New Balance MT510

Editor rating: 7.4 / 10

User's rating: based on 10 user ratings

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By Harry Bennett

All New Balance Shoes

New Balance MT510 Review Facts

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With a plethora of different running shoe varieties, it can be challenging to find the right footwear for you. When trying different brands and types of shoes, some might just not fit your particular needs. This is why it is so important for you to rely on your own personal characteristics when picking the most suitable shoes for you. For example, if you desire additional stability while running and have chronic issues with your back, ankles or knees, then investing in a pair of New Balance MT510 is certainly worth consideration. These shoes are suitable for running on demanding trails and roads and its molded EVA sole ensures comprehensive support when on the run.

Editor's Pros & Cons

Pros

Injected EVA material covers the midsole, ensuring better support and cushioning
Advantageous to runners on mountain roads and challenging trails
Highly affordable
AT Tread all-terrain outsole terrific both on and off the trail

Cons

Not ideal for long running sessions due to unreasonable weight
Minimal cushioning may be uncomfortable for individuals with wider feet
Not the most stylish pair of trainers

Outsole

The outsole of these New Balance MT510 shoes use an all-terrain tread. However, their main defining feature is their medium-sized pods, demonstrating a subtler presence than what is commonly found on other trail shoe models and brands. The lion’s share of the outsole is made from trance rubber, which helps to endow these shoes with a superior degree of durability. Moreover, because the lugs are not aggressive to the wearer’s feet runners can run on more diverse surfaces than the average trail shoe. Contributions made by the outsole in regards to the performance and style of these New Balance shoes make the shoes an intelligent pick for outdoorsmen and women, whether they are jogging along the road or running up mountain trails.

Midsole

New Balance has lined the MT510’s midsole with a thick injection of molded EVA material, also known as IMEVA. This provides the shoes with ample cushioning and responsiveness while maintaining a high standard of durability. IMEVA material aids the movement from heel to toe, ensuring that your feet are comfortable the entire time. It also offers a substantial amount of traction, perfect for those who enjoy exploring off the beaten path. To sum it up, the midsole of these trail shoes provide a simplistic functionality almost reminiscent of a minimalist footwear style.

Upper

The breathable mesh upper used for the MT510 is made from a combination of synthetic overlays and leather. These overlays ensure a greater amount of flexibility and adaptability thanks mostly to the reduction of its size from previous models. Additionally, the ankle collar and tongue of the MT510 are surprisingly well-padded, ensuring a more comfortable fit. A PU sock liner provides additional cushioning that also keeps the shoes snugly attached to the wearer’s feet. A traditional lace-up enclosure is functional and unobtrusive, but don’t expect it to blow your socks off. The end result of all these design decisions is an upper that is more comfortable and forgiving.

Weight

For individuals used to heavier trail shoes, running in these New Balance shoes feels a bit like running on air. With a weight of only around 10 ounces, the burdensome feeling and calf soreness that is often experienced with heavier trail shoes are nowhere to be seen. This impressive design feature also prevents runners from tiring as quickly during daily activities, making the MT510 a terrific option for runners making the transition into trail shoes from lighter running shoes. Without a doubt, these are some of the lightest trail shoes money can buy.

Breathability

The predominantly synthetic mesh upper allows for a pleasant degree of airflow, keeping the interior of these shoes fresh and dry. Your feet will be safe from excessive sweat accumulation because of this, even during running sessions with a greater degree of intensity such as mountain running. For the most part, you will not need to worry about hot feet after wearing these MT510 trail shoes, making them viable in almost any climate.

Comfort

The IMEVA foam midsole in the MT510 provides excellent comfort. Additional comfort is achieved through the lightweight mesh upper which ensures that runners’ calves are not burdened with extra weight. Lined and padded insoles help to absorb shock from repetitive foot impacts, and the overall fit is on point thanks to the PU sock liner. In addition to a solid fit, the laces are of an adequate length and resistant to untying. Finally, the New Balance MT510 staple of providing several additional width variations makes these trail shoes even comfortable to runners with unconventional foot sizes.

Style

The strong and durable feeling provided to runners might help to compensate for what it lacks in terms of style. Due to its high comfort and durability, you can wear these shoes for non-running activities, like going to work or walking about town, but their drab, dated, utilitarian style may discourage you from doing so. A variety of color options are available, which makes it easy to match with other clothes, but no one is going to be particularly impressed by MT510 shoes even if they are perfectly coordinated with your wardrobe. Fortunately, the durable material makes it easy to maintain a fresh appearance over a longer period of time.

Durability

The durability present in these MT510 running shoes is high. While on the run with these shoes, however, it isn’t recommended for use in running sessions that are greater than 20 miles at a time. Something else worth noting about the MT510’s durability is that it's designed specifically for trails, thanks to its AT Tread all-terrain outsole. While this doesn’t rule out wearing them in other environments such as standard running track and sidewalks, these environments can exacerbate wear and tear over time. Generally speaking, the resilience of these New Balance MT510 shoes is far greater than you would find in lighter running shoes but is overshadowed by more protective trail shoes on the market.

