Man, these sneakers are top notch.. Roomy (because I have wide feet) I use them for hiking and trail running and they have a grip of a construction boot, not too heavy not too light..! New balance never seems to disappoint me in their selection of wide sneakers! Thank you new balance!I'm sure the tail on the back of these shoes has a purpose, and I haven't taken the time to research what it is. I'm not using them to run through a forest or compete in some adventure race. I just like trail running shoes as an everyday sneaker in the pacific northwest. The tail thing is somewhat of an annoyance for driving, but I wouldn't subtract a star for that.These have been consistently comfortable enough that I may now be a convert after decades spent with Asics. Not only has the fit of Asics been so inconsistent in the last 3 or 4 generations of the Nimbus, but I recently had an unpleasant customer service experience after one of their shoes fell apart very quickly (it was a specialty field cleat, purchased on Amazon, and they didn't honor the warranty because they said Amazon was not an authorized retailer).Back to the NB's. They're ugly, for sure. No points there with the wife or friends, but they have more all-day comfort than my Nimbuses or either of the past 2 generations of Wave Runners (which I sometimes prefer to the Nimbuses). Best of all, 2E means 2E. So if other D-width shoes are just a tiny bit too narrow for your big man feat, these get the job done without being obscenely wide and sloppy.Oh, and since it's a huge pet peeve of mine when people on the internet can't seem to agree what a wide shoe means (e.g. I've seen people cheer for the amazing width of a shoe that ended up being like a vice clamp on my feet), I will specify that the widest measurement of my forefoot, taken with a calibrated digital caliper is exactly 101mm. My foot is exactly 11.125 inches long. The size 12 2E fits perfectly (where perfect = not super snug, but not unstably loose).I like one pair of shoes for most everything I do: walking, hiking, jogging. My feet, back, and hips don't do well if I change shoes with each activity. For this reason, I was hoping these shoes would make a good jack of all trades. So far, they're working great. They're really very comfortable, especially under foot. They're stable and fit well. My teenage kids thought they looked pretty retro as well (I agree : ). As a Jack of all trades, however, they are master of none. I wouldn't run a race in them. I wouldn't do more than an overnight, light hike trip. I might use them as a walking travel shoe. What I like is that I can wear them most of the time for all the different things I do. I don't have to keep changing shoes. All in all, I think they're great. As a trail running shoe, I would say that they're functional as long as you're not trying to win any races or do anything too extreme. The tongue, lacing system, laces, and weight all kind of add up against that. If you want to head out to the trail for a couple mile run in the morning, and then head back to town for coffee and to pick up a couple of things you need at the store, and then on to work for the day with an evening walk after dinner... you'll never have to take these off. As a bonus... at least one person in each of those settings will think your shoes look cool. As a great bonus, I don't think I'll need to buy another pair of shoes for at least a year. I think these will last a long time.These are awesome. I live in the Northeast where there's tons of snow and crap weather. I wear these all winter long My feet never get wet because they are lined with Gore-Tex. Why not wear a boot you say... Because I have a bad knee and if I wear boots my knees hurt. I go hiking with these they keep my feet reasonably warm in cold weather. I wish they didn't say Gore-Tex on the inside but they do.... The shoe itself is awesome super comfortable.I bought this shoe after a recent camping trip where my sneakers at the time got wet on a hike. Wow what a nice shoe. So comfortable to wear all day long. The protected toe is a huge bonus for someone who accidentally "kicks" his foot into everything like I do. Only downside I can site would be the HUGE GORE TEXbadge on the inside of the shoe (at least it's on the inside). It's rather ridiculous, but I don't care lol! The Vibram sole is a pure beast, but doesn't feel "Clunky" when you walk, just nice smooth traction, on any surface. Going to update when the snow falls here in MI, to let everyone know the winter performance. Also there is a version 6 of this shoe as an FYI.Positives: I love the look of these trail running shoes and the fact that they can be used for cycling and other sports - they can also be used as casual footwear because they look so dashing.The fresh foam midsole feels well-padded and responsive - I can tell they will absorb the shock from running very well (although I haven't tested that yet).There is a minimal amount of material around the shoe which I assume is to lose weight so that they can add extra fresh foam padding for the midsole which I think is very practical.Negatives: Well, I just wish the foam was firmer because I'm on the heavier side - I weigh over 100kg. Lighter people shouldn't have an issue with the soft/medium foam though. Furthermore, I don't like the material eyelets because there is an uneven tightness when I've tied the shoes and they seem weak so they might tear when I tie my shoes (but that hasn't happened yet so I'm going to try to remain optimistic! fingers crossed!!)...Overall, these are a great set of practical running shoes which can be worn as casual wear or for trail running and general exercise. I would definately recommend!!!Es la primera vez que me pasa y espero que sea la última.Después de varios meses dudando y mirando un montón de modelos consigo decidirme y me lanzo a comprar las new balance.Gran error al no comprarlas en la tienda oficial, pues me han estafado.Cuando me llegan las zapatilla me llevo una grata sorpresa ya que llegan antes de ma fecha indicada. Si decían 10 días de pronto llegan el día 4, aunque se me hacía raro.Según abro el paquete veo que la caja está un poco deteriorada, nasa preocupante. Abro la caja y veo que el papel para proteger las zapatillas está destrozado, ya no me gusta lo que estoy viendo. Mi sorpresa es al sacar las zapatillas y ver que la suela esta sucia y tienen un pequeño desperfecto en el lateral y no parece ser de frabrica, sino de uso.Las zapatillas me han encantado, no me importa que la suela esté sucia, podría decir que incluso el raspon no pasa nada con el ya que yo le haré más cuando comencé a usarlas, pero he pagado por un producto nuevo y no usado, esto es lo que me molesta.Escribo a la tienda Italiana y me dicen que las zapatillas son nuevas, no aumen el error que no se de quien será. Me dicen que se las envíe y si las zapatillas están nuevas me devuelven el dinero, pero si están usadas no me lo devuelven. Como????!!!!! Basicamente me están diciendo que no me devuelven nada ya que las zapatillas que tengo en mis manos están usadas.Después de su lamentable servicio al cliente he decidido no devolverlas, no quería perder ni tiempo ni dinero.Por lo demás, encantado con las zapatillas que son de 5 estrellas. El servicio es cero.Forget the other fancy makes, these are just superb. I wear them every day and they feel like walking on air. They are light, once you get the laces right are easy to slip on and off with no tieing laces each time and keep your feet dry when its raining. My second pair of NB trainners, the first are still going strong (I wash them in the washing machine when they get dirty so they still look like new and they have not suffered at all - even after being tumbled dried a couple of times by accident). Cant fault - 10 out of 10...Awesome pair of shoes. I felt in love at first sight and bought them straight away. For now, no delusions. The aesthetic is amazing with a fresh set of colours and shapes. The size is as expected, but I need to point out that I am a regular New Balance customer. They feel springy when walking and it feels like I am walking faster than I usually do. The only area of improvement is the closure part. The “tongue” comes from the side and it is fairly thin. This means that it does not fit well, if like me, you have a large main foot part. Not sure about the protruding outsole back. It feels it will age and wear quite fast especially when doing stairs.My husband ordered 9.5 even though he is normally 9 and they fit perfectly.He tells me they are bouncy to wear and extremely comfortable.Highly recommended