This Techy New Balance Hiker Brings Dad-Shoe Vibes to the Trails

Nothing screams “dad” like a 574 or 990 New Balance. But the trail-friendly Tektrel looks up to the task.

Published January 21, 2025

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Updated January 21, 2025

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Nothing screams “dad” like a chunky, gray New Balance shoe, especially one that falls within the brand’s 574 or 990 lineups. Yet the brand’s new Tektrel looks up to the task.

Originally released in 2024 as a technical trail shoe with the bright hues to match, the Tektrel returns in 2025 with a suite of lifestyle-friendly colorways, including one in New Balance’s famous grayscale.

The brand describes the shoe as “slate grey with raincloud and castlerock.” However, myriad shades of gray interplay on both the upper (fashioned from mesh and suede leather) and lower extremities of the shoe.

Gray matters

The midsole itself is made up of basic EVA foam, a dependable if slightly unremarkable choice given all the advancements in running-shoe tech. However, its ubiquity over the brand’s proprietary FuelCell blend helps to keep the overall price tag of the Tektrel in check.

Meanwhile, New Balance’s AT Tread outsole on the very bottom of the shoe combines lugs of varying height for road-to-trail versatility.

To be clear, the Tektrel isn’t the first New Balance performance shoe in recent months to adopt the brand’s signature look.

Last spring, as part of an ongoing collab with the running brand District Vision, New Balance gave the FuelCell SC Elite — its premier marathon racer — a grayscale makeover of its own.

District Vision x New Balance running shoe — The DV + NB Mens Elite Race Shoe, a collab between New Balance and District Vision, also brought a classic gray colorway to a modern-day performance shoe.

The good news is that, unlike that shoe, the Tektrel doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to sold out. It also just $90 at full MSRP — a far cry in the right direction from the $265 sticker price of last year’s DV + NB Mens Elite Race Shoe.