Published: May 26, 2021

SCORE: 9/10                                      

Weight: 7.30z for size 9 (men) and 5.9oz for size 7 (women).

Heel Drop: 6mm

Shoe Type: Neutral mid-cushioning daily trainer

Terrain: Road

Pros

• Highly Responsive
• Very lightweight
• Highly breathable
• Seamless ride
• Natural feel
• Stable
• Flexible forefoot
• High rebound (Bouncy)

Cons

• The midsole may be too soft and flexible for overpronators. It may also feel pretty unstable for overpronators.

Take Away

New Balance FuelCell Rebel V2 is a fantastic shoe from the New Balance with incredible bounciness, energy return, softness, and flexibility. It is a joy to run in this shoe because it is bouncy, lightweight, flexible, well-cushioned, smooth, and propulsive with every footstrike. With FuelCell, which is New Balance's most responsive foam, expect a snappy and quick seamless transition when picking up the pace.

FuelCell Rebel V2 First Impression

The FuelCell Rebel V2 appears to have gone through a significant transformation. At face value, the only similarity with Rebel 1 is in the midsole. However, after a thorough inspection, you will realize that these are two different shoes.  

The upper looks smooth, containing, and different from the jacquard abrasive mesh in New Balance Rebel V1. Everything about the upper demonstrates meticulousness. However, the thin and enormous tongue made me skeptical of a snug fit, especially when the lacing box has only five eyelets to each side and no extra eyelet for enhancing the fit. Anyone would be doubtful, especially when the tongue is not gusseted.

My doubts were disapproved when my foot sank deep into the shoe as the large tongue wrapped around the top of the foot. The wrapping of the oversized tongue and the lacing system combined well to provide a snug fit. I could feel the roominess of the toe box and the mesh hugging my foot comfortably.

The lockdown was great, and the fit was snug. Hence, it fits true to size. I experienced the elevated fuelcell midsole hugging my midfoot from both sides to enhance a lockdown.

I could not stop marveling at the badge on the lateral side, just close to the heel. The badge radiates the 'FuelCell' and 'New Balance' encryptions interchangeably depending on the angle of view.

I took it out for the first time, and as was expected, the Fuel Cell midsole did not disappoint. It felt soft and responsive underneath the foot. I felt like I was immediately programmed to run fast. I even doubted whether the New Balance Rebel V2 is a carbon-plated running shoe. It was so easy to fall in love with this shoe.

I had planned to run for 3miles but ended up doing 8.5 miles. It goes to show how exciting I was running in FuelCell Rebel V2. I believe that the New Balance Rebel V2 is an excellent upgrade of the Rebel V1.

FuelCell Rebel V2 Upper Component

The aesthetic component of the shoe is mind-blowing. The upper part has an asymmetrical construction. The mesh material in the upper is highly sleek, with excellent color combinations. The shoe maintains one single material, with the New Balance logo being the only overlay. The mesh material is flexible and wraps nicely around the foot to provide a snug fit.

The tongue looks vague to me. It is extremely thin, large yet not gusseted, and still works well. It is very comfortable and barely puts pressure on the foot. Due to its unusual largeness, the tongue wraps around the foot to provide a secure fit.

In Rebel V1, New Balance incorporated the tongue into the upper unit. With such a design, it felt like putting on a pair of socks. It did not work well, so in the New Balance FuelCell Rebel V2, New Balance switched to a traditional tongue and lacing system. The heel collar extends upwards to protect the Achilles and enhance a snug fit.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel V2 went for the flat lacing instead of the tubular lace. By any means, that was a smart move considering that since the tongue is large, thin tubular laces would have been very compressive. The flat laces do better both in style and relieving the upper part of the foot from any pressure.

FuelCell Rebel v2 comes with five eyelets on each side of the lacing system but still gets the job done by enhancing a secure fit.

The toe bumper protects the toes from abrasion and from pocking out, in addition to giving the mesh upper an exemplary structure. The area around the toe is of different sythentic materials, which gives the toe box a unique design.

