Why is the Iconic New Balance 1906r Trainer So Loved?
The 1906R has quietly become the New Balance most of our customers ask for by name. It's a reissue of a 2010 running shoe, and the number isn't decorative — New Balance was founded in Boston in 1906 by William J. Riley, who made arch supports before he made trainers. Nearly everything the brand is known for comes out of that.
Do the New Balance 1906R run true to size?
They run slightly small and narrow. If your feet are on the broader side, go up half a size. If they're narrow, your usual size should be fine.
That narrowness is the thing to know before you order. The 1906R is built on a running last rather than a lifestyle one, so it holds the foot more closely through the middle than something like a 574 does. It's snug rather than tight, and it doesn't loosen off much with wear, so half a size is a real decision rather than a hedge.
Are the New Balance 1906R comfortable?
Yes, and it's the reason people buy a second pair. The midsole is doing more work than the shape suggests — it's engineered to absorb impact and spread pressure across the foot rather than concentrate it under the heel, which is what you feel after four hours on your feet rather than four minutes.
The trade-off is weight. These are not a light shoe, and if you've come from something flat and minimal they'll feel substantial for the first week.
What to wear with the New Balance 1906R
They're easier to place than most chunky trainers because the colourways stay quiet — greys, beiges, silvers. Vintage jeans and a plain tee is the obvious one and it works. A sundress or a midi is the less obvious one and works better, because the shoe is heavy enough to stop a floaty dress reading as delicate.
Where they struggle is with anything tailored and narrow. A slim trouser and a 1906R fight each other.
How heavy are the New Balance 1906R?
Heavier than they look and heavier than most of what you'd put next to them. That's the ABZORB and N-ergy cushioning in the midsole — the material doing the shock absorption has to be dense to do it, and density means weight.
In practice it means two things. They're the pair to wear when you're walking a lot, because the cushioning earns its keep after the first hour. And they're not the pair to pack if you're travelling light, because they'll take up more of your bag than a flat trainer would.
If you've come from something minimal, expect the first week to feel like effort. It stops being noticeable after that.
Who designs New Balance?
Worth knowing, because the answer explains a lot about why the range looks the way it does now.
The 327, the 237 and the XC-72 all came from Charlotte Lee and an all-female design team. The 327 took about two years to develop before it debuted on the Paris Fashion Week runway in January 2020, and the enlarged N on the side is a deliberate reference to the logo New Balance introduced in 1976. That's why the recent releases feel like they were drawn for a different customer than the old running shoes were. They were.
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