New Balance Supercomp Elite v6 Review

The New Balance SC Elite v6 is the latest road racing shoe from New Balance. Designed to give energy return and propulsion for up to the marathon distance, the SC Elite v6 is both lightweight and well cushioned. The Energy Arc carbon plate adds stiffness to keep providing propulsion over the marathon distance. The first thing that you notice is the weight, or the lack of it. A men’s UK 8 weighs 190 grams and a women’s UK 5 weighs 155 grams. Yet the SC Elite v6 isn’t a flimsy race-day shoe with every bit of padding, and the comfort that comes with it, stripped away. It is a comfortable shoe that fits in a very similar way to other New Balance running shoes.

The heel cup is pliable and designed to mould to the shape of the runner’s heel when the shoes are laced up. It is also nicely padded. This padding runs around the cuff of the shoes. The tongue has a strip of light padding that runs along the highest part of the foot. The top of the tongue is made completely from this lightly padded material. This gives the feet protection from the laces and moulds to the shape of the foot to give an enhanced fit.

The laces thread through two tabs on the tongue, which help to stop the tongue from slipping to one side when running. There is also an additional lace hole at the top that can be used to make the heel fit snugger or to butterfly lace the shoes. The upper is made from a translucent mesh, which makes it very breathable and means your socks are visible through the shoes. When laced up, the upper pulls in around the foot nicely, giving a snug race-day feel to the shoes.

The midsole is made from New Balance’s new midsole foam called Infinion. This is a blend of supercritical EVA and TPEE that has a high rebound and is also durable. When standing in the shoes, the midsole doesn’t instantly compress and has a more resilient feel than the foam used for the previous version. There is a degree of compression and noticeable rebound when you start to walk in the shoes, but the midsole holds its shape better than the previous version, giving a more stable feel. When you start to run, you are aware of the rebound, but the midsole doesn’t compress a lot under your feet. This gives the shoes a more responsive feel and makes it easier to push off in them. I am hesitating to call them firm and responsive because the midsole still feels soft and cushioned.

BROWSE NEW BALANCE SUPERCOMP ELITE V6

The stack height is 40mm in the heel and 32mm in the forefoot. Whether this feels high off the ground depends on what you are used to. If you are using New Balance running shoes for your everyday mileage, then a 40mm heel height would feel quite normal, as the New Balance 880v15, 1080v15 and 860v15 have a similar stack height. If you use a road running shoe with a lower stack, then they might feel quite high, but the midsole does feel stable. It is much more stable than the previous version, so they should be easy to get used to.

The 8mm heel-to-forefoot drop isn’t that noticeable, as the midsole is curved to keep the foot moving when it touches the floor. Sandwiched in the middle of the Infinion foam is New Balance’s Energy Arc carbon propulsion plate. This is stiffer than the previous version and is designed to maintain the shoe’s integrity even when you have been running for a long time. So, you get the same level of cushioning and propulsion at the end of the marathon as you did at the start. A lot of carbon-plated road racing shoes on the market have very soft midsole foams. These make the shoes feel unstable until you are running quickly in them and can make it hard to maintain propulsion unless you can maintain a good running posture to keep loading the carbon plate correctly.

The New Balance SC Elite v6 feels a bit more forgiving. I found them comfortable to run in during my warm-up and cool-down around my quicker sessions. I found the SC Elite v6 responsive enough for short, quick intervals. They worked effectively on short hills too. During steady runs or threshold sessions, I found them easy to cruise along in. I wouldn’t describe any carbon-plated running shoe as nimble, but some are designed for use on flat roads in straight lines only. It can be difficult to hop on and off pavements or get around corners. On downhills, the midsole flattens out and you get little propulsion, while on up-hills you sink into the cushioning and also get little propulsion.

None of this is the case with the New Balance SC Elite v6. They feel like a much more runnable shoe than the previous version.

A running shoe with a high stack height and responsive foam takes away a lot of the feel for the floor. So, you need an outsole that you can trust to give you good traction in a variety of conditions. The outsole on the SC Elite v6 does feel like it offers a good level of traction. I feel confident letting myself go on descents without fear of slipping. The current heatwave in the UK means that I haven’t had quite as much chance to test the outsole on wet tarmac as normal.

New Balance running shoes are similar in length to Hoka, Inov-8, Karhu or La Sportiva. If you use Brooks, Saucony, 361, Topo or Altra, then we would suggest trying half a UK size larger in New Balance running shoes to get a similar length. For example, a UK 11.5 in New Balance is a similar length to a UK 11 in Brooks.

In summary, the New Balance SC Elite v6 is a carbon-plated road racing shoe that has a firmer, more responsive feel to the ride than a lot of similar carbon-plated road racing shoes on the market. They feel less strange and more comfortable. A shoe designed for the elite, but one that could be effectively used by the not-so-elite for their road racing.

Alternatives to New Balance SC Elite v6

Brooks Hyperion Elite v6: Brooks carbon plated road racing shoes have always been made for their customers rather than Elite athletes. The Hyperion Elite v6 has blended the two. The Hyperion Elite v6 is stable and will help less Elite runners go faster as well as help their Elite sponsored Athletes win races. This is the same concept as the New Balance SC Elite v6. Which shoe would suit you best is a personal thing but, both shoes will work well for a large range of ability levels. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/brooks-hyperion-elite-6-review/

Hoka Cielo x1 3.0: A more Elite type of shoe in that it works well if you can maintain a good posture but, the minute your posture drops the shoes don’t help. So, they aren’t as user friendly for the none Elite. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-cielo-x1-3-0