Nuestra conclusión

New Balance ha llegado con un nuevo par listo para conquistar la cancha que cuenta con su maravillosa amortiguación Fresh Foam. Las Fresh Foam BB v2 ofrecen una protección contra impactos que es una locura, y su estructura es cómoda desde el minuto uno. Su parte superior es duradera y está muy reforzada, así que pudimos disfrutar de una sujeción maravillosa durante nuestros partidos. Esto también fue gracias a su doble contrafuerte en el talón y a sus paredes laterales recubiertas de goma, que envolvieron nuestros pies cómodamente. Creemos que uno de los mejores argumentos de venta de estas zapatillas es, además de su sólida tracción incluso en pistas polvorientas, su amortiguación, ya que te protege los pies después de saltar. Eso sí, con este par no pudimos sentir nada la pista bajo los pies, pero entendemos que New Balance sacrificó eso para ofrecerte los aterrizajes más suaves del mundo.

Pros

  • Comodísimas desde el minuto 1
  • Mediasuela blanda con protección contra impactos de primera
  • Muy mullidas y acolchadas por dentro
  • Parte superior protectora y reforzada
  • Buena sujeción en general
  • Agarre constante y sólido de la suela exterior
  • Amortiguación fantástica en el talón
  • Transiciones suaves

Contras

  • No sientes el suelo bajo los pies
  • No son unas zapatillas ligeras
  • No tienen mucho rebote

Veredicto de los usuarios

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Who should buy

Let the New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 take you to a softer world if:

  • You're looking for crazy good impact protection and very soft cushioning.
  • A pair with fantastic shock absorption and grip to hoop for hours on end is what you need.
  • You need a super comfortable basketball shoe with very good support.
  • You're a center or more of a bigger/post-player!

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_01

Who should NOT buy

The Fresh Foam BB v2 focuses on comfort and protection, which implies loads of padding, cushioning, and reinforcement. Consequently, it's definitely not a light shoe! During our wear tests, we didn't feel it dragged our feet down like crazy, but we can assure you it doesn't feel like a couple of feathers either. That's why we believe this New Balance might be more suitable for bigger players/centers/post-players! If your playstyle relies on quick footwork, maybe you should have a look at our lightweight basketball shoe catalog.

Just in the same way, all the impact protection and shock-absorbing properties of this hooper didn't let us feel the court under our feet during our wear tests. If you want to feel closer to the ground and you want to try New Balance basketball shoes, the Hesi Low might be exactly what you need!

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_pieces

Transpirabilidad

This New Balance felt like a couple of mini-ovens in our feet during our wear tests. When we took it to our lab to see what was going on, we started by checking its upper against a light to see if it had any ventilation holes.

Well, there wasn't even one! The only place where we saw them was in the tongue. Should we ask our smoke machine if that's actually enough to let the air in and out?

Okay, that was... sad. The poor Fresh Foam BB v2 paled in comparison with the super breathable Curry 10. Not even a little bit of smoke came out, it just felt as if the New Balance pair literally just sighed at the very end of our test! That's why we gave the Curry 10 a perfect 5/5 and the Fresh Foam BB v2... just a 1/5 on our breathability test.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Breathability_3

This shoe features a tight mesh upper with suede overlays that reinforce the whole structure. Even though you might associate the word "mesh" with breathability, trust us... this isn't the case!

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Breathability_4

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 1
Promedio 2.5
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
1
Transpirabilidad
5

Durabilidad

Durabilidad de la parte delantera

In exchange for the breathability, this New Balance hooper did its best to protect its upper. And it succeeded!

We saw it fight bravely against our Dremel, and when we checked the damage dealt, we couldn't help but smile!

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Toebox durability_3

Just look at that! Even though we went for the weakest part of the shoe, it survived perfectly well. As you can see in the picture, there's a big suede overlay on the outside, which is basically what's going to be protecting not only your feet, but also the whole shoe from any damage.

Additionally, this gives structure to the hooper, enhancing its footlocking levels.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Toebox durability_2

But we'll talk about that later on! For now, look at the shoe on the right. That's the Nike Precision 6 and its messed up upper. We could only give it a terrifying 1/5 on our toebox durability test. And after this comparison, you can probably understand why the Fresh Foam BB v2 got a fantastic 4/5 on this same test!

