Both brands make great footwear, but they have some important differences that might make one better for you than the other. I’m going to help you understand what makes each brand special!
New Balance is a really popular brand that makes all kinds of athletic shoes for everyone. Ryka is different because they make shoes specifically for women and girls.
Both brands focus on comfort and support, but they do it in different ways. Let’s explore everything about these shoes – from how they’re made to how they look – so you can pick the perfect pair!
Contents
- 1 New Balance vs Ryka Shoes
- 2 The History of New Balance and Ryka
- 3 Durability: Which Shoes Last Longer?
- 4 Breathability: Keeping Your Feet Cool
- 5 Cushioning: How They Feel When You Walk
- 6 Shoe Fit: Finding Your Perfect Size
- 7 Stability: Keeping You Steady on Your Feet
- 8 Comfort: How They Feel All Day Long
- 9 Quality: How Well They’re Made
- 10 Style: Looking Cool While Staying Comfortable
- 11 Size Range: Finding Shoes That Fit You
- 12 Materials: What Are They Made Of?
- 13 Weight: How Heavy They Feel On Your Feet
- 14 Flexibility: How They Bend With Your Foot
- 15 Water Resistance: Keeping Your Feet Dry
- 16 Sole: What’s On The Bottom Of The Shoe
- 17 User Reviews and Ratings
- 18 Pros and Cons
- 19 Conclusion
- 20 Frequently Asked Questions
New Balance vs Ryka Shoes
New Balance and Ryka shoes is their target audience. New Balance makes footwear for everyone with wide size options and strong arch support, while Ryka designs shoes specifically for women’s feet with narrower heels and wider forefronts.
A Detailed Comparison Table: Finding the Best Choice for Your Comfort and Needs!
| Feature | New Balance | Ryka |
|---|---|---|
| Target Audience | All genders (men, women, children) | Women and girls only |
| Design Focus | General athletic performance | Female-specific foot anatomy |
| Company Origin | Founded 1906 in Boston | Founded 1987 specifically for women |
| Width Options | Multiple (narrow, standard, wide, extra wide) | Limited (standard and some wide) |
| Foot Shape Design | Universal design principles | Female-specific (narrower heel, wider forefoot) |
| Size Range | Complete range from children to adult | Women’s sizes only (limited for young girls) |
| Best Activities | Running, walking, everyday wear, all sports | Dance fitness, aerobics, walking, water fitness |
| Style Aesthetic | Athletic, classic, sometimes chunky | Colorful, feminine, often brighter designs |
| Sole Features | Activity-specific tread patterns | Often includes pivot points for dance movements |
| Price Range | $50-$180 | $50-$120 |
| Availability | Widely available in many stores | More limited availability |
| Research Base | General foot biomechanics | Women’s specific movement patterns |
| Heel Design | Standard heel counter | Narrower heel to prevent slippage |
| Market Position | Major global athletic brand | Women’s fitness footwear specialist |
| Product Range | Extremely wide (casual to performance) | Focused on women’s fitness categories |
In summary New Balance and Ryka shoes serve different audiences and purposes. New Balance is a long-established brand making shoes for everyone with a wide range of widths, sizes, and styles for all activities.
Ryka exclusively designs shoes for women and girls with female-specific foot anatomy in mind (narrower heels, wider forefoot). New Balance offers more variety and durability for general use, while Ryka specializes in shoes optimized for women’s fitness activities like dance and aerobics with female-specific features and brighter, more feminine designs.
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The History of New Balance and Ryka
New Balance History
New Balance started way back in 1906 in Boston, Massachusetts. A man named William J. Riley founded the company to make special arch supports to help people with foot problems. Later, they started making running shoes. New Balance became famous for making shoes in different widths, which helps more people find the perfect fit.
Today, New Balance makes shoes for all kinds of activities like running, walking, basketball, and just everyday wear. They make shoes for men, women, and kids in lots of different styles.
Ryka History
Ryka has a much shorter history. The company was started in 1987 by a woman named Sheri Poe. She created Ryka because she felt that most athletic shoes were designed for men’s feet, not women’s. She wanted to make shoes that fit women’s feet better.
Ryka focused on studying how women move and how their feet are shaped. They designed their shoes specifically for women’s feet, which tend to be shaped differently than men’s feet. Today, Ryka makes shoes for walking, training, dancing, and water activities – all designed just for women and girls!
Durability: Which Shoes Last Longer?
New Balance Durability
New Balance shoes are known for being really durable! They use strong materials and solid construction techniques that help their shoes last a long time. The stitching is usually very secure, and the soles are made to handle lots of activity without wearing down quickly.
Many kids who wear New Balance find that their shoes still look good even after months of playing sports, running around at recess, and everyday walking. New Balance tests their shoes a lot to make sure they won’t fall apart easily.
