“Much firmer than marketed—translates to a snappy, up-tempo shoe good for daily runs and speed work.”

sbdirtrunner 4/5 Full review

“Outsole is thin and starting to wear into midsole on outer edge by around 175-200 miles.”

4/5 Full review

“Moderate to firm ride, needs a little breaking in—once done, fantastic shoe handling pavement, trails and tempos.”

sjt 4/5 Full review

“First shoe I genuinely looked forward to putting on and running in.”

4/5 Full review

“Like a minimalist shoe thanks to the 4mm drop and lighter weight, but with some nice cushion underneath.”

4/5 Full review

“Low drop and low weight for a trainer, not as soft as advertised, but has a great ride.”

4/5 Full review

Prefer this shoe over another

25% 5/20

Where to buy

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Pros & Cons

Pros

Popular shoe among LetsRun.com readers.
Rated among the top 25% of shoes on comfort.
Rated above average on cushioning.

Cons

Most reviewers like this shoe less than their last shoe.
Rated among the bottom 10% of shoes overall.
Rated among the bottom 10% of shoes on durability.

Reader Ratings

30 reader ratings

5/5

4/5

3/5

2/5

1/5

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

Anonymous runner · Sep 12, 2014

4/5

Overall

Loved the NB Fresh Foam. After running for 15 years, this was the first shoe I genuinely looked forward to putting on and running in. However, of the three pairs I purchased, two rubbed my forefoot near the toe line in such a way that I had to return the shoes. A deep cut had formed from the rubbing and would cause heavy bleeding during and after each run. I am going to try another color because I loved the shoes so much.

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

Anonymous runner · Sep 9, 2014

4/5

Overall

fits narrow, but I bought the wide width to accomodate. low drop, and low weight for a trainer. not as soft as advertised, but has a great ride

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Reader review

Anonymous runner · Sep 1, 2014

4/5

Overall

Comfortable, cushioning, neutral. Like a "minimalist" shoe, thanks to the 4mm drop and lighter weight, but with some nice cushion underneath. Upper is nice material, lightweight and breathable as any I can find. Tongue is overly fluffy but not intrusive, so no big deal. Works as well as anything I can find for my supination. Outsole is thin and starting to wear into midsole on outer edge(probably 175-200 miles in), but this is mostly due to my uneven stride. Time will tell how well foam insole holds up from here. Would really like to find something like a "motion control" for pronation, but the opposite for those of us with supination. Until then, this shoe works as well as anything I can find.

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

Anonymous runner · Aug 30, 2014

4/5

Overall

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Reader review

runintherain · Aug 29, 2014

4/5

Overall

The 980 is a very comfortable shoe, but it's big weakness is its lack of traction. Running on even well-maintained gravel or DG trails feels much more slippery than a traditional running shoe. That being said, I still really like the shoe, but wish it had a bit more cross-over potential to gravel/dirt trails.

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5