New Balance FuelCell RC Elite v2 Review
This week, the carbon plated New Balance FuelCell RC Elite v2 gets a review. The New Balance FuelCell RC Elite v2 is a highly cushioned, carbon plated road running shoe designed for moving fast and getting PBs at the next marathon! A running shoe designed to help you run quicker, over distance. The propulsion comes from both the curved shape to the midsole, that gives the shoe a rocker profile, and the carbon plate that stiffens up the shoes and provides an extra spring. The rocker essentially reminds you to ‘pull your leg backwards’ as you run, so you run in a more upright posture, achieving a better fall. Plus, the stiffness of the carbon plate guides your foot through the gait cycle quicker, which increases your cadence.
Quite often shoes of this type are very ‘controlling’. You start to run and the shoe in effect takes over. This makes it hard to run anything but quickly in the shoes and the ride feel very forced, not smooth. The carbon plate in the NB FuelCell RC Elite v2 isn’t as stiff as it is in a lot of other maximally cushioned carbon plate running shoes. This reduces the controlling feel and leads to a smoother ride. It also means that you can run slowly in the shoes too, which is often important!
As it is possible to comfortably run slowly in the FuelCell RC Elite v2, it means that you can use the shoe for more than just racing. Carbon plated shoes aren’t a good shoe for daily training as the plate and rocker does a lot of the work for your feet, glutes and hamstrings. However, they are good for a once-a-week interval session or tempo run. The shoes help improve your posture, which over time could lead to better posture when running in your other shoes too. As you can run slowly in the shoes, you can use them for fartlek sessions, interval sessions including the warm up and warm down, long runs with picks up and so on.
The midsole in the New Balance RC Elite v2 is known as “FuelCell” which is a Nitrogen infused foam designed to feel bouncy and soft. The cushioning of the New Balance FuelCell RC Elite v2 is definitely very soft. For that reason, they don’t ‘feel’ like a fast shoe at all. The cushioning makes them feel very comfortable, even after several hours of running. They aren’t just a go-faster shoe for the elite marathon runners.
The stack height is 39mm in the heel and 31mm in the forefoot, giving a drop of 8mm, which is medium-high. However, the softness of the midsole makes the drop less noticeable, even for someone used to wearing shoes with a much lower drop like myself. The men’s UK8 weights 235g and the women’s UK5 184g.
The upper is very thin and breathable, as you would expect from a race day shoe. The tongue is very thin, with less padding to reduce weight. The heel cup is soft and pliable, and the laces are slightly off centre, following the highest part of the foot. This makes the forefoot feel roomier. The upper pulled in around my foot nice and snug and the lightness of the upper and roomy feel in the toe box gives you a feeling of not wearing a shoe at all.
The outsole has a good amount of rubber on the forefoot, which means that the shoes will be durable enough for fast run training, as well as just race day. After over 100 miles for this review there is no loss in spring from the shoes, despite the very soft feel to the cushioning and no signs of wear to the outsole.
Store Manager Craig also had a review pair:
“As instructed by the experts, I’ve kept the wearing of these to once a fortnight (my faster sessions) so as not to lose strength in my feet and calves. You can’t deny that these are vibrant and really have a ‘look at me’ vibe, so it pays to move quickly and look the part!
The fit is snug, with a very race-like feel, but not uncomfortable. The toe box is narrower than I’m used to (I usually wear shoes with a more rounded toe box like Altra or Topo) but not tight and my big toe isn’t being pushed inwards. The tongue is a typical race type fit, thin and hugs the top of the foot. There is an extra lace hole at the top if you need to add a lock lace loop.
When you stand up in the FuelCell RC Elite v2 it’s a strange sensation. The cushioning is outstanding and almost feels like there is too much, but at the same time feels really plush. I was stood wondering how this much cushioning help me go faster!
The run. Wow! These shoes can shift. When I was coming back from injury I was clocking 9:00 – 9:30 minute miles (normally I can cruise at a comfortable 8:00 minute mile pace). When I set out in these I could instantly feel the carbon plate take over. I was suddenly running faster than I was used to, so I just went with it. After 200 metres I was cruising and loving it. The cushioning felt awesome and the carbon plate made me feel like an elite athlete, even if I looked like a normal bloke from Newcastle! My posture was upright, and I could feel I was lifting my legs higher, which just made me want to push even more. Glancing at my watch I was ‘cruising’ at 7:14 minute pace, but I didn’t feel like I was blowing a gasket. This was even on a slight incline. Once I hit the flat, I felt unstoppable. I was clocking 6:30 minute mile pace. If I had these before aged 50 I might have tried to win a few races!
I’ve got to say, I absolutely loved these shoes, but understand the importance of not using them for regular training. I’m not used to a drop over 4mm-5mm, but once I started running in these shoes I didn’t feel it much. It’s an enjoyable, fast and comfortable shoe that almost guarantees a race day PB and you might find you’re working to keep up with them!”
Other Considerations
Topo Specter: Although not a carbon plated shoe the Topo Specter is designed to offer maximal cushioning and some propulsion. The broad rounded toe box offers a broad feet and room for your feet to function. Here is a link to our review: northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-specter-review
Altra Vanish Carbon: Zero drop, rounded toe box. Not as broad as the Topo Specter but more width than the NB FuelCell Elite v2. A firmer feel to the cushioning and a less controlling shoe as the rocker isn’t as prominent. Here is a link to our review: northernrunner.com/blog/altra-vanish-carbon-review
Hoka Carbon X 3: All Hoka shoes have a rocker to increase cadence and improve posture. The addition of the carbon plate in the carbon X 3 gives more propulsion. Here is a link to our review: northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-one-one-carbon-x-3-review
Scott Speed Carbon RC: Like Hoka Scott shoes all use a rocker to improve cadence and posture. The carbon plate adds more propulsion. These are firmer and more responsive than the carbon shoes above which gives you more feel for the ground. Here is our review:
northernrunner.com/blog/scott-speed-carbon-rc-review-carbon-plate-road-running-shoes
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