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 4
Promedio 3.8
En comparación con 51 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
1
Durabilidad de la parte delantera
5

Durabilidad del acolchado del talón

We expected the heel padding to follow the same path, and even though it was a bit weaker, we can't say we're unsatisfied with the result.

Our Dremel went all in once again but during 5 seconds, and the super plush heel of the Fresh Foam BB v2 did suffer a little bit.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Heel padding _3durability

The tool gave this shoe's heel padding some crazy morning hair, and it has scored a 3/5 on our durability test.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Heel padding _2durability

If we compare it with the Reebok Answer DMX and its 1/5 on this same test, that grade doesn't sound so bad any more, huh?

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 3
Promedio 3.7
En comparación con 48 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
1
Durabilidad del acolchado del talón
5

Dureza de la suela

When our durometer returned 87.9 HC as soon as we pressed it against this shoe's outsole, we realized this softie had some tough sides to it!

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Outsole hardness_1

This result is higher than average, which usually indicates the rubber compound used in the outsole focuses on being durable. Sometimes this means that grip stays as a secondary character.

Nevertheless, and without wanting to massively spoil anything, we want to tell you one thing: the Fresh Foam BB v2 is a traction BEAST.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 87.9 HC
Promedio 81.7 HC
Utilizamos una media de cuatro pruebas. La foto muestra una de esas pruebas.
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
58.4 HC
Dureza de la suela
91.0 HC

Durabilidad de la suela

Our Dremel had one last chance to redeem itself and show us how much of a shoe eater it can be.

Now at 10K RPM and with 3.2N of force, the tool attacked this New Balance's outsole during 22 seconds. We patiently waited, seeing how all the rubber dust accumulated right next to the dent.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Outsole durability_2

And we were really happy with the result! Once we put the tool aside, we could barely see the damage on the outsole. When we measured it with our tread gauge, it returned 0.7 mm, which is a wonderful score!

This means the Fresh Faom BB v2 features a durable outsole that should be by your side for a long time.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 0.7 mm
Promedio 1.0 mm
En comparación con 39 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
0.0 mm
Desgaste de la suela
2.0 mm

Grosor de la suela

As the rubber compound used in the outsole is pretty long-lasting, we didn't think the brand would go for a very chunky outsole. To verify this, we grabbed our caliper and measured it, once we had cut the shoe in half.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Outsole thickness_1

It returned 3.7 mm, which is lower than average. We totally agree with the brand's decision, as it helps reduce the overall shoe weight!

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 3.7 mm
Promedio 4.1 mm
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
0.0 mm
Grosor de la suela
8.5 mm

Peso

Before we start talking about the real weight of this shoe, there's something we would like to clarify: the Fresh Foam BB v2 is not a fast hooper.

Its design and structure focus on being incredibly comfortable and protective, and after our own experience playing basketball with this pair, we can totally confirm it. It just doesn't feel quick on foot, and maybe guards with fast footwork will find it a bit too slow for their liking.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Weight_1

When we took it to our lab, the scale returned 14.1 oz/400g, which is already more than average. And we could feel this during our wear tests, that's for sure. Nevertheless, this weight didn't stop us or make our feet feel too tired.

The Fresh Foam BB v2 might not be as leg-saving as other lightweight hoopers, but as we mentioned before, it doesn't feel like the brand was specifically aiming for that. These kicks focus on making your feet comfy and happy, so they're definitely not the fastest hoopers around.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 14.11 oz (400g)
Promedio 13.83 oz (392g)
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
11.29 oz (320g)
Peso
17.46 oz (495g)

Amortiguación

Altura de la suela en la zona del talón

At 34.9 mm, this shoe's heel stack is higher than average.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Heel stack_1

As you can see, our caliper had to open wide before it could fit such a big chunk of foam between its claws! During our games, this translated into heavenly comfort and incredible shock absorption.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_011

So, even though we couldn't really feel the court under our feet, this shoe made sure our landings were safe and soft!

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 34.9 mm
Promedio 29.3 mm
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
23.6 mm
Altura de la suela en la zona del talón
38.4 mm

Altura de la suela en el antepié

The forefoot followed the same scheme, as our caliper indicated that it's also higher than average at 25.6 mm.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Forefoot stack_1

What we liked the most about this is that the Fresh Foam BB v2 doesn't forget about the forefoot. Like, you know, there are many times when shoes are incredibly cushioning at the heel, but not so much at the ball of the foot. In this case, New Balance made sure we felt safe landing with any part of our feet.

