Tag Archives: NB Minimus

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newSKY: An Innovative Approach to Shoe Design

Design Lead for Wellness Drew Spieth and Senior Designer Christine Hall discuss the creation of newSKY.

With a minimal, thoughtfully-designed upper constructed entirely out of fabric made from post-consumer plastic bottles, newSKY represents an innovative approach to both material and shoe design as part of a greater effort from New Balance to adopt more sustainable practices. To learn more about the shoe’s development, we sat down with New Balance Senior Designer Christine Hall and Design Lead for Wellness Drew Spieth to discuss how they used recycled material to create a comfortable, stylish shoe.

“The principles of shoemaking didn’t necessarily apply to this fabric,” said Drew. “It doesn’t work like a regular shoe material.” To accommodate the fabric’s unique characteristics, the designers decided to reduce the amount of extraneous elements, including only what’s necessary and leaving out what’s not – a purposeful approach to shoe design that New Balance continues to implement through footwear collections such as the NB Minimus. In the development of newSKY, the designers borrowed elements from NB Minimus by utilizing the same outsole and last. “For the design intent of the upper, the same philosophies are applied – minimizing the amount of materials used so you’re not over-building the shoe, but making it as comfortable as possible,” said Drew.

The decision to use recycled fabric for the entire upper was one of the biggest hurdles to overcome, as well as the greatest opportunity for innovation. “A typical shoe has a lot of different types of materials,” said Drew. “What’s really interesting about this is, aside from the foam and the little rubber components [on the outsole] and a little bit of water based glue, the only material here is the recycled fabric.”

The designers were confronted with the challenge of replacing traditional elements of shoe construction such as foam, leather, or plastic with the recycled material – all while maintaining both comfort and durability. ”With every piece of the shoe we were challenged to go back to our old standbys for a lot of materials,” said Drew.

Every component has a specific purpose – boards that display each piece of material help the designers decide what to keep and what to leave out.

In traditional shoe design, materials like plastic and leather provide shape and structure; however, the designers reduced the need for conventional reinforcements. Typically, a rigid counter would be used to support the heel, but here, the heel has been reinforced with strategic stitching along the back seam combined with a thicker weight of fabric. “The heel is where most of the reinforcing happens,” said Christine. “But when we doubled-up the material you don’t need any reinforcement because the material is doing it itself.”

By working with the fabric’s distinctive features, the designers eliminated the need for many traditional, non-recycled materials. For a typical shoe, “there’s foam, a reinforcer, another reinforcer, and an external material,” said Drew. “A lot of stuff goes in there and we stripped all that out.”

The completed design of newSKY.

To learn more about how the fabric moved, flexed, and held up under different construction methods, the designers experimented with the shoe’s assembly. In early prototypes, the material was molded to see how it would react – the fabric was cut into one piece, heated, and then pressed to form the shape of the shoe. “As you mold it, the material becomes very rigid, so it has a really interesting look to it, but it’s kind of hard.” said Christine. “In our own design ethos, one of the things we talk about a lot is comfort and something that feels really nice and soft.” The decision was made to revert to a more traditional stitching technique – allowing the recycled material to be soft, pliable, but most importantly, very comfortable on the foot.

In the final design, each element of newSKY is a testament to thoughtful shoe construction through an innovative use of material. Fabric made from post-consumer plastic bottles was developed into a comfortable, well-designed shoe. “It was a big goal to keep it functional and looking stylish,” said Drew. “At the end of the day, it looks like an interesting shoe and also looks great on the foot.”

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Exclusive: NB Minimus Zero: 9 Things You Should Know

Detail, NB Minimus Zero Trail

Our NB Minimus line offers an invigorating, award-winning, closer-to-barefoot experience with a dramatically lower heel-to-midfoot drop than traditional running shoes. In March 2012, at running stores across the country, we will extend the much talked-about NB Minimus line with the arrival of NB Minimus Zero – new road, trail and wellness shoes that continue to deliver that minimal, light and right experience, but with a 0mm heel-to-midfoot drop. This is a feature that many of the most vocal members of the NewBalance.com community, many of them experienced natural runners, have asked about. We asked New Balance SBU Manager for Performance Running and Outdoor, Katherine Petrecca, who introduced us to NB Minimus the first time around, to help us get up to speed on what we can expect.

1. Minimal means many things.
“From the start, we envisioned creating a range of “minimal” within the collection in order to satisfy the interests and needs of a broad spectrum of runners. The response to our original 10 series product (4mm drop) has been terrific, but we know that there are many runners who are intensely interested in zero drop products. There are good reasons why a runner might prefer one style over the other – and we ultimately want to support them both and more.”

2. ‘Zero’ refers to more than just the size of the drop.
“We define our NB Minimus collection by 3 measures: weight, stack height and the heel-to-toe drop. Those are the levers that we can pull to create different levels of minimal product. In addition to the reduced drop, NB Minimus Zero products also feature lower stack heights and weights than the 10 series – 6.4 oz for NB Minimus Zero Road and 4.4 oz for NB Minimus Zero Trail.”