Ryka Durability
Ryka shoes are durable too, but they might not last quite as long as New Balance, especially if you’re really rough on your shoes. Ryka designs their shoes with women’s activities in mind, like dance fitness classes, walking, and gym workouts.
For normal everyday use and the activities they’re designed for, Ryka shoes hold up well. But if you’ll be using them for rough play or sports they weren’t designed for, they might wear out faster than New Balance.
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Breathability: Keeping Your Feet Cool
New Balance Breathability
Nobody wants hot, sweaty feet! New Balance knows this and makes many of their shoes with special mesh materials that let air flow through. This helps keep your feet cool and dry, even when you’re active all day.
Many New Balance shoes have tiny holes or mesh panels on the top and sides. These let hot air escape and fresh air come in, which helps prevent stinky feet!
Ryka Breathability
Ryka also focuses on making breathable shoes. They use mesh materials in many of their shoes, especially their training and walking models. Ryka understands that keeping feet cool is important for comfort during workouts.
Both brands offer good breathability, though New Balance might have a slight edge with some of their running shoes that use the latest breathable technologies.
Cushioning: How They Feel When You Walk
New Balance Cushioning
New Balance is famous for their cushioning technologies. They use special foam called “Fresh Foam” or “ENCAP” that feels super soft and bouncy under your feet! This cushioning helps protect your feet when you jump, run, or walk on hard surfaces.
The cushioning in New Balance shoes is especially good for kids who play sports or have to stand a lot during the day. It helps prevent tired, achy feet.
Ryka Cushioning
Ryka is all about cushioning too! They have their own technologies like “RE-ZORB” cushioning that provides great shock absorption. Since Ryka focuses on women’s feet, they put extra cushioning in the front part of the shoe, where women often need more support.
Ryka’s cushioning is designed specifically for activities like aerobics, dance fitness, and walking. If these are activities you enjoy, you might find Ryka’s cushioning works really well for you.
Shoe Fit: Finding Your Perfect Size
New Balance Fit
One really cool thing about New Balance is that they make shoes in different widths. This is super helpful because not everyone’s feet are the same width! They offer narrow, standard, wide, and extra-wide options in many of their styles.
New Balance shoes tend to have a roomier toe box, which means there’s more space for your toes to spread out naturally. This can make them more comfortable for growing feet.
Ryka Fit
This is where Ryka really stands out! Ryka designs their shoes specifically for female feet. Women’s feet are often shaped differently than men’s – they usually have a narrower heel, higher arch, and different ball-to-heel ratio.
Ryka shoes are made with these differences in mind. They typically have a narrower heel, more support in the arch, and a roomier toe box. If you have typical “girl-shaped” feet, Ryka shoes might feel like they were made just for you – because they were!
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Stability: Keeping You Steady on Your Feet
New Balance Stability
Stability in shoes helps prevent your ankles from rolling inward or outward too much. New Balance designs many of their shoes with special support features that keep your foot aligned properly.
Many New Balance shoes have a firm heel counter (the back part of the shoe) and supportive midsole that work together to keep your foot stable. This is especially important when you’re running, jumping, or changing direction quickly during sports.
Ryka Stability
Ryka pays special attention to stability features because they know women often need extra support. They design their shoes with a narrower heel to prevent slipping and a wider forefoot for better balance.
Ryka also includes extra support in areas where women need it most. Their shoes often have special guide rails or support structures to help keep your foot in the right position during activities that involve a lot of movement in different directions, like dance or aerobics classes.
Comfort: How They Feel All Day Long
New Balance Comfort
Comfort is a top priority for New Balance. Besides cushioning, they focus on making shoes that feel good from the first time you put them on. Many New Balance shoes don’t need a “break-in period” – they feel comfortable right away!
New Balance uses soft linings inside their shoes and padding around the ankle collar to prevent blisters and irritation. The multiple width options also help make sure you get a comfortable fit.
Ryka Comfort
Ryka is all about comfort for women’s feet! Their shoes are designed to match the natural shape of women’s feet, which often means better comfort. Ryka shoes typically have soft linings, padded collars and tongues, and cushioned insoles.
Many women and girls find Ryka shoes extremely comfortable because they’re made specifically for female foot shapes. However, comfort is personal, and some people might prefer the feel of New Balance, especially if they need a specific width that Ryka doesn’t offer.
Quality: How Well They’re Made
New Balance Quality
New Balance has been making shoes for a very long time, and they’ve gotten really good at it! They pay attention to small details like even stitching, secure gluing, and durable materials.
The quality control for New Balance shoes is very strict. Some New Balance shoes are even made in the United States, where they have close control over the manufacturing process.
Ryka Quality
Ryka makes good quality shoes with features specifically designed for women. While they don’t have the same long history as New Balance, they’ve built a strong reputation for creating well-made shoes for women’s activities.
