A few months ago, as part of being a shoe testing guinea pig, I received a free pair of some Newton Gravity Shoes. I’ve put close to 100 miles on them so far and wanted to give a short review on my impression.
Newton Gravity Shoes
Newton calls this shoe a “Neutral Performance Trainer”. It offers some support and structure, but a 3mm drop. My Saucony’s are a 4mm drop so this fit right in there with them.
One of Newton’s differentiators is their Action/Reaction technology. These are really a line of “lugs” in the midfoot section of the shoe that are supposed to help you become a midfoot runner, compared to a heel striker. They take some getting used to. You feel a bit like a road cyclist wearing lock in shoes. Once you get past that and start running, you do notice a big difference in where you foot falls.
Newton Midfoot Lugs
Shoe Fit
These are comfortable shoes! I do not feel any pinch points in them and find the toe box to be plenty wide enough for me. I could almost say it’s too wide. The heel is nice and snug with no movement.
Shoe Stability
This would have to be my biggest complaint on these shoes. For road and even surfaces they perform great. But anything that resembles a trail and I just don’t feel like I have much control. Numerous times I have felt like my ankle wants to roll in them. That being said, these are not advertised as a trail shoe, so I will stick to road only on these.
Shoe Uppers
The uppers breathe really well. Toe box has open mesh which allows dirt and debris to get in, so again, not a shoes that would be appropriate for any kind of trails.
Newton Gravity Front
Overall
My overall impression is that I like them. I will be using these for my tempo and speedwork runs. The retail price is $175, a lot of money for a pair of running shoes. The majority of shoes I have purchased have all been in the $100-$140 range. The durability will determine if these are a good value at this price. My guess is the lugs will flatten out over a short period of time, but we shall see.
The lugs wear down like the tread on any shoe. I have 400 miles on mine and so far still good though. My boyfriend wore his all the way down though. Not sure how long it took him though.
And I just realized I said “though” in every sentence. Oops…
Yeah, i’d think the lugs would be the first to go. I’ve read other reviews of people being disappointed in the longevity of these, considering the premium price. We shall see. Did a 7 mile tempo today and they felt good on my feet.