Discontinued · road · Tempo / Daily · $120
Light stability speedster — FuelCell with a gentle medial post.
Built for tempo, daily, at a target pace of 7:00–9:30 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5.
New Balance tuned this midsole balanced (3/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 30 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as lively at 3/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is moderate — enough curve to smooth the roll-through without dictating your footstrike. Forefoot flex is middle of the road. It offers real guidance through the gait cycle — useful for runners whose form collapses when tired.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 300 miles from the outsole, about $0.40 per mile at $120.
For the foams and plates New Balance uses across its line, read the New Balance brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
245 g / 8.6 oz
30 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
30 mm
6 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$120
40 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
3 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~300 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the New Balance line it is lighter than the brand's median (278 g / 9.8 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (36 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4(2024)
218 g / 7.7 oz · 30 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $140
Featherweight, plateless and playful — an uptempo trainer that never feels heavy.
On Cloudspark
235 g / 8.3 oz · 32 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $140
Light, airy daily trainer built around an adaptive knit.
Salomon Aero Blaze 3
245 g / 8.6 oz · 34 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $130
Firm, responsive road trainer at an approachable price.
Asics Noosa Tri 17
215 g / 7.6 oz · 32 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $145
Loud, light triathlon-friendly speed trainer with quick-entry upload.