One of the reasons why we appreciated this a lot was that, when you've been hooping for a while, you start falling using just your forefoot. This protects your knees and lets you regain balance sooner, so we believe getting some extra cushioning in that area is a fantastic choice.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 25.6 mm
Promedio 21.7 mm
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
15.5 mm
Altura de la suela en el antepié
29.2 mm

Drop

Despite having a higher forefoot, the Fresh Foam BB v2 doesn't have a very low drop.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Drop_1

At 9.3 mm, it's definitely higher than average. Nevertheless, we didn't feel anything different when we walked or ran with the shoe. In other words, we didn't have to get used to it or readjust our foot to its ride.

Now that we have a full visual of this New Balance's interior, let's talk about it. The shoe features a full-length and dual-density Fresh Foam X midsole, which feels incredibly soft (as we'll verify in the next section) and comfortable. It also has a TPU shank in the midfoot that offers that little bit of bounce, even though we didn't feel it much.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_010

Just by looking at how padded the interiors of this shoe are and feeling how soft its midsole is, there's no doubt: The Fresh Foam BB v2 is all about comfort and support.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 9.3 mm
Promedio 7.6 mm
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
4.0 mm
Drop
14.8 mm

Suavidad de la mediasuela

As we had already hinted, this shoe's midsole is clearly on the softer side.

Our durometer returned just 13.1 HA when we measured it, and trust us, our feet could tell! Also, this shoe is comfortable right out of the box, which is something we love as it lets us just go play ball straight away. 

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Midsole softness_1

In other words, if you're not a fan of break-in periods, the Fresh Foam BB v2 is a fantastic choice!

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 13.1 HA
Promedio 24.8 HA
Utilizamos una media de cuatro pruebas. La foto muestra una de esas pruebas.
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
11.0 HA
Suavidad de la mediasuela (de blanda a firme)
38.6 HA

Grosor de la plantilla

Its crazy soft and comfy bottom doesn't really need a very thick outsole, or at least that's how we see it.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Insole thickness_1

When we removed this shoe's insole and measured it with our caliper, we realized New Balance totally agreed with us. At 4.9 mm, its thickness is just average, and honestly, we wouldn't change that.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_02

After our wear tests, we can say that you feel pretty far off the ground in this hooper, which might lead to feeling slightly unstable. If the brand had used a thicker insole, our feet would've been even more separated from the court!

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 4.9 mm
Promedio 4.8 mm
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
0.0 mm
Grosor de la plantilla
20.8 mm

Estabilidad

Prueba de estabilidad lateral

Even though we've already mentioned it before, we can't get tired of saying how supportive this New Balance felt on our feet. We believe this is thanks to its upper overlays and reinforcements, as well as its padding, as they didn't let our ankles play around much.

This translated into feeling confident and safe on the court, which is honestly something priceless! It made us go for more aggressive moves, as this shoe wasn't that quick for us to try very fast footwork.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_013

In our opinion, the Fresh Foam BB v2 is a great pair for centers and players who post-play a lot. It might not be the best for guards who create openings through dribble penetration, but we believe it suits hoopers who usually play closer to the zone.

Rigidez torsional

The tough upper materials aren't the only ones that offer such wonderful support. The Fresh Foam BB v2 features really high rubberized lateral walls that held our feet in place during our games.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_07

When we took this shoe to our lab, we could clearly see it when we performed our torsional rigidity test. Do you want to see our fingers struggle for 6 seconds straight? Well then, here we go.

Just look at that, we couldn't bend this New Balance even if we tried our hardest! Consequently, we've decided to give it a well-deserved 5/5 on our torsional rigidity test.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 5
Promedio 4.4
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
1
Rigidez torsional
5

Rigidez del contrafuerte del talón

We also tried to push and bend the heel counter of the Fresh Foam BB v2, and even though it wasn't as impossible as twisting its whole structure, we can't say it was pure play dough either.

As you can see, the sides and the top of the area of the Achilles obliged, nevertheless, from the middle part of the heel counter down, the material fought back a little bit more. Why? Well, it's because this shoe features a TPU external and internal heel counter. But this structure doesn't make it all the way up to the tip of the collar, it stays in the middle more or less.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_05

We didn't experience any kind of heel slippage during our games, and this structure makes the heel counter comfortable enough. In other words, it didn't hurt our Achilles at all, not even during our very first games!