It is commendable that the upper layer of the shoe does not collapse despite being of thin, lightweight material. Instead, it maintains its structure. The 'N' logo on both sides of the midfoot helps maintain the upper's structure.

Despite the incredibly soft upper, the heel counter maintains rigidity to guarantee a superb heel lockdown when running. I noticed that the heel counter and collar take the shape of the back heel through to the Achilles, thus wrapping nicely against the heel and ankle to enhance a snug fit. The FuelCell Rebel V2 fits true to size.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel V2 Sole Component

New Balance replicated the midsole of RC Elite 2. The only difference is that the midsole of FuelCell Rebel V2 lacks a carbon-fiber plate. The midsole is constructed with the FuelCell foam making it super soft and bouncy.

If you have run in the FuelCell RC Elite, you will notice the snappy responsiveness of the carbon plate, which creates a pretty firm ride, but excellent energy return. However, with the FuelCell Rebel V2, the lack of the carbon plate makes the ride softer, pretty squashy, and bouncy but less firm.

The spectacular design of the midsole complements the posh upper to complete the New Balance FuelCell Rebel V2 as a premium running shoe. Apart from the soft cushioning foam, the midsole flares outwards on the lateral side to enhance stability.

The lateral sides of the midsole extend upwards, allowing the foot to sink into the cushioning foam. It ensures that the foot sits pretty in a neutral position during running.

One major update New Balance did with the shoe is doing away with the wedge rubber in the forefoot and placing it in the midfoot. I felt the idea working well, especially in enhancing grip when taking corners while retaining running momentum. 

I also noticed how the 6mm heel drop combined well with the rocker geometry to make the heel-to-toe transition exceptionally seamless and effortless.

Outsole

Like many shoe manufacturers, New Balance exploited the idea of placing abrasive rubber on critical zones of the outsole to cut off weight. The concept works well because traction and stability are achieved. Also, with the plush midsole, I can feel the ground. The rubber also gives soft foam durability.

However, I noticed that areas that are not covered with hard rubber are shredding quickly. It means that the shoe's outsole suffers the problem of durability, but it depends on your running terrain. Running on the road guarantees it more life.  

New Balance FuelCell Rebel V2 Performance

As a forefoot striker, landing felt soft and responsive, and the heel and midfoot appeared stable. The most pleasant thing about the FuelCell midsole is that it lets me dictate my gait cycle without thinking about transition and landing. As responsiveness increases with speed, the shoe tends to feel more feather-weight under the foot. Still, I can feel the confidence and a sense of control over my foot strikes.

Overall, running in FuelCell Rebel v2 feels fast, easy, and very peppy.

I tried several running variations, and I concluded that Rebel V2 is for tempo and fast runs. During my first trial, I quickly racked up five miles. 

The lightweight feel and FuelCell midsole provide the Rebel V2 an excellent toe-off making it a daily training shoe that leans more into speed work.

New Balance did a lot of work on FuelCell Rebel V2. The Rebel V1 was somehow stiff and rigid. The New Balance FuelCell Rebel V2 is softer and more bouncier. It is also lighter than the previous version. It rides smoothly and fast. It is an exceptional choice for anyone looking to cover long distances fast and with less energy.

 Final Thoughts

 I expect more models of mid-cushioned daily trainer shoes to be launched by various running shoe brands. However, as things stand now, New Balance Fuel Cell Rebel V2 is quickly positioning itself as one of the best daily trainers. It is easy for me to say that it is the best non-plated road shoe I have run in.

Balance Fuel Cell Rebel V2 is an easy choice for fun training days, recovery, tempo, long and short runs because it comes with a compelling package.

It is the best option for a trainer who loves long-distance running of up to 6.2 miles a day because it feels lightweight underneath the feet, excellently absorbs the ground impact, and provides a consistent gait cycle. You will enjoy this shoe if you are a fan of the FuelCell CT. It is a fast neutral shoe yet cheaper than the carbon-plated options available in the market. Its major update from the New Balance FuelCell Rebel V1 is the more compressing midsole.

This review is written by: John Smith, an experienced runner from Florida. Smith runs for fun. He is into tempo runs and a bit of speed runs.