New Balance Minimus TR v2 review

We believe that the New Balance Minimus TR v2 is worth considering if:

• you are looking for a minimalist training shoe that feels very light and low to the ground
• you are transitioning to barefoot shoes but still want some impact protection for HIIT
• you prefer close-fitting trainers that can be worn sockless

If you are exploring the realm of minimalist cross-trainers, there are a few solid alternatives to the NB Minimus TR v2 that you might as well consider: Altra Solstice XT 2, Reebok Nano 2.0, and Adidas The Total.

All three options provide a very generous toebox space and are better suited for deadlifting because of the flatter sole. Especially, the Adidas The Total as it was made with deadlifting in mind.

Intended as a barefoot shoe, we are not surprised that the New Balance Minimus TR v2 has the lowest heel stack of all our tested cross-trainers. According to our caliper measurement, it is only 14.0 mm thick.

This type of shoe mimics the experience of working out barefoot and offers only the most essential layer of underfoot protection. It feels exceptionally grounded and planted but definitely takes some getting used to if you are transitioning from regular training shoes.

The Minimus TR v2 also turned out to have the lowest forefoot stack of only 11.8 mm.

While this setup offers very natural and unhindered movement, please keep in mind that cushioning is practically non-existent here.

High-impact exercises that put a lot of pressure on the ball of the foot (like rope jumping) are going to feel less cushioned and supported in this minimalist trainer.

We were surprised to discover that the actual heel-to-toe drop of the Minimus TR v2 is even lower than the stated 4 mm!

The difference in stack heights showed only 2.2 mm based on our own caliper measurements. We think that barefoot shoe purists are going to be very happy about this fact.

PLEASE NOTE: Having little to no heel elevation in a shoe puts your foot in a very flat position - the same as if it were standing barefoot on the floor. Paired with the shoe's low stack, it offers the benefit of better proprioception and muscle engagement but can backfire in straining the Achilles or other parts of your feet and legs. If this is your first minimalist trainer, we highly recommend taking the transition slowly and consulting your physician if necessary.

According to the brand, the NB Minimus TR v2 uses FuelCell foam for its midsole. But because the cushioning layer is so thin and dense, it doesn't feel as bouncy as a FuelCell running shoe would.

But the good news is that the foam doesn't feel dead either.

Having cut the shoe in half, we found that its midsole is made of two different-density foams. And because New Balance doesn't mention any other foam in the specs, we assume that these are just two densities of the FuelCell.

As a cross-training shoe, it makes sense that the firmer foam is placed in the heel for better balance and stability. Pressing our Shore A durometer against the darker compound returned a higher reading of 30.0 HA. It is a firm type of foam that is less prone to compression under weight.

However, the forefoot portion of the midsole is notably softer. Our durometer showed a low reading of 22.0 HA which is 36% softer than the shoe's heel foam.

It makes the platform a bit more forgiving for jumps and high-impact exercises where you spend most of the workout on your toes.

The insole is practically non-existent in the NB Minimus TR v2. It is fully integrated into the midsole (non-removable) and only makes up 1.7 mm of the platform.

Seeing a toe ricker and a heel bevel on a minimalist training shoe left us... genuinely perplexed.

The whole idea behind minimalist shoes is that they mimic the barefoot experience as much as possible without interfering with the natural biomechanics. But since the Minimus TR v2 already looks like New Balance's design experiment, why not? 

Because on the bright side, the new geometry of the Minimus TR v2 didn't feel like a problem. It actually made walking and running in the trainer a bit smoother. Our only point of concern was the shoe's stability for deadlifting - our feet had to negotiate their way out of leaning too far forward.

As a minimalist shoe, the Minimus TR v2 is supposed to feel like a second skin. But we think its snug-fitting toebox may feel too close to some people's skin.

Even in the widest forefoot area of the shoe, our caliper showed a notably narrow reading of 95.8 mm. Luckily, those who need a bit more space can opt for the wide option (2E for men and D for women).

We also found that wearing this New Balance shoe without socks makes the fit less restrictive and more glove-like. Even the brand claims that the trainer's soft inner lining is intended for sockless wear.

Gladly, there is no aggressive tapering in the tip of the shoe's toebox. It showed a standard caliper reading of 78.0 mm at the big toe area.

It's hard to complain about the lateral stability of a minimalist training shoe. When your feet sit so close to the ground, it is nearly impossible for them to buckle over.

Be it squatting with heavy weight or doing lateral shuffles, the Minimus TR v2 kept us planted and surefooted.

Aside from the shoe's inherent stability as a barefoot trainer, there is no support whatsoever. This New Balance trainer is meant to move along with the foot like it doesn't even exist.

Twisting it in our manual test revealed the complete absence of torsional rigidity in the Minimus TR v2. On a 1-5 stiffness scale where 5 is the stiffest, it gets the lowest score of 1.

Don't let the shoe's puffed collar mislead you. Aside from being very generously padded, it has no structure and hardly offers any heel hold either.

We gave it 2 out of 5 only because of the padding.

Measuring the platform dimensions of the NB Minimus TR v2, we didn't find it particularly wide.

Our caliper returned a standard reading of 111.6 mm in the widest part of the shoe's forefoot. But we have nothing to complain about - the lateral and medial flanges proved to be wide enough to keep us steady during the workout session.

The heel of the Minimus TR v2 doesn't have any significant outriggers showing a narrower-than-average reading of 83.0 mm.

However, there is a pretty bulky heel bumper at the back covered with a protective rubber piece.

Even though we understand that this is intended for headstand pushups, we also think that this much protrusion is just an overkill. It can do more harm than good getting in the way during other exercises. 

Another benefit of a minimalist shoe? Absolute freedom to bend your foot like there is no shoe at all.

Our force gauge showed that the Minimus TR v2 needs only 10.9N to bend to a 90-degree angle. That is 60% less than it takes an average training shoe.

We loved how agreeable this NB trainer was for planks, burpees, lunges, and agility training.

Even though the 2nd version of the Minimus TR gained about 1.6 oz, it is still one of the lightest cross-trainers on the market.

Tipping the scale at 8.9 oz (251g) in a men's US size 9, it is 1.5 oz lighter than the average gym shoe.

In addition, its extra low stack, airy upper, and highly flexible construction help the New Balance Minimus TR v2 disappear on foot!

While the original Minimus TR struggled with breathability, the TR v2 managed to provide fantastic ventilation!

Putting the shoe through our breathability test, we saw large puffs of smoke rapidly escape through the toebox. This came as a surprise because the fabric did not appear very porous through the lens of our microscope. 

Despite its densely woven nature, the shoe's upper textile felt very nice and airy on foot.

But mesh is not the only source of airflow in the Minimus TR v2. When we hovered its half-cut upper over the LED light, we saw sizable perforations all over the tongue as well.

With all these findings on top of our positive on-foot experience, we readily gave this New Balance trainer the highest breathability score - 5 out of 5!

Unfortunately, the NB Minimus TR v2 fails to promise a very long shelf life. Its soft mesh upper is barely protected by the overlays and its exposed seams beg to be torn by the next bout of burpees.

And just as we expected, the shoe's toebox easily gave in to the abrasive sandpaper tip of our Dremel.

We only kept the toebox durability score at 3 out of 5 because the Dremel didn't go all the way through the fabric.

The lining inside the shoe's heel collar didn't give much hope either.

Within only 4 seconds, our Dremel burned through the textile lowering the shoe's heel padding durability score to 2 out of 5.

As much as we love the sock-free option of this NB trainer, it probably won't be long before our toenails scratch a hole in its lining.

Even the rubber outsole of the Minimus TR v2 showed mediocre performance in terms of durability.

Using a Shore C durometer, we measured the hardness of both gum and black rubber of the trainer. However, the readings were nearly identical with 75.0 HC in the black compound and 71.0 HC in the gum (only 6% softer).

That way, both rubbers turned out to be significantly softer than the average rubber used in training shoes.

As much as we enjoyed the extra tacky grip of the shoe's softer rubbers, they didn't show the best durability in our Dremel test.

After 22 seconds of exposing the black rubber to sandpaper at 10K RPM speed, we saw a rather deep dent that smoothed out the traction pattern.

Our tread gauge showed that the dent was indeed deeper than average at 1.6 mm.

Even though the rubberdid not boast the best abrasion resistance, we appreciate that New Balance went the extra mile with protection for rope climbs.

The Minimus TR v2 features both rubber wraps and sturdy midfoot overlays to prevent the rope from burning the shoe. The only caveat is that the protection covers a relatively small area and slashing the rope outside of it means ruining the shoe anyway.

At least it's good to know that the shoe's outsole is sufficiently thick - our caliper showed a standard reading of 3.3 mm.

The retail price of the Minimus TR v2 sits right at the average for training shoes. But because of the shoe's very unique (even experimental) design, we think that it's worth waiting for a discount.

There are a few nuances about this trainer that could potentially become deal-breakers for many people. Especially since you can get so many excellent and reliable trainers at the same price point.

Aside from the cushy heel collar, the upper of this New Balance trainer is very minimal. The tongue in particular is some of the thinnest barely showing 2.0 mm on the caliper.

New Balance didn't add any finger loops at the back of the Minimus TR v2.

On the downside, the shoe's thin, long, and non-gusseted tongue was quite a nuisance!

As we got to the more intense part of the workout, the tongue started shifting around and folding over calling for our attention too many times.

We think it will be problematic to use a custom orthotic with the NB Minimus TR v2. That's because its in-built insole is not removable and the in-shoe space is quite limited.