Pick up a GEL-NYC and the first thing you notice is how low it sits. The second, once it is on, is that your toes know exactly where the front of the shoe is. That is the whole ASICS GEL-NYC sizing question in one sentence. Length is normal. The toe box gives you less room than the midsole suggests it will.
So the honest answer has two halves. Tempo lists the GEL-NYC as true to size, and for most narrow-to-normal feet that holds. But wearers with wide feet or a high instep regularly go half a size up, and the reason is in how the upper is built. This post covers both halves, how to measure, and a decision table by foot type. For the shoe as a whole, our complete GEL-NYC guide is the place to start.
The short answer: true to size, unless your feet are wide
Order your usual UK size if your feet are narrow or average width and you do not have a high instep. That is what Tempo recommends and what most wearers report. Length is not the issue. A UK 9 GEL-NYC is a UK 9 in length, the same as a Kayano 14 or a GEL-1130.
Go half a size up if any of these apply. Your feet are wide. You have a high instep and shoes feel tight over the top of the foot. You have ever needed a wide fitting in a running shoe. You plan to wear thick socks with them through winter. The independent consensus is clear: the toe box runs tight in height and width, and half a size up is the standard fix.
If you are between sizes, the rule for this shoe is to go up. On the Kayano 14 it depends on how you like your trainers to feel. On the GEL-NYC, sizing down into a tight toe box is the mistake customers regret. Half up costs a fraction of length. Half down costs you your toes.
Why the GEL-NYC toe box runs tight
The GEL-NYC is a hybrid. The upper is based on the Gel-Nimbus 3 with elements of the Gel-MC Plus V, on the tooling of the Gel-Cumulus 16. That mix explains the fit.
Start with the materials. The original release used suede overlays, unusual for a retro-style shoe, and the Cream White colourway at Tempo has a leather and mesh upper. Suede and leather do not stretch the way open mesh does. On a Kayano 14, the mesh forefoot has some give, so a snug pair loosens after a few wears. On the GEL-NYC, the overlays wrap the toe box and hold their shape. Day one is close to day thirty.
Then the height. The Nimbus 3 shape is a low, sleek forefoot. Add stitched overlays across the top and there is little vertical room above the toes. That is why high-instep wearers, not just wide-footed ones, report the shoe feeling tight. The pinch is over the foot as much as at the sides.
Finally, the platform. The Cumulus 16 tooling sits lower to the ground than the Kayano 14 and feels firmer underfoot. Your foot is not sinking into a soft footbed that spreads to meet it. It sits on a firmer base, so any tightness in the upper is more noticeable. GEL cushioning and the TRUSSTIC unit are there, but the sensation is planted and close to the ground, and that changes how the toe box reads.
Decision table: which size to order by foot type
| Your foot | GEL-NYC size to order | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow, low volume | Usual UK size | Tight toe box is not a problem for you. Sizing up would leave heel slip. |
| Average width, average instep | Usual UK size | Tempo lists it true to size and most wearers agree. Expect a close fit at first. |
| Average width, high instep | Half a size up | The height of the toe box is the issue. Overlays over the foot do not give. |
| Wide feet | Half a size up | The most common reason wearers size up. Width and height both run tight. |
| Wide feet and thick socks | Half a size up, consider a full size | Two things eating into the same limited space. Check the product page and our sizing guide before ordering. |
| Between two sizes | Go up | The specific rule for this shoe. Do not round down. |
One caution on the last two rows. Sizes stocked at Tempo run in half-size steps from UK 7 to UK 11 on the Cream White GEL-NYC. If your usual size is a UK 11 and you need to go up, that option is not stocked, so it is worth measuring rather than guessing.
Measure your foot properly before you order
Most sizing mistakes come from ordering the size you have always worn rather than the size your foot is. Feet change. Trainer lasts change more. Ten minutes with a sheet of paper removes the guesswork.
- Measure in the evening. Feet swell through the day and you want the largest version of your foot.
- Stand on a sheet of paper against a wall, heel touching the wall, wearing the socks you will wear with the shoe.
- Mark the tip of your longest toe. It is not always the big toe.
- Measure heel to mark in centimetres. Do both feet and use the longer one.
