Official New Balance Thread *sizing info for different models on first page*

i try to be open minded and try to appreciate opinions and tastes from all areas and age groups. i think it's cool to see a lot of younger getting into NBs and if it's good for the brand, then it's good for me (as a collector and fan etc). i may not like 75% of what NB is doing or releasing, but if that product resonates with other people and brings in dollars then, of course a brand is going to capitalize on that. and ultimately that money is going to eventually funnel and fund the few products i actually do like. any brands cash cow / bread and butter is cheap outlet shoes that are, for the most part, pretty whack. but that's where the money comes from to fund all of the good stuff. if NB "falls off" it won't really affect me either way. i'll be rockin what i like no matter what brand., no matter how successful or non-succcessful a brand is doing. the last time i bought a nike for myself was...1993 ? 1994 maybe? i feel bad for anyone out there that was loyal to nike or jordan or whoever and felt like they had to leave for whatever myriad of reasons. 30 years ago i wouldve never imagined NB to be this big and have this many options in a store. we might've had 12-20 models and colorways for the entire year back in 1995. no internet shopping, no ordering special colorways and regional models from other countiries. strictly going into whatever store was in your area and you physically had access to. i might not like 75% of the options out there, but i'm always grateful to even have options.
 
997H never left..and they're super dope and underated

And that’s another thing I want to point out.
I’m new to NB because of the ald 997 that released a few years back.

An old NB head like yourself will look at a 997H as a dope shoe (and it is)

But to a newbie like myself, I was told “nah you don’t want that. You want that USA pair.”

Not gonna lie, this shoe is dope to me
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But I’m not going to cop. But if it had a stupid little Queens Crest on it, I’d be on it :lol:

Im now venturing out a bit. I’m liking the 610 with the cool lacing system. Reminds me of an acg shoe.
 
Teddy is one of the best things to happen to NB in a LONG time.

His shooting percentage is VERY high. 🤷‍♂️
Nah. Give me 2013-pre Teddy era over the Teddy era all day. He’s good for the one offs and for generating hype, but the GRs been meh and every season been worse than the last. He’s a great curator and good designer, but leading miUSA should be a full-time job. Respectfully.
 
Nah. Give me 2013-pre Teddy era over the Teddy era all day. He’s good for the one offs and for generating hype, but the GRs been meh and every season been worse than the last. He’s a great curator and good designer, but leading miUSA should be a full-time job. Respectfully.

I respect it.

I think he's been great with the GR's that have been releasing. Not all of them of course but for the most part there's been great colorways/colorblocking.
 
Never really understood why folks were so brand loyal to Nike/JB in the early 2010s.

Had a bunch of stuff when I was in HS (Nikes/Jordans/NBs) in the early 2000s and then basically didn’t buy any shoes when in college and broke. Got back into the game when I graduated though. Bought South Beach Bron 8s, Burn Rubber New Balance 580s, Kobe 6s, and Ronnie Asics within a couple months IIRC.

There were a lot of great NB and Asics GRs and collabs at the time, but seems like a lot of folks just stuck to their air maxes and Jordans.

Now you have people swearing off Jordans and saying they’re only buying NBs and ASICS, which I don’t really get either :lol:
 
Personally, I stuck with Nike and Jordan because all of my clothes were Nikes and Jordans. I had an issue with mixing brands. Haha

I know it’s stupid. I still have that issue. So not only did I buy NB shoes, I also had to buy NB gear.

Speaking of 997H, this was my first NB. It looked good to me but the soles were flat and stiff. I almost gave up on the brand but decided to order a pair of 990v5 and 2002R without even trying them on. The rest was history.
 
 
I also think Teddy's been fantastic for the miUSA. I really hope we get more seasons from him, tbh
 
I was never loyal to Nike or basketball shoes in general. I had adidas, Reebok, 574s, and some Umbros. But there were no other NBs around when I came up. A couple dudes transferred to my HS from DC and had the 991s when they first came out, but that was their thing. When I started making money I was focused on all the Js and Air Max I couldn’t get coming up and that 2009-2013 Bron/Kobe run was insane. I’d still be buying basketball shoes for casual wear if they were still good. I didn’t discover miUSA NB until I stumbled in a J. Crew in 2016 and felt them in hand.
 
Folks come for the cool designs and hype, they stay for the quality and comfort

Wearing basketball shoes casually is dead (which happened over 10 yrs ago) and will never be back, at least to how it once was.

Jordan retros?? A lot of us were here for the birth of the retro game as we know it back in 1999. Our first chances of owning bred 4s, concord 11s, metallic 5s, etc? Oh hell yeah. Even retro +’s were cool. The flagship model was still relevant.
Now? Every classic been retro’d multiple times, the flagship model been dead. Jordan brand will always be a big thing but for a lot of us that been there done that, it’s not very important

Just saying a whole lot of folks making the switch and will stay for the long haul.
This is a good point I was wearing Jordan’s all thru High School with maybe a small handful of other people. By the time Jordan retros started getting rereleased I got bored and the quality was unacceptable for the price point. Most people I know in there Mid 30s+ who still wear Jordan’s are people who wanted them when they were younger but couldn’t afford them with their own money or there parents wouldn’t buy them.
 
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