New Balance Rebel v5 Review | Have they Gone Soft on Us?

The New Balance Rebel was an announcement to the rest of the running world that New Balance had arrived as a player in the modern performance category. The NB Rebel V5 is ready to push that narrative again.At a time when running shoe brands were dropping new shoes with fat stacks of innovative foams, often featuring stabilizing plates, New Balance dropped a lightweight, low-to-the-ground fast trainer with a nitrogen-infused EVA/TPU foam that stood apart from the crowd.

The first Rebel was a big hit, its second iteration was an instant classic that is still lovingly remembered in running shoe forums online nearly 4 years later.

The evolution of the Rebel has been fast. Its third version was rather polarizing; it wasn’t as effective at faster track workouts, lost a lot of its bounce, but remained a good tempo option. The fourth version saw a reintroduction of that lost bounce but there were issues with a few key design and fit elements.

The New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 solves a lot of those issues and cements its place as a very capable and fun lightweight trainer and tempo shoe.

New Balance Rebel v5 Overview

To call me a fan of the Rebel series might be a bit of an understatement.

Despite being a larger runner I enjoy a run or two every week in a lightweight running shoe with good ground feel and flexibility. I enjoyed most of the 140-something miles I put into version 2 before the upper ripped – a rather common occurrence.

I recently unboxed my third pair of the Rebel v3, and I’m nearing 200 miles in a rather shopworn pair of the Rebel v4, which is nearing the end of its useful life and relegated to easy runs only.

I was surprised at how soft the midsole felt right out of the box. Surprised and possibly a little worried because version 4 was softer and lost some of its bounce after the first couple runs.

Luckily this version behaved differently underfoot and after nearly 30 miles the bounce is still present.

The additional 5 millimeters of PEBA Blend FuelCell Foam adds a little more protection from the ground over longer distances. This version feels less flexible in the forefoot than version 4, likely due to the aforementioned added foam and the big single piece of outsole rubber under the forefoot.

The traction was really nice, but for one near-disastrous step in a spot of muddy gravel that nearly caused me to take a spill during a tempo interval.  The roll through to toe-off after a nice bouncy landing is quick and efficient.Like the previous two versions, easy paces are a joy.

The responsiveness at faster paces kicks in as you put down more force into the shoe, up until a point. Much like the Rebel v4, the softness of v5 makes faster intervals more of a chore than they already are.

There’s a chance I’m in the minority, but I prefer a firmer platform for really fast intervals, and the occasional carbon plate or rods is a nice treat.

While the ability to tear through fast track workouts may be a thing of the past for the Rebel, it is still an excellent non-plated lightweight daily trainer, tempo shoe, and affordable racing shoe for anything from the 5K to the half marathon.

I can even see lighter runners using the Rebel v5 over the marathon distance.

Unless you were a New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers superfan in the 90’s and really hate the Chicago Bulls, how could you not like the Urgent Red colorway? The red color blocking in the forefoot cuts through the black to form an arrow, giving you a visual cue to go forward and fast, even if I’m not particularly fast.

New Balance Rebel v5 Fit

The fit was true to size in my Men’s size 11. With the exception of the first SC Trainer I’ve always enjoyed the spacious toe box and forefoot area in New Balance shoes, and that’s no different here.

The Fantomfit upper is less pliable than I remembered in version 4. When walking I could feel the fabric flexing on top of my toes. That sensation went away after the first 2 runs, so you may also experience a short break in period for the upper. New Balance added in reflective elements throughout the shoe’s upper, with strips on the heel, tongue, and even in the logos on both sides.

Lockdown was great after some tinkering with the second and third rows of laces.

And the tongue, much can be said about the improvement of the tongue on version 5, but I’ll keep it short and say New Balance took the afterthought of a tongue from the Rebel v4 and upgraded it with something light years better. 

The heel is also much improved in the comfort category. The heel counter cradled my heel better, was much more padded, and the materials in the heel didn’t rub a hole in any expensive pairs of socks like its predecessor.

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