- Measure the widest part of your forefoot too. If it looks broad relative to length, you are in wide-foot territory for this shoe.
- Compare against the length chart on our Tempo sizing guide, then apply the decision table above.
Thick socks deserve their own line. A winter-weight sock adds volume, and on a low toe box that comes straight off the room above your toes. If you will mostly wear the GEL-NYC with chunky socks, size as if your foot were half a size larger than it measures.
Sizes stocked at Tempo
Tempo stocks one GEL-NYC colourway, the Cream White, at £189.99. It runs from UK 7 to UK 11 in men's UK sizing, half sizes included. All ASICS trainers at Tempo are men's UK sizing, so if you normally shop women's or EU sizes, convert first using the size conversion charts before you pick.
Middle sizes move quickest, and because the shoe became ASICS' second best-selling model after its March 2023 release, restocks do not always cover every half size. If your size shows, order it. Delivery is free over £100, and orders placed before 2PM ship the same day. If the colourway is what drew you in, our Cream White GEL-NYC close-up covers the materials and how it wears in.
GEL-NYC vs Kayano 14 vs GEL-1130: how the fits differ
If you already own one of the other two ASICS Gel trainers we stock, you have a reference point. This is fit only, not cushioning or looks.
Kayano 14. True to size, and roomier than the GEL-NYC in every direction: wider footbed, more arch support, a mesh forefoot that gives. If your Kayano 14 fits in a UK 9 and you are wide-footed, do not assume a UK 9 GEL-NYC will feel the same. It will be tighter across the toes and lower over the foot. Our Kayano 14 sizing post goes into that shoe's fit in detail.
GEL-1130. Also listed true to size, and also a shoe where wide-footed wearers commonly go half a size up. But the snugness is in a different place. The 1130 is snug and narrow through the midfoot, where suede and mesh wrap the arch. The GEL-NYC is snug at the toe box. A wearer who sized up on the 1130 for midfoot pressure might be fine true to size on the NYC if their forefoot is average, and the reverse holds too. The GEL-1130 sizing breakdown explains where that shoe pinches.
GEL-NYC. Lowest to the ground of the three, firmest underfoot, tightest toe box. Same size across all three: the NYC is snuggest at the front, the 1130 snuggest through the middle, the Kayano 14 the most open. For how the shoe performs beyond fit, the GEL-NYC review covers comfort and build.
What to do if the GEL-NYC does not fit
Try them on indoors, on carpet, with the socks you intend to wear. Walk for a few minutes. Toes should not touch the front, and there should be no pressure across the top of the forefoot when you flex. Snug is fine. A pinch is not, because the overlays will not open up to relieve it.
If they are wrong, keep the box and tags, keep the soles clean, and follow the steps on our refund policy page. We will not quote windows or conditions here because that page is the accurate one. If you are unsure whether to exchange for half a size or a full size, or want a second opinion before ordering, get in touch with the team and describe your foot. It is a quick question to answer.
Quick answers
Does the ASICS GEL-NYC run small?
Not in length. It runs true to size for narrow-to-normal feet. The toe box is tight in height and width, which is why wide-footed and high-instep wearers often go half a size up.
Should I size up in the GEL-NYC for wide feet?
Yes, half a size is the standard recommendation. The suede or leather overlays around the toe box do not stretch like mesh, so a tight pair stays tight.
Is the GEL-NYC the same size as the Kayano 14?
Same length, different feel. The Kayano 14 has a wider footbed and more room over the toes. Order your Kayano 14 size in the NYC only if your feet are narrow or average.
Do ASICS trainers at Tempo come in women's sizes?
All ASICS trainers at Tempo are men's UK sizing. Convert your size before ordering. If you are also buying a set, our ASICS set sizing guide covers the apparel side.
Ready to order your size?
You know your measurement, your foot type, and the rule: true to size for narrow-to-normal, half up for wide feet or a high instep, and go up if you are between. The GEL-NYC in Cream White is £189.99, stocked UK 7 to 11, with Klarna and Clearpay at checkout. If you want to compare it against the Kayano 14 and GEL-1130 in one place, browse the full range of ASICS trainers at Tempo.