3. Zero wouldn’t have been possible without the first round of NB Minimus product.
“We definitely learned a lot in the process of making the first NB Minimus product. I don’t think we’ve ever done more prototype rounds on a shoe than the MT10!”

4. We’ve had too many ideas to fit into just one model.
“We had some ideas for the 10 series that we weren’t able to execute at the time. You’ll begin to see those on the NB Minimus Zero product. One example is the coring of the midsole on the Zero that greatly reduces weight and provides amazing flexibility. In fact, we had an idea for the original product that we are still working on for the third evolution of NB Minimus in 2013.”

Sole detail, NB Minimus Zero Trail

5. These shoes are going to make you work for it.
“The NB Minimus Zero series product is for runners who are looking to go even more minimal – more ground feel, more independent foot movement, less weight. The Trail Zero is particularly minimal. It will really force the runner to pay attention to how they are running because the shoe won’t be doing any of the work for them.”

6. You’re going to want to come prepared.
“We would recommend the NB Minimus Zeros to runners who are already experienced with minimal trainers. NB Minimus Zero would be a big departure for people who are running in traditional shoes – even more so than our current line. The zero drop is only part of the minimal equation that runners should note. We have significantly reduced the amount of foam and rubber underfoot.”

7. Zero drop is going to be an adjustment for a lot of people.
“Transition times vary per person, but it’s important that even experienced minimal runners make transitions cautiously. Incorporate more minimal products slowly into your running schedule and be hyper-aware of what you are feeling in your feet, ankles and calves. We also highly recommend employing Good Form Running techniques while using minimal shoes.”

8. NB Minimus is inspiring updates in other running shoes.
“In general, we’ve found that runners are increasingly interested in more neutral platforms. We have taken this thinking into other areas of our running product line and have expanded our use of non-traditional off-sets. In Spring 2012, we’ll launch 2 key performance updates that will move from a 12mm to an 8mm drop.”

9. And even in some places that don’t have anything to do with running.
“You’ll definitely see that influence in other products…you’ve already seen it with NB Minimus Life and NB Minimus Training.”

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Secret NB Minimus Sale!

We’re having a secret NB Minimus Sale- For a LIMITED TIME, you can get 10% OFF + FREE SHIPPING on any NB Minimus shoe! Enter code: NBATLANTA10D @ checkout. This is an exclusive sale for all of our followers on FB, Twitter and bloggers! Not looking for a Minimus shoe? That’s cool, you can still use the code because it’s good site-wide! Only at shopnewbalance.com


 

NB Minimus is a barefoot-inspired line of shoes created specifically for runners seeking a truly minimalist experience. It’s a cross-category collection, including road running, trail running, and wellness shoes. By ‘wellness’ we mean shoes designed for people seeking a more natural stance throughout the day, even when they’re not exercising.

MT10/WT10: An entirely different approach to trail running, the MT10 Minimus Trail takes the proven versatile durability of a Vibram® outsole and combines it with a fitted, minimalist upper that’s comfortable with or without socks.

MR10/WR10: Minimus is a whole new approach to athletic footwear, inspired by Good Form Running and designed to be worn with or without socks. The Minimus Road running shoe is engineered for use on pavement and other varied running surfaces. Supremely comfortable and extremely lightweight, the MR10 is taking the running world by storm.

MW10/WW10: Minimus is a whole new approach to athletic footwear, inspired by Good Form Running and designed to be worn with or without socks. The MW10 Minimus Wellness shoe is sublimely comfortable, engineered for recovery use as well as for other casual wear.

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NB Minimus Now Here

Katherine Petrecca: NB Minimus is a barefoot-inspired line of shoes created specifically for runners seeking a truly minimalist experience. It’s a cross-category collection, including road running, trail running, and wellness shoes. By ‘wellness’ we mean shoes designed for people seeking a more natural stance throughout the day, even when they’re not exercising.

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NB Minimus

NB MINIMUS TRAIL MT10/WT10
NB MINIMUS ROAD MR10/WR10
NB MINIMUS LIFE MW/WW10
In setting out to create a line of shoes that would provide the ultimate minimalist experience, we worked against a clearly-defined set of criteria:


Drop is the difference between heel height and toe height. All NB Minimus shoes have a 4mm drop which provides a more natural foot position than traditional shoes.
The wider forefoot in NB Minimus allows your foot to expand naturally on impact.
To minimize distance from foot to ground, NB Minimus has no insert, minimal midsoles & outsoles, and is engineered to encourage a midfoot strike.
Because NB Minimus contains only what is necessary, it’s almost 50% lighter than traditional lightweight shoes.
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Millimeters and Midfoot Strike

Inside the New Balance Sports lab and the search for the ideal heel-to-midfoot drop

Anton Krupicka running on a Sports Research Lab treadmill: TenBroek: “We set up to capture motion capture data on his gait. Kyle Skaggs is awaiting his turn in the background also. We can capture how these guys move in a typical product and then see how they move in something like the NB Minimus.” 

