New Balance Mens FuelCell Rebel Running Shoes

Product Information

The result is a smooth transition from initial contact and loading response into the stance phases of gait. To help with some of the instability that may occur because of the decreased rigidity, there is a panel of outsole that follows the medial side of the sole. Walking and jogging around, the familiar underfoot springiness is all still there, though quite frankly, it doesn’t feel noticeably different from Rebel v2. When worn with a thin sock, true to size is perfect and there is enough space in the toe box for my toes to splay. Overall the on-foot feel reminds me a lot of v2 or at least what I remember of v2 when it was fresh.

This is the first time any shoe has reminded me of the Skechers GOrun 5, probably my favorite shoe of all time. The complete collection of men’s and women’s New Balance FuelCell running shoes also includes the brilliantly bouncy FuelCell SuperComp trainers, another propulsive race day-geared design. The styling including the waves and badge on the midsole and general design language meshes with the SuperComp line, so NB’s goal of design consistency is achieved. It didn’t happen to me, but I remember seeing several reports of the upper tearing at lateral mid-foot for some people, so I think the gussets maybe help to address that issue. For me, the only things I would change from v2 are slightly more length (I know some runners who went a half size up in v2) and a few millimeters more stack underfoot to reduce bottoming out and provide a bit more protection for long runs.

Derek : The Rebel 3 ride is very very similar to the Rebel 2 for me, though maybe a touch less racy. Durability: There is a lot of rubber in the New Balance Fuelcell Rebel 2, but there are also exposed pieces of the midsole.

There are some sidewalls through the midfoot and sole flaring in the forefoot which do help with some stabilization of the soft platform. Wearing these is like strapping on fluffy angel food cake to your feet, and you just don’t want to ever take them off. As a shoe reviewer, one of the most common questions I get is from runners asking me for suggestions to replace their beloved Nike Pegasus Turbo which has now been discontinued.

The unpadded tongue, the thin mesh and the streamlined silhouette all scream speed work, but the plush midsole and grippy outsole hold up to everyday training, too. For runners who frequent dirt and crushed rock, the Revel v3 should work fine (of course pavement too! I have been waiting for the New Balance Fuelcell Rebel 2 shoe for what seems like forever (is that a common theme with my shoe reviews?

Overall, I think if you can get the Rebel to fit you, it is definitely going to be a more enjoyable shoe. The Rebel v2 has been 2 years in the making and in those two years, New Balance has been hard at work. Thankfully, the additional stack didn’t affect the shoe on tempo and speed work, which is where the Rebel v3 shines. Stability is definitely lacking and the shoe won't work for everyone, but the shoe definitely excels in the categories it was focusing on.

These changes should add a slight bit more stability and protection which is what I felt like the Rebel v2 would benefit from, which is excellent. This was especially helpful when I went on long runs because I didn’t have to worry about slipping out of the shoe.