Both brands offer good quality shoes, though New Balance might have a slight edge in overall construction quality, especially in their higher-priced models.
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Style: Looking Cool While Staying Comfortable
New Balance Style
New Balance has a style that’s a mix of sporty and classic. Their shoes often have a chunky, retro look that has become very popular in fashion recently. They offer lots of color options, from simple white, black, and gray to brighter colors like blue, red, and green.
New Balance shoes are great for everyday wear and can go with lots of different outfits. Their “dad shoe” style has become trendy, with models like the 550 and 990 being especially popular with both kids and adults.
Ryka Style
Ryka shoes tend to have a more colorful, feminine style. They often use bright colors, fun patterns, and unique design elements that appeal to many women and girls. Ryka knows that many females want their athletic shoes to look good as well as feel good!
If you like shoes with pops of color, interesting designs, and a more feminine look, you might prefer Ryka’s style. If you prefer a more classic athletic look, New Balance might be more your style.
Size Range: Finding Shoes That Fit You
New Balance Size Range
New Balance offers one of the widest size ranges of any shoe company. They make kids’ shoes starting at very small sizes for toddlers all the way up to big adult sizes. This makes them great for growing feet!
As mentioned earlier, they also offer multiple width options, which can be really helpful if you have narrow or wide feet.
Ryka Size Range
Since Ryka makes shoes only for women and girls, their size range is more limited. They typically offer women’s sizes, which start around size 5 or 6, and go up to size 11 or 12. They don’t usually offer kids’ sizes, though some of their smallest women’s sizes might fit older girls.
Ryka generally offers standard width shoes, with some styles available in wide widths. They don’t have as many width options as New Balance.
Materials: What Are They Made Of?
New Balance Materials
New Balance uses a variety of materials in their shoes:
- Mesh fabric for breathability
- Synthetic leather for structure and support
- Foam for cushioning
- Rubber for durable outsoles
- Suede for some lifestyle models
They choose materials based on what each shoe is designed for. Running shoes use more mesh for breathability, while casual shoes might use more suede or leather-like materials.
Ryka Materials
Ryka also uses quality materials in their shoes:
- Breathable mesh for the upper parts
- Synthetic overlays for support
- Special foam for cushioning
- Rubber outsoles for traction
- Memory foam in some insoles for extra comfort
Ryka focuses on lightweight, flexible materials that work well for women’s activities like dance fitness, walking, and training.
Weight: How Heavy They Feel On Your Feet
New Balance Weight
New Balance makes shoes in a range of weights. Their running and athletic shoes tend to be lightweight to help you move faster. Their casual shoes and those designed for extra support might be a bit heavier.
For kids, New Balance generally tries to keep the weight down since heavy shoes can be tiring to wear all day.
Ryka Weight
Ryka shoes are designed to be lightweight. Since many of their shoes are made for activities like dance fitness and aerobics, they need to allow for quick, easy movement. Most Ryka shoes feel light on your feet.
If having very lightweight shoes is important to you, Ryka might have a slight advantage here, especially compared to some of the chunkier New Balance models.
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Flexibility: How They Bend With Your Foot
New Balance Flexibility
Flexibility is important because your foot needs to bend naturally when you walk and run. New Balance designs their shoes with flex grooves in the sole that allow the shoe to bend where your foot naturally bends.
Different New Balance models offer different levels of flexibility based on their intended use. Running shoes tend to be more flexible, while shoes for sports like basketball might be a bit stiffer for support.
Ryka Flexibility
Ryka puts a big emphasis on flexibility! Since many of their shoes are designed for dance fitness and similar activities, they need to allow your foot to move freely in all directions. Ryka shoes often have special flex grooves and flexible materials that let your foot move naturally.
If you need shoes with excellent flexibility for activities that involve a lot of different foot movements, Ryka might be the better choice.
Water Resistance: Keeping Your Feet Dry
New Balance Water Resistance
Most standard New Balance shoes aren’t fully waterproof, but many have water-resistant features that help keep your feet dry in light rain or wet grass. They use materials that don’t soak up water easily and designs that keep water from getting inside the shoe.
New Balance does make some fully waterproof shoes, but these are usually specialized models for hiking or outdoor activities.
Ryka Water Resistance
Most regular Ryka shoes aren’t particularly water-resistant either. However, Ryka does make some special water shoes and shoes designed for water aerobics that dry quickly and work well in wet conditions.
If you need shoes specifically for water activities, Ryka’s water fitness shoes might be a good choice. For general water resistance in daily life, both brands offer some options, but neither is completely waterproof in their standard models.
Sole: What’s On The Bottom Of The Shoe
New Balance Soles
New Balance uses durable rubber for their outsoles (the bottom part that touches the ground). They design different tread patterns for different activities:
- Running shoes have flexible grooves and cushioning
- Training shoes have flat, stable soles for gym activities
- Walking shoes have rockered (slightly curved) soles for a smooth stride
The soles are designed to provide good grip on different surfaces while lasting a long time without wearing down.
