New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v1

Normally I love New Balance shoes. But this one is awful. It's by far the least stable shoe I've ever worn. I do pronate a bit, and with every step the mushy foam on this shoe collapses inward. I will never wear it to run in for fear of injury. It's possible to make a foam shoe without a lot of structure that doesn't do this. The shoe this replaces, the Zante Pursuit, was just fine. The Rebel is a good looking shoe for street wear, except that it doesn't wear well. The upper on both shoes has started to pull away from the sole much too soon. Overall, a disaster.

ok, first i must say i got 1/2 size smaller by mistake. (uk shoe sizes , check first).

but, the low volume toe box wouldnt be much different 1/2size up, and there lies the problem.

its wide enough , thats a plus, but your big toe would rub the upper.

having said that , the sock like upper is very nice, and the rubbing probably wont be a big issue due to that.

(unlike other shoes i had to cut open...).

so , overall nice, great midsole. more suited to midfoot strikers.

Fit a bit small. Not very cushioned but I somehow like it : I have to run a bit differently then when using something like Zoom Fly 3 to prevent hurting my feet and legs so I tend to use smaller faster steps, closer to the ground, it adds a bit of diversity to my shoe rotation. On the plus side, I got them on sale and they are probably my least expensive shoes.

My first "easy" run in this shoe ended up being a whole min/mile faster than I planned. This shoe is light and has a serious pop in each step. Every step feels like its rocketing me forward into the next. It has plenty of cushion without being too soft or squishy and light and responsive without hurting the feet. The only gripes I have is that the fit takes a while to dial in. It's tight in the forefoot and loose in the heel, but after a few runs it is much more dialed in. Also the laces are really long. Not a problem just a little annoying. Overall, I keep wanting to run in this shoe more than any other shoe I have. It's fun and comfortable, and I will be buying another.

As a runner with a penchant for minimally-stacked, zero-drop shoes, I bought the New Balance Fuelcell Rebel with the naive plan to use it as my cushy long-run shoe. Consider this review with that in mind.

Since my middle-aged legs were beginning to feel more beat up after long runs in the Altra Escalante, and a persistent pain in my lower achilles convinced me to consider a positive drop again, I decided to look for a traditionally cushioned and stacked shoe. After reading lots of reviews of lightweight trainers and testing a select few, I picked the Rebel because its lightness and responsive cushioning impressed me most. I wasn't used to getting energy back from a shoe!

After a few runs, I realized that some shoes really are made to go faster. The rebel is *fine* for easy-paced long runs. However, once I tested the shoe on a progression run, I realized that I'd need to find a different long-run shoe. The Rebel is fantastic at faster paces, and that realization results in a slight sense of disappointment with every step when you're not running faster in the shoe. I even used the Rebel for a couple of speed sessions on the track, and it performed just as well as the Nike Lunar Spider 6s I'd been using for speed days. In fact, my feet didn't feel as pummeled thanks to the Rebel's ample cushioning. I also wore the Rebel for a 10K and wasn't disappointed in its performance at all.

The fit is pleasant--not amazing, but not uncomfortable. (For reference, I really like the way the Escalante fits) The upper is stretchy-knit stuff, but it doesn't feel sloppy or loose. It just takes a little bit of fiddling to sufficiently secure the shoe to your foot at first. The toe box is wide enough for my medium-width feet, while the toe box volume is rather low. The cushioning is supple yet slightly firm when you're just walking around or running easily.

I am mostly a midfoot striker, so the shoe's design suits me well, I'd say. When I'm tired, my left foot gravitates toward the heel on impact, but, even then, the Rebel's rather odd lateral flange doesn't seem to effect my stride. If you are a somewhat dramatic overpronator, that flange might be a problem. Otherwise, if anything, I believe the design quirk aids in a satisfyingly smooth ride.

I definitely recommend the Rebel as a lightweight trainer for faster workouts and races. There are more appropriate options to serve as do-anything-(including-long-runs) shoes, though.

I hope the next version looks more like the NB 5280 or 1500 line--those upper designs are awesome!

After putting the shoe on and adjusting the laces the fit was great and the shoe disappeared on my foot. I have used the shoe for everything from hard track sessions to long runs and haven't found anything it can't do. The shoe has a great pop to it when you want to pick up the pace, and great cushion for the slower easier runs. I have bought a couple more pairs of these.

I’ve been running primarily in the 1400 for the past few years, as an all purpose shoe: easy days, long runs, and marathon distance races. I also throw the 1500 in the mix for shorter races and faster workouts. New Balance just fit my foot better than most other brands I’ve tried over the years. I like a fairly stiff, responsive shoe with a snug mid foot and heel. It was recommended that I might like the Rebel so I branched out and gave them a try. I’ve only got about 60 miles on them so far so can’t speak to durability, but my first impression has been really great. The fit is snug, the shoe has adequate support but good communication with the road underfoot. They have a little less grip that the other NB models I run in, but I haven’t run in very slick conditions so that hasn’t been an issue yet. Overall, I’m psyched to find another NB model that works for me...I expect these will be utilized heavily in my daily rotation. Oh yeah...they look sharp, too!

After 100+ miles in the fuel cell rebel I feel that I can write a decent review. This shoe is very very versatile.

The fuel cell rebel performs well at a variety of paces. It seems as if the faster your run, the better the shoe performs. This shoe could be a everyday trainer, but I would rather use it for tempo days, interval days, hills, and races 5k-1/2 marathon. After 100+ miles there is minimal wear on the bottom tread and the cushioning feels as soft and responsive as it did out of the box. I predict that I will be able to get 300+ miles out of this shoe. My only gripe is the cushioning in the forefoot is lacking a tad. I think NB could add a bit more cushioning in the forefoot and the shoe would still feel fast and snappy. My foot is very wide and the best feature of the fuel cell rebel is that NB offers the shoe in wide sizes (2E for men and D for women). If you have a skinny foot the std. width will work just fine because of the snug, resilient and comfortable upper. New Balance nailed it with the fuel cell rebel!

I thought the shoe looked weird at first but as soon as I tried it on it felt really good. I've used it for all my tempos, and faster workouts and it has felt great. I was also worried about traction for workouts on grass or on looser dirt. It doesn't have to best traction but it normally isn't a problem. The worst thing about this shoe is that guys on my team make fun of me because they look funny.

Love this shoe. The drop, the rubber locations on the outsole, the look, and the ride are perfect. I hope they don't tweak this guy too much from year to year. It's really really nice the way it is. For us efficient runners that want a trusty mid-distance 10k to HM shoe, we love it!