The engine's answer
Best running shoe with maximum cushioning for getting started on the treadmill, under €280
New Balance Fresh Foam More v4
78% match
The Bondi rival with the roomier heart
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Live search for the New Balance Fresh Foam More v4 at retailers that carry it.
Why it wins here
The New Balance Fresh Foam More v4 wins this question with a 78% match against all 78 shoes in the catalogue. It costs €160, weighs 289 g and stands on a 43 mm heel stack with a 4 mm drop; its cushioning scores 92/100, its grip 58/100 and its energy return 50/100. The tightest constraint is the terrain: only 61 of the 78 shoes count as a road-ready shoe, and 60 clear both the price and the terrain filter. Its biggest edge over that field is on cushion — cushioning 92 /100, stack height 43 mm. The nearest runner-up, the Hoka Bondi 9, finished 1 point behind.
The dimensions where it beats the rest of the field by the most, for this question specifically — with the numbers behind each one.
- Cushioncushioning 92 /100, stack height 43 mm
- Goalcushioning 92 /100, stability 62 /100, price €160
- TerrainRoad shoe, grip 58 /100, stability 62 /100; 61 of 78 shoes count as a road-ready shoe
- Budget€160, €120 under the €280 ceiling — 77 of 78 shoes qualify
What's good
- Huge soft stack with a wide, steady base
- Kind to feet that swell on long days
What to watch
- Ponderous beyond easy pace
- Low drop plus high stack feels unusual at first
What the runners-up gave up
The next three in the ranking, and the measure each one lost on against the New Balance Fresh Foam More v4.
- Hoka Bondi 977%The most cushion Hoka can legally sell youHoka Bondi 9 (77%) lost on terrain: breathability 65 /100 against 68 /100 for the New Balance Fresh Foam More v4. SportsShoes.com ↗ Top4Running ↗ Running Warehouse ↗
- Nike Vomero 1877%Big soft miles, small price for the stack you getNike Vomero 18 (77%) lost on the goal: cushioning 88 /100 against 92 /100 for the New Balance Fresh Foam More v4. SportsShoes.com ↗ Top4Running ↗ Running Warehouse ↗
- Hoka Gaviota 577%Maximum support meets maximum marshmallowHoka Gaviota 5 (77%) lost on terrain: breathability 65 /100 against 68 /100 for the New Balance Fresh Foam More v4. SportsShoes.com ↗ Top4Running ↗ Running Warehouse ↗
Questions this answer raises
- Is the New Balance Fresh Foam More v4 within a €280 budget?
- Yes. At €160 it sits €120 under the ceiling, and 77 of the 78 shoes in the catalogue come in at €280 or less.
- Does the New Balance Fresh Foam More v4 suit the treadmill?
- It is a road shoe with grip 58 /100 and stability 62 /100. The question filtered for a road-ready shoe, which 61 of the 78 shoes are; for getting started the ranking also weighed cushioning 92 /100, stability 62 /100, price €160.
- How much shoe is under foot in the New Balance Fresh Foam More v4?
- A 43 mm heel stack with a 4 mm drop, a cushioning score of 92/100 and no plate — at 289 g on the scale.
Change an assumption
This page answers one runner's question. Yours is not that question — adjust the surface, the goal or the budget and watch the whole field re-rank.
Answer for your own running