Ryka Soles
Ryka pays special attention to their outsoles, designing them specifically for women’s gait (how women walk). They often use a radial design that provides traction in multiple directions – important for activities like dance fitness where you move in all directions.
Ryka soles often have pivot points (special circular patterns) that make it easier to turn and twist without hurting your knees. This is great for dance and aerobics classes where you need to change direction quickly.
User Reviews and Ratings
| Shoe Model | Overall Rating | Comfort | Durability | Style | User Comments |
| New Balance 574 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | “Super comfortable for all-day wear. My feet never hurt even after walking all day at school.” |
| Ryka Devotion Plus 3 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | “These feel like they were made for my feet! So comfy for PE class and they look cute too.” |
| New Balance Fresh Foam | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | “Best cushioning ever! Like walking on clouds and they last forever.” |
| Ryka Influence | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | “Perfect for dance class! I can move in all directions and my feet don’t hurt afterward.” |
Pros and Cons
New Balance Shoes
| Pros ✅ | Cons ⚠️ |
|---|---|
| Come in sizes for everyone (kids to adults) | Usually cost more money |
| Available in many different widths | Not designed specifically for girls’ feet |
| Great for all kinds of sports | Can look chunky or bulky |
| Very durable and last a long time | Sometimes not as colorful |
| Found in almost any shoe store | Not as good for dance activities |
| Good for boys and girls | Can be heavier than Ryka shoes |
| Lots of different styles to choose from | Not specially made for female feet |
| Great support for running | Might not fit as well if you have narrow heels |
Ryka Shoes
| Pros ✅ | Cons ⚠️ |
|---|---|
| Made just for girls and women | Not made for boys at all |
| Designed to fit female feet perfectly | Harder to find in stores |
| Great for dance and fitness classes | Don’t come in little kid sizes |
| Usually more colorful and stylish | Not as good for rough sports |
| Lighter weight for easy movement | Don’t last as long as New Balance |
| Special soles for turning and twisting | Limited width options |
| Often cost less than New Balance | Not as many style choices |
| Better fit for narrow heels | Not as much support for running |
Both brands make good shoes! New Balance is better if you need shoes for lots of different activities or if you have wide feet. Ryka is better if you have typical “girl-shaped” feet with narrow heels or if you do activities like dance. Think about what you’ll be doing in your shoes when you make your choice!
Conclusion
After looking at all these features, which shoe brand is best for you? Here’s what I think:
Choose New Balance if:
- You need special sizes or widths
- You want shoes that will last a long time, even with rough play
- You’re looking for shoes for running or sports
- You prefer a more classic athletic look
- You want more size and style options to choose from
Choose Ryka if:
- You have a typical “girl-shaped” foot with narrower heels
- You do activities like dance, aerobics, or Zumba
- You prefer brighter, more colorful shoes
- You want shoes designed specifically for how girls and women move
- You need great flexibility for activities with lots of different movements
Both New Balance and Ryka make great shoes that many kids love. The main differences come down to who the shoes were designed for and what activities they’re best for. New Balance is more versatile and offers more options, while Ryka specializes in shoes made just for female feet and activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can boys wear Ryka shoes?
Ryka shoes are designed specifically for the shape of female feet, which are often narrower in the heel and wider in the toe area compared to male feet. Boys can wear them if they fit well, but they might not be the best fit for most boys’ feet.
Are New Balance shoes good for dance class?
New Balance makes some shoes that would work okay for dance, but they’re not specifically designed for it. If dance is your main activity, Ryka makes shoes with special features like pivot points on the sole that might work better.
How do I know what size to get?
For both brands, it’s best to measure your foot or try the shoes on in a store if possible. New Balance tends to run true to size, while Ryka sometimes runs a bit small. When in doubt, read reviews for that specific shoe model.
Which brand is better for PE class?
Both can work well for PE class! New Balance might be better if your PE class involves a lot of running, basketball, or other sports. Ryka might be better if your class does more dance-type activities or if you have a typical female foot shape.
How do I clean my shoes?
For both brands, use a soft brush to remove dirt, then wipe with a damp cloth and mild soap. Let them air dry away from direct heat or sunlight. Never put them in the washing machine or dryer unless the manufacturer specifically says it’s okay.
Which shoe will last longer?
For rough play and everyday wear and tear, New Balance shoes typically last longer. They’re designed for a wider range of activities and often use more durable materials in high-wear areas.
Are Ryka shoes only for adults?
Ryka primarily makes shoes in women’s sizes, which start around size 5 or 6. This means they might fit older girls (usually age 10+) who have grown into women’s sizes, but they don’t make specific children’s sizes for younger kids.