Protection

New Balance has solved its issue of bulky shoe design in its New Balance MT510 model. The overlays manage to avoid excessive thickness, particularly in and around the upper portion. While this works to provide a lighter weight and greater airflow, it comes at a very negligible cost to terrain protection. More padding in the ankle collar helps to protect the back of your lower leg from chafing, an issue that can often be experienced with similarly designed shoes. New balance also provides a new last in these shoes that are narrower in the heel section, resulting in a more secure fit that will protect your feet from slipping.

Responsiveness

With the MT510’s, New Balance has earned bragging rights for their aggressively lugged outsole. This is because New Balance MT510 features such excellent off-road traction and cushioning that the responsiveness felt while running in them is second to none. Additionally, a supportive midsole and secure fit on the heel and forefoot from the upper further contributes to the energy efficiency of these trail shoes. Individuals with average to narrow feet will get the most out of this feature, but wider-footed runners can still reap these benefits thanks to additional size options.

Support

These shoes are a great pair for many different forms of exercise, whether it’s walking, light jogging or Tabata-style sprinting. The newly implemented last helps the New Balance MT510 to stand out from other versions in this respect, mostly due to the extra-secure heel. No matter if your feet are narrow, wide, or somewhere in between, this fit is just fine and dandy in terms of support.

Terrain

These New Balance MT510 shoes are specifically geared toward runners who spend most of their time on trails and mountain roads; as a result, it will provide the most comfort and support in these environments. The durable, rugged, and lightweight 510 contains an aggressively lugged outsole dedicated to off-road traction in conjunction with a highly supportive and cushioned midsole and upper. Apart from trails, it is can also be used for other on and offroad terrains because of the AT Tread all-terrain that is found in the outsole. However, the higher than normal weight and unconventional outsole design may make these New Balance trail shoes less efficient and durable on these surfaces.

Price

Regardless of the size and all the amazing features that come packed with this shoe, it retails at a price that is ridiculously reasonable. Forget being low for a pair of trail shoes: these New Balance MT510 shoes are priced even lower than most running shoes in general. This should not be considered as a bad thing, although to an extent this low price point is justified. The level of protection offered by these trail shoes, arguably the most important aspect of a trail shoe, is not on par with the more expensive offerings. Additionally, the dad-core design of anything New Balance ensures you won’t want to wear this outside of solitary exercise sessions. Because of these reasons, you may be able to understand why they go for so little.

Traction

Amazing traction can be felt in these shoes, whether it’s on hills, rocky trails, or wet asphalt. Thanks to its diminished bulk, the lower weight of the New Balance MT510 is just perfect for runners and further contributes to its excellent traction. When these features and perks are considered alongside the new last which secures the heel and the PU sock liner which secures the rest of the foot, these are a pair of shoes that will provide superb grip on even the harshest of surfaces.

Flexibility

As a sort of hybrid between a standard running shoe and a heavier trail shoe, the question of flexibility throws a wrench in this delicate balancing act. As a workhorse trainer that is capable of penetrating through very tough, challenging, and uneven terrains, a certain amount of rigidity is required. However, some of the stiffness in the New Balance MT510 midsole and outsole has been reduced in order to facilitate other activities like light jogging and track sprinting. This aspect of the shoes casts a wider net of runners, but this design compromise may turn off runners used to a more severe trail shoe.

Stability

Especially for those prone to overpronation, these New Balance MT510 shoes provide very reliable stability on the trails. This is a result of the medium-sized pods found in the trail shoes which are much more subtle than in previous versions. This helps to ensure stability during running, although the extra wiggle room in the forefoot can detract from this to a degree. Additional noteworthy features like the PU foam sock liner and a high heel drop is just what pronators need for additional stability while running. This doesn’t mean that runners with more neutral pronation won’t have a smooth ride in these New Balance MT510 shoes, just that they can easily accommodate regular runners and special cases in stride.

Drop

The drastic difference in elevation from the heel to the toe makes these New Balance MT510 shoes recommended for use among runners with a medium to high arches. However, despite this generous 12 mm heel drop, these shoes are still viable for use among neutral-footed runners. Thanks to the protective outsole and cushioned midsole, these shoes can provide a midpoint between an ordinary running shoe and a more heavy-duty trail runner. For the express purpose of facilitating this synthesis of radically different design philosophies, the heel drop is an important component of this ideological New Balance MT510 cocktail.

Key Features

Synthetic upper and midsole

Construction and design based around high durability

AT Tread outsole highly resistant to wear over rough surfaces and inclines

12mm heel drop

Molded EVA midsole

PU foam Sock liner ensures a snug fit

Light weight for a trail shoe, heavier for a running shoe

Bottom Line

New Balance is the 4th most popular shoe worldwide. With the impressive features present in the MT510’s, this impressive achievement becomes more understandable and justified. The reasonable price, customizable width, terrific stability, lightweight, high breathability, great comfort, and secure fit make them a must-have for anyone interested in trail running. If not exposed to harsh conditions, these versatile trail New Balance MT510 can last for quite some time.