After taking all this into account, we've decided to give this shoe a 3/5 on our heel counter stiffness test.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 3
Promedio 3.6
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
1
Rigidez del contrafuerte del talón
5

Anchura de la mediasuela en el antepié

When we measured this shoe's midsole width in the forefoot and our caliper returned 114.4 mm, we realized it was pretty much average.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Midsole width in the forefoot_1

It's clearly not the widest landing base we've seen in our lab, but we didn't find it too narrow or unstable at all during our wear tests.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 114.4 mm
Promedio 114.6 mm
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
106.2 mm
Anchura de la mediasuela en el antepié
122.2 mm

Anchura de la mediasuela en la zona del talón

On the other hand, the midsole width in the heel is slightly higher than average at 92.3 mm.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Midsole width in the heel_1

We appreciated this, as it means the rearfoot gets some extra stability points! But it's not something that made a huge difference between this New Balance pair and other hoopers. We'd say it's more like a nice little touch than a game-changing feature.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 92.3 mm
Promedio 90.2 mm
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
80.0 mm
Anchura de la mediasuela en la zona del talón
105.1 mm

Flexibilidad

Rigidez

Despite focusing on support and protection and even with its tough and stiff materials, the Fresh Foam BB v2 still needed less force than average to bend all the way up to 90 degrees.

The 35.1N it scored on our lab test translated into quite smooth transitions on the court. As this shoe is not the lightest out there, we found its flexibility really convenient.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 35.1N
Promedio 39.0N
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
17.6N
Rigidez
67.2N

Tallaje y ajuste

Anchura de la parte delantera en la parte más ancha

Once we had placed our caliper just in the upper, without opening it up to cover this New Balance's sole flare, we saw it returned 99.2 mm.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Toebox width at the widest part_1

This is definitely not on the wide side of the spectrum, and even though our standard-sized feet felt comfortable, we can see wide-foot hoopers feeling cramped.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_015

After all, the Free Foam BB v2 is super padded, and its materials are pretty rigid. Nevertheless, when you play in it, its upper gives in a bit. But we just don't think it'd be enough to accommodate wide-foot players.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 99.2 mm
Promedio 101.7 mm
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
92.6 mm
Anchura de la parte delantera en la parte más ancha
113.2 mm

Anchura de la parte delantera en la zona del dedo gordo

Its round toebox offers some extra wiggle wrong for the toes, which is something we really appreciated.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Toebox width at the big toe_1

Our caliper returned 80.5 mm, which is way more than average. We could splay our toes comfortably in every landing, which made us feel more stable after every jump.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_09

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 80.5 mm
Promedio 76.9 mm
En comparación con 54 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
71.2 mm
Anchura de la parte delantera en la zona del dedo gordo
85.1 mm

Lengüeta: tipo de refuerzo

The brand went for a non-gusseted tongue in the Fresh Foam BB v2. We were quite surprised, as the previous version featured a fully gusseted one!

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Tongue: gusset type_1

But... its predecessor was also lighter (at 13.9 oz/394g), so we can understand why New Balance made this decision.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 Ninguno

Comodidad

Acolchado de la lengüeta

We found this shoe's tongue padding enough to protect our feet from lace bite or any other kind of uncomfortable rub in our instep.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Tongue padding_1

This is probably another measure New Balance took to reduce this hooper's overall weight, which is a much needed strategy!

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_06

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 5.1 mm
Promedio 9.4 mm
En comparación con 60 zapatillas de baloncesto
Número de zapatillas
1.3 mm
Acolchado de la lengüeta
15.9 mm

Tirador del talón

The Fresh Foam BB v2 doesn't have a heel tab, but as its tongue is non-gusseted, we had plenty of space to slide our feet on without any problems.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2_outdoor_08

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 Ninguno

Plantilla extraíble

As expected from New Balance, the Fresh Foam BB v2 features a removable insole! In other words, you can change it whenever you need to.

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Removable insole_1

As its heel says, it's a Fresh Foam insole. We found it incredibly comfortable, and even though all this bottom cushioning and softness didn't let us feel the court under our feet, if you prioritize impact protection, this is the shoe for you!

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Removable insole_2

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2

Varios

Elementos reflectantes

This hooper doesn't have any reflective elements at all!

New Balance Fresh Foam BB v2 Reflective elements_1

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam BB v2 No