New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4
Men: 7.6 oz
Women: 5.9
Drop: 6 mm
MSRP: $140
Mileage at Time of Review: 27 miles
The Warmup
My introduction to the Rebel was with version 3, so while I don’t have a long history, I loved the Rebel v3 and my romance with v4 is off to a great start as well. If you haven’t run in a New Balance with fuelcell foam before, you are missing out. I initially saw the design for the v4 when photos from The Running Event made their way to the internet, and needless to say, I became very excited to get a pair on my feet.
The Breakdown
The Outsole
This shoe is built to be an ultra-light trainer, and as such has key rubber placement while leaving a fair amount of the mid foot fuelcell exposed to keep the weight down. I don’t think this is a strike against the shoe however, as the rubber placement is setup in a way that you still have excellent traction without adding weight. I’ve taken this shoe on the roads and onto some very chill trails and had a really good experience with it.
The Midsole
This is a hill I will die on, fuelcell for life! It’s a supercritical foam combination that just feels incredible underfoot. This version is a little bit heavier than the previous rebel, but with that extra 0.2 ounces comes a whole lot more cushion. I think that this gives a lot more variety to the amount and style of running you can do with this shoe while still holding to the soul of this shoe which is quick and light. I love the cutout look in the midsole. I think this does two things: It saves weight by removing midsole material that doesn’t need to be there and gives it an amazing aesthetic to work with.
The Upper
The upper is made with New Balance Fantomfit upper, which is the same upper found on the SuperComp Elite. It has a slightly shallower fit than other New Balance shoes built for daily miles, but I believe this is in large part due to the fact that it so closely mirrors their racing shoe. The heal cup has plenty of cushion and while the tongue isn’t plush, it is comfortable and provides ample protection from the laces.
The Fit
I bought my normal size 10 which is a full size up from what my foot measures, and while the upper does fit a little shallow, I think that this shoe runs true to size and you should be safe ordering your normal fit.
Running and Walking
I think this shoe does very well as an all purpose trainer. It is an excellent option for easy running and can also pick the pace up. The lighter weight build of the shoe makes it an excellent candidate for speed days, especially if you’re doing your speed days at the track. Some of the super shoes are fantastic for speed days on the road but when combined with the softness of the track are a little “too much” in my opinion and feel too unstable in the corners. While this shoe has more stack height and midsole material than the the previous version, it doesn’t roll over in the turns. Another favorite feature for speed days is the lack of heel wobble in the off interval. Often if I’m in full recovery, the plated shoes feel really unstable on the walk breaks, which adds mental fatigue that factors into later intervals.
If you’re not a fan of the plated super shoes, I think that this would also make an excellent racing shoe choice for anything from the 5k to the marathon. The extra cushion in this version gives it the longevity for the long course, while maintaining a more traditional racing flat feel to the shoe as a whole. This is largely accomplished by the use of the fuelcell midsole.
I think this shoe also feels great for walking casually through the speed walk. On a lot of my heart rate runs as the weather gets hotter and hotter here in Houston, they are becoming heart rate speed walks and this shoe feels just as good in those workouts as it does in my fartlek or interval sessions.
The Gym
For most folks, this is gonna be an excellent choice at the gym. It feels great on a treadmill or any other cardio machine and from there you can hop off and confidently move into a solid strength, hiit, or any other session. I think the v3 made a better gym shoe than the v4 due to the lowered stack height, but when it comes to what a majority of users will be doing for their strength sessions, the v4 will do perfectly well.
Work
I have no issue with anyone using this as a work shoe. The design elements do make this shoe stand out in an office setting, but from an every day comfort option, this shoe handles well. If you’re looking in a field where you’re on your feet past 8 hours, I think I would be more comfortable recommending a shoe in line with the 880, 1080 or Mor from the New Balance family.