New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 Reviews

First 7 km: roomy comfortable fit, lively and bouncy without being too soft; finicky lacing and weaker wet grip.

500 miles through a cross-country season of tempos, intervals and recovery runs. The ride is soft with a smooth rocker, feels light and nimble for workouts, and the fit is good with no heel slip. Wear shows in the exposed midsole foam and flattened rubber in places, though it lasted longer than they expected. They would recommend it to almost anyone, especially for recovery and long runs.

After 150 miles at around 170 to 175 lb, including wet runs, the fit was right immediately: true to size, a long thin tongue with no lace bite and a roomy toe box, though the upper is not very breathable. The very soft foam lost its initial bounce quickly but still does a good job, and the outsole shows very little wear. They call it a great daily trainer that will not do the work for you at faster paces, and some may feel lost in the foam on longer runs.

After a few runs including a 5-mile tempo, the Rebel v5 fixes the v4's fit problems: true to size with normal width, a padded heel collar and a proper tongue.

Score 7.2. Light, comfortable and fluid for moderate paces (4:30-5:30/km) and long runs, but softer than v4. Stability drops below ~4:15/km and in quick turns. Best for runners under 80 kg. Normal wear at 150 km, estimated 500-600 km life.

9.5/10. The most complete Rebel yet: comfortable at 5:15/km, livelier at 4:30 and still keeping up at 3:45. Below 3:30/km you feel the lack of a plate. Very light, fun and suits more runners than ever. Not the fastest or most durable.