Getting tardy on the posts! Lets recap the last 3 days before we get into the juice!
Wednesday
- 7km run
- 5:29 pace
- 7.16km total
- New Balance SC Elite V4
Super solid run there, felt like I got through it nice and easy, even though the pace was solid over 7km.
Thursday
- 7km run
- 5:41 pace
- 8.85km total
- 600m hard effort to finish @ 4:18 pace
- New Balance Rebel V4 – First Run! More to come on that
Friday – Recovery Day
- 1.77km
- 6:10 pace
- New Balance Rebel V4
Nothing to report here. Moved the rest day back to Friday, to try and book end the week, monday and friday with a rest day.
So! The big news here, is we have now road tested the new New Balance Rebel V4.
Lets discuss!
What a throwback. Initial feeling underfoot was like something from yesteryear. An old school sneaker. Put it on, it’s as advertised, run. Im sure that makes no sense though.
I find that so many of the new, technically advanced, shoes these days make you feel like they do 1 or 2 jobs extremely well and thats it. The way you run may adjust slightly for them. The way you feel the ground under your foot most definitely changes from shoe to shoe. The experience can be something you have to get used to with all new shoes in some way.
The New Balance Rebel V4 feels weirdly like your old sneaker you’ve had for years. It strangely reminds me of my first time in a Novablast 2. Just put it on, and go. Whatever pace you want to do, just do it.
There seems to be no pretentiousness with the Rebel. It’s not trying to wow you, it’s just keen to get going.
Weight
You’re going to love the weight. Reminds me a little of the Nike Pegasus Turbo. You pop it on, and it does seem to melt away. No idea what the actual weight is, but I figure who really cares, how it feels is most important. And this feels like a barely there shoe when it comes to weight. Big thumbs up.
Upper
I kinda like it. Super light weight. Absolutely no issues for me with it feeling a bit “scratchy” like ive seen some other reviewers state. I wear socks all the time, the upper feels great to me.
Fit
Roomy. The shoe feels roomy. I dont think I have a wide foot by any stretch, but I do notice it when shoes feel a bit tight in spots. Both of my new New Balance feel just great in terms of room in the toe box, and through the mid foot. Just nicely accomodating, without feeling like boats.
As far as the lock down goes, these are out of the box good. No runners knot required. Just put them on, tie them up like normal, and you’re off and running. The first shoe in a while ive not needed an extra firm lace lockdown in to get the best out of it.
Midsole
It’s not the most responsive or bouncy. It’s not soft. It’s not firm. It’s not hard to control. Again, it feels like just the right amount of foam and cushioning for you to throw on and get going. It can pick up speed for you, but I also felt just great cruising along. The flexibility of the midsole I think is what helps it feel like an extension of your foot. So many shoes have extremely firm midsoles (Superblast), or of course have plates (SC Elite, Boston 12), that when you put them on you know you have something under your foot that you have to make friends with. These really do feel like you’ve had them for years when you first try them out.
That said, it’s definitely not at the bleeding edge of responsiveness. You do have to put in the work with these shoes. I felt like it was 100% me running in these shoes at all times. In a good way. Unlike the SC Elite V4, where I feel like im just a little bit along for the right at times, with that plate kicking me along at speeds previously unknown.
The Rebel feels a lot more natural underfoot, the compromise being, the sustained effort is all on you. But I think that absolutely has to be part of your training schedule. It cant be all plates all the time.
Outsole
Really quite good. Excellent grip. And absolutely zero concerns when cornering. Shoe feels really stable and supportive through the corners, whilst being flexible to work with you as well. Unlike say, the ASICS Superblast, which is stable through the corners, but as the midsole is so firm it feels like a couple of square blocks under foot.
The Rebel V4 was great underfoot, nice and wide, but again without feeling like a massive stack boat you are lugging around.
Verdict
After 1 solid run, and 1 quick rest day run, I gotta say, I like pulling these on. I dont think im going to run a PB in them. I dont think I want to run a half marathon in them. But I do think for chewing up some no fuss daily miles, these a breath of fresh air from the constant high tech offerings. Sometimes, you just want to feel like you have an old friend on your feet and get out the door. The Rebel V4 feels like an old friend.
I also think this could be a great travel shoe. That shoe you take on the road that can get you through a day of walking the shops, and also your run. A bit like the Pegasus Turbo of old.
Time will tell as to whether I continue to enjoy a no fuss shoe under foot for daily runs. But I think this is going to be a great option for a lot of people, at a somewhat ok price.