Trampas TenBroek spends his days contemplating, and calculating, the implications of millimeters. Here, in the New Balance Sports Research Lab, where a team with backgrounds in mechanical engineering, anatomy, biomechanics and physics is gleaning new sets of insights about the way in which we run, small measurements have enormous implications. In the development of NB Minimus, for which the 4mm heel-to-midfoot drop has been a source of significant discussion both inside and outside of New Balance, the work of the Sports Research Lab has been a study in both the way our bodies behave, and the ways in which our shoes change that behavior.

As it turns out, these millimeters have a profound impact on the way in which we think about designing a shoe.

“The shoe industry and biomechanics community have believed for years that large loading rates (the measure of the speed and force with which a runner strikes the ground) are detrimental to the body,” says TenBroek. “This is why we put a lot of cushioned foam in most trainers. This foam reduces the loading rates at impact compared to landing the same way with less-cushioned materials.”

The recent interest in minimalist running — and a critical part of the development of NB Minimus — is connected to the increase in discussion about the virtues of midfoot striking. This technique represents a significant change in the way many runners, accustomed to striking on the heavily-cushioned heel, approach their form. The Sports Research Lab team viewed the use of NB Minimus as working hand-in-hand with an ongoing transition to midfoot striking — a process that was part product design and part form.

“We also know changing other things about the way your run can reduce these loading rates, such as taking smaller steps and utilizing other joints,” said TenBroek. “It turns out that running on the midfoot encourages this approach. Therefore you can get away with less material underfoot, if you change some things about the way you run.”

The foundation for these conclusions lies in the lab itself — a collection of gear (and gearheads) on the lower levels of New Balance’s design offices in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Here, the team puts a range of runners through their paces, on a treadmill surrounded by high-speed cameras capturing every muscle twitch and turn, over a glass force plate implanted with piezoelectric crystals that capture the minute directional forces in a runner’s strike. The Sports Research Lab team understands the ways in which we all run, in far more precise terms than most of us do.

“The problem is that it is difficult for most to change the way they run a great deal. With this in mind, we wanted to make sure we had enough material under the heel for most of these people. This helped drive how thick the heel of the NB Minimus would be.”

The mechanics of midfoot striking have implications for product development, though, that extend beyond simply reducing the material under the heel, and lowering the profile of the shoe.

“Reducing underfoot material almost always requires the body to change the way it runs — likely moving towards a midfoot strike and shorter steps” says TenBroek.

The work of the Sports Research Lab team becomes far more difficult to quantify and measure when it comes to understanding what runners feel — and turning that feedback into insights that drive the development of a shoe like NB Minimus. The team tested extensively each iteration of the NB Minimus prototypes — from recreational runners to elite ultramarathoners like Tony Krupicka and Kyle Skaggs, whose insights and ideas had driven much of the initial thinking behind the shoes.

“The design input that I’ve had in the [NB] Minimus and the 101 is really an outgrowth of the modifications I’ve made to my shoes in the past — especially in [NB] Minimus where it’s down to a 4mm drop between the heel and forefoot. It’s really close to a shoe that I’m 100% comfortable in and don’t need to do any modifications to. That’s super exciting — to go from shoes that I feel the need to carve up to ‘BOOM’: just being able to take a shoe that I helped design out of the box, put it on my foot and go running.”

– Tony Krupicka in Return to Leadville

“Through our wear testing and the people we had in the lab running in the product we created with varying drops and midsole thicknesses, we learned that going from a 10-12mm drop, which the vast majority of trainers are, to nothing or very little drop can lead to some pretty significant soreness. That isn’t to say that “some” soreness isn’t normal and likely not damaging for most; however, there is a point where soreness is not good soreness or harmless soreness and it is often difficult for people to know the difference” says TenBroek. “Runners did eventually acclimate to the changes in drop but more drop takes longer to acclimate to. The 4mm drop yielded the preferred ride of the heights that were tested.”

While the 4mm drop represents the ideal specification for runners making the transition to a closer-to-barefoot experience, the work of the Sports Research Lab on NB Minimus is far from complete. New Balance is continually gathering feedback, both inside and outside of the lab, which will shape the next round of NB Minimus shoes.

 

Glossary

Drop: ‘Drop’ is the difference between heel height and toe height. All NB Minimus shoes have a 4mm drop which provides a more neutral foot position than traditional shoes (which average a 12mm drop).

What loading rates look like: The data from the in-shoe pressure system used in the New Balance Sports Research Lab can be converted to three dimensional animations of the runner’s strike, illustrating the impact on the runner’s foot through the stride.

The force plate: A glass plate mounted on a concrete and steel structure and made with piezoelectric crystals, measures a runner’s force in three directions: left-to-right, forward-to-back, and vertically.