Why They’re CoolEvery pavement pounder knows the drill: Just when your feet and shoes start feeling like old friends, a variety of joint ailments emerge to tell you your midsoles are fresh out of sproing. » New Balance rebels against such obsolescence with a proprietary midsole material called Acteva, which uses cells of a more uniform size than those found in standard midsole foam. Whatever the in-shoe juju, the 1023’s bounced back longer and felt lighter. » NB designers backed off on the overlays—those whooshes and swirls pasted atop the mesh—giving the forefoot a sense of being in a mere sock, not a shoe.
Hmmm . . .Those designers could delete even more overlays—all they’re doing is adding ounces.