New Balance 9060 “New Spruce” – U9060170
My first pair of New Balance 9060s was white with black hits, which I bought last fall. I liked them enough that the New Spruce became my second pair this past summer.
But it was the New Spruce that really changed how I thought about the 9060—and turned this New Balance 9060 review into something more than a first-impression piece.
What started as one of my most comfortable sneakers for walking to work eventually became a regular choice for summer walks, trails and even the occasional run.
I average around 10,000 steps a day, so comfort isn’t something I judge from walking around the house for ten minutes. After owning two pairs and putting real distance into the New Spruce, I think I can answer three of the questions that matter most:
Why are the New Balance 9060 so popular? What are they actually best for? And are they worth the money?
Why Are the New Balance 9060 So Popular?
New Balance took elements from its running archive and exaggerated them into a contemporary silhouette. The chunky midsole, layered upper and exaggerated proportions borrow from the technical running shoes of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the 9060 still looks unmistakably like a New Balance.
I think the 9060 hits an unusually good combination of design, comfort, colour and price.
Then there’s the price.
At an MSRP of C$194.99 in Canada, the 9060 isn’t cheap, but it stays just under the $200 mark. You’re getting a sneaker with a layered mesh-and-suede upper and a substantial sculpted midsole featuring ABZORB and SBS cushioning.
That helps explain why the 9060 commands a premium over the classic New Balance dad shoe. It’s more complex, more exaggerated and more technical—but I still don’t think you need to pay full price, unless you’re after one of the core colourways that tends to sell out quickly.
The range of colourways is also changing how I think about the 9060. I’m no longer asking whether I want another pair—I’m starting to think about which colour should come next and what it adds to my rotation.
The white-and-black pair gives me something neutral and easy to wear. New Spruce brought green and blue into the mix and became the pair I wore heavily outdoors this summer. So the next purchase doesn’t need to repeat either one.
I’m looking at the 9060 more like a collection now: Which colours am I missing? Which pair works with clothes the others don’t? And which colourway is different enough to earn a place in the rotation?
That’s where the sheer number of 9060 releases becomes part of the appeal. Once you’ve found a silhouette that works this well for you, choosing the next pair becomes less about the shoe itself and more about the colour.
What Are the New Balance 9060 Best For?
For me, it’s walking.
My white-and-black pair became one of my go-to sneakers for walking around Toronto and getting to work. I average around 10,000 steps a day, and the 9060 quickly became one of those shoes I could put on without thinking too much about how far I was going to walk.
The New Spruce got a different test when I spent time on the trails in Saint John, New Brunswick, this summer.
One of my favourite Wear Tests was a 5.34 km trail walk/run in 54:33, at an average pace of 10:12/km. The cushioning felt just as good near the end as it did when I started, and I kept wearing them on the trails throughout the summer.
That’s where I started to see how versatile the 9060 could be. There’s plenty of cushioning and a nice wide base underfoot, and even though they’re heavier than a dedicated running shoe, the weight hasn’t bothered me on longer walks.
The trails also exposed something I hadn’t noticed wearing the white-and-black pair around Toronto: the toe is pretty pointy.
Once I got onto rougher terrain with roots and branches, I kept catching the front of the shoe and stubbing my toe. On maintained trails it wasn’t much of an issue, but the rougher the terrain became, the more noticeable it was.
So I wouldn’t mistake the 9060 for a hiking shoe or technical trail runner. That’s not what it was designed to be.
But as a walking shoe, I’ve worn it in two very different environments and loved it in both: city streets in Toronto and trails in Saint John. And by the end of the summer, some of those trail walks had turned into runs.
Are the New Balance 9060 Worth It?
For me, yes.
At this point, I’m thinking less about whether I’d buy another pair and more about which colours I want to add to the rotation.
Black and grey are obvious choices because they’d be easy to wear year-round. Brown is starting to interest me as something warmer and a little different from the white-and-black pair I already own. Then there are the lighter spring colours, which could bring something completely different to the rotation once the weather changes.
That’s one of the things I like about the 9060. The silhouette stays the same, but the number of colourways means each pair can serve a different purpose in my wardrobe.
Price still matters. I’ll pay closer to MSRP for a core colour I really want—especially one that’s likely to sell out. But when other colourways start dropping toward C$120, that’s when black, grey, brown or a good spring colour become much easier additions.
So my question isn’t really whether the 9060 is worth buying anymore.
It’s which one comes next?
SNKRBOX Verdict
The best sneakers aren’t always the ones you plan to wear the most.
My first 9060 showed me how comfortable the silhouette could be around Toronto. New Spruce took it somewhere else. I brought them to Saint John, put them on for a trail walk and just kept going back to them.
That’s really the story of the 9060 for me.
They’ve become the kind of sneakers I don’t have to think about before putting them on—and the kind I now find myself looking for in black, grey, brown and whatever colours catch my attention next spring.
So, would I buy another pair?
I’m already looking.
