New Balance - FuelCell Rebel v4

New Balance FuelCell Rebel V4 in regular width is as wide as my NB 860s in wide. They are one of the only non-zero drop shoes that I really like the toebox fit of. The supershoe companion SC Elite V4 has a very similar toebox fit. Like another poster said, toe socks are a godsend for the type of blisters you're describing, but you may need a little more space due to the extra fabric. I now opt to go up 0.5 size vs what I was familiar with and add toe socks. I do this and haven't had toe blisters since

I actually love the NB line up. Im 5'11 190lbs. My BIGGEST issue with their damn shoes is they heel rub like no other shoes. I ran a new 5k pb yesterday at sub 6 pacing in the elite v4s and came out with a blister like I finished running a marathon. So they definitely could perform but the heel rub sucks. Ive had same experience with rebel v4s where I loved the shoe but heel rubbed. I have the trainers now too so im hoping that issue doesnt carry to them as well. But I feel the response in the NB shoes are really great.

I got suckered into trying the v4. They are just bad for every run and every distance. I gave up on them at 50 miles. I know I won’t try anything with fuel cell ever again.

I have the 1080's and pair them with the rebel v4's. I use the 1080s for my base runs and the rebel v4s when I have threshold and interval runs. Im a heavy dude about 220lbs and I think these things are saving my calves and knees. I love how the 1080's broke in, I seem to cruise in them with no pain.

I love them. I just bought a new pair. My older pair got flat, but i blame it on taking a break from running and using the shoes for work. This new pair only has 20 miles on them and only using them for faster efforts. Even when i started running in the old pair, I still didn't have knee or ankle pain, but my cousin in the philippines wanted them, so I sent them out. My feet are weird. I usually get arch pain in new shoes, but these never hurt my foot, that's why I copped a new pair. They have a comfortable toe box, are super light, and according to my watch, i do have faster paces in them. They are on sale now, BTW. The 1080s only felt good after I broke them in which took me about 30 miles. Now they are heaven. Im sure they will last longer than the rebels.

Same exact thing happened to me with the v4 lol and I didn’t have a single good run in them. No clue what they put in those advertisements!

If you already have 1080's and Rebel v4's, I would start a rotation around those.  Alternate the 1080's and the Rides for easy/long runs, use the Rebels for speed work. If you wanted to stick with Saucony,  the new anticipated Azura comes out next week,  Endorphin Speed 5's are also well reviewed, and the Pro 4's are on sale right now, as the Pro 5 is coming out soon.   https://runrepeat.com/guides/best-orthotic-friendly-running-shoes RunRepeat has a category for orthotic friendly shoes, but I can see how it is overwhelming. The running shoe geeks can really overcomplicate things.

I’m agnostic on gait analysis, I’ve never had one but also never felt the need for one. At one point I used to get knee pain but increasing cadence and changing to midfoot strike made it better. I tend to just try to find shoes that are considered ok for wide feet, have a decent toe box and are ok for mid strikers. Currently using ASCIS novablast 5 which I really like. Previously did 300-400 miles in the New Balance Rebel v4 which were fine, but probably prefer the Novablast.

I loved the Rebel v3 because they were more dynamic. The Rebel v4, while it works for interval work at u/4:10 min/km, isn’t the Rebel v3. I’ve bought another Rebel v4 since, with the release of the Rebel v5, they’re on clearance at low prices, and I think they’re perfect for easy runs at u/5:15–5:20 min/km. If I want something faster I might go for the Topo Cyclone 3 or the Flame Mix, although I prefer non-plated shoes for training. Until now I’d been using the Topo Specter 2, but the outsole rubber is peeling off, and I think the Rebel v4 can take its place and do well there. I don’t want shoes like the NB 1080 or the Clifton… I prefer lighter options

Did NB revamp the Rebel between v4 and v5? I have the v4 as my long run shoe and its done me real well. I did have to go up a full size since they dont make a 13.5 but even with the slightly larger shoe they feel good. My recent HM (3 weeks ago in the Brooks Hyperion Max 2, nylon plated) was ata 10:36/mi pace. My longest run in the v4 is 15 miles at a 10:49/mi pace. Unfortunately at 230-235 lbs I have never been one to "feel" a pop or bounce in a shoe. I mainly just focus on fit and how my legs feel. I can say after 15 miles in the v4 last week my legs were fine the day after so that to me says the shoe is doing its job but, IDK.

Some have been mentioned already but you can search this out too. Brands like Adidas, New Balance, and even ASICS have started taking the rods out of their race shoe and offering them as trainers. These would be shoes such as the EVO SL and even the Boston from Adidas, the Rebel from New Balance, and the MetaBlast from ASICS. They all typically come with the same foam and fit as the race shoe but without the rods or propulsion technology found in many race shoes these days. I personally owned the New Balance Rebel for most of my marathon prep as my long run shoe and then raced in the SC Elite v4 from New Balance. Felt identical fit wise and truly while running. The only difference I felt was the effort required to run faster.

I like the Rebel v4 but it’s not very fast for me personally so I’ve turned it into my slower long run shoe