By special request today we've got a 1982 vintage ad for New Balance featuring the 375/376, 390, 420, 555, 660, 730, 990, and Comps models. I’d be curious to see what’s going down in the New Balance “gait lab” these days.
Ad info is below:
Runners aren't normal.
It’s not that we're crazy. It's just that we're, well ... different. In fact, there's not a typical or average one of us in the whole bunch. And the bunch now numbers some 25,000,000 people.
Imagine: 25 million runners, each with a different running style, training pattem, lifestyle. A different physical construction and emotional make-up. A 'different level of commitment to the sport. And each given these other variables, with different needs. Needs the New Balance Running Shoe System is designed to satisfy.
A SHOE FOR EVERY RUNNER.
The New Balance Running Shoe System is the product of our on-going efforts to better understand the relationship between running and the human body. It has come about through our involvement in three specific areas:
Sports medicine. Through association with orthopedists, podiatrists and the gait lab of one of Boston's leading hospitals.
Manufacturing technology. The key to our ability to be technologically innovative.
Runners themselves. World-class athletes like Dick Beardsley, Kevin Ryan, Lorraine Moller and Francie Larrieu. The result is a system of running shoes that accommodates variations in weight, size, gait, speed, agility and more. And enables individual runners to "match" their personal styles and preferences to performance footwear designed to meet their needs. We even make our shoes in different widths. So that no one has to run in shoes designed to fit someone else.
THE INDIVIDUAL SHOES.
This will briefly introduce you to the shoes in the System. Naturally, you can find out more about them first-hand at better athletic footwear stores. The 375/376. Excellent values, the NB 375 and 376 for women are impressive examples of what we're able to accomplish within strict economic limits. With all-leather side supports and an extended sway bar tip for superior control, they offer more performance features than any other $35 running shoes. The 390. A reasonably priced training shoe, the 390 is equally at home on the road or trail. The key to its versatility is its outersole—a New Balance-exclusive carbon rub-ber houndstooth outersole, anatomi-cally contoured for exceptional wear.
The 420/420 W. The NB 420 is the single biggest selling running shoe in Amenca above $40, and comfort is the reason. With its EVA wedge and midsole, Vibram® Morflex outersole and Lunaris Pillow footbed, the 420 offers a level of comfort that's simply without parallel.
The 555/555 W. A shoe designed specifically for people who are murder on running shoes, or who do their running in areas that are rough on shoes, the 555 is our most durable training shoe. It's also extremely versatile—thanks in part to a carbon rubber houndstooth sole and combination-lasting construction.
The 660/660 W. Light and firm, the NB 660 is designed for runners who like to feel the road when they run. Factors contributing to its firmer feel are a Fethalite wedge and mid-sole, a firm version of our Lunaris Pillow and a double-extended 60-weight Surlyn counter.
The 730/730 W. An impressive combination of comfort and stability, the NB 730 is designed for runners who seek a stable, but for-giving, training shoe. Three different materials in the sole unit—an EVA midsole, high density EVA wedge and Morflex outersole—combine to make this the most cushioned run-ning shoe on the road today. The 990. More than three years in the making, the NB 990 is the most technologically advanced running shoe on the market today. No other training shoe ever built offers a more thoroughly sophisticated combination o protection, comfort and motion control—achieved with-out the slightest inhibition of the foot's natural range of motion. Comps. Our Spike 100, Spike 200 and Comp 200 racing shoes are designed with three criteria in mind—minimal weight, optimum protection, maximum feel of the road or track The results are apparent in race results throughout the world. IF YOU'D LIKE TO READ MORE, WRITE US. We'll send you a brochure describing in greater detail the New Balance Running Shoe System. A System that by satisfying the needs of all different kinds of runners makes New Balance different, too. New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc., 38 Everett St., Boston, MA 02134.
375/376 Recommended for price-conscious runners who seek a comfort-able training shoe that can also be worn for casual wear.
390 Recommended for price-conscious runners who seek a versatile on-road/off-road training shoe.
420 Recommended for runners who seek the ultimate in comfort.
555 Recommended for runners who wear through shoes quickly; also, for larger runners.
660 Recommended for serious runners who run middle and long distances and like a firmer feeling shoe.
730 Recommended for medium and higher mileage runners who can benefit from exceptional cushioning.
990 Recommended for devoted runners seeking the optimal combination of flexibility and motion control.
COMPS Recommended solely for the competitive runner
new balance NB
