I picked up these shoes to replace an old pair of Adidas runners... first thing I noticed was the price. After that I noticed the weight. Then I noticed the mediocre styling. But then I took them out for a run, and they were great. I'm a bigger dude at about 205lbs. The shoes provide plenty of support and cushion for pounding the pavement. I also own a pair of The North Face Fire Road runners, and the comfort level of the NB993's didn't quite match TNFFR out of the box. The stiffness and support on the NB993 is enough that I think you could take it running down some light to moderate trails without any problems. The weight of the shoes means you don't feel light on your feet on trails where footwork counts, and of course lots of rock will shred the foam. Construction seems better on the NB993 than my old Adidas or TNFFR shoes, and I think long term durability will be acceptable. NB993's are true to size as far as I can tell. The look of the shoe is such that I wouldn't feel weird throwing a pair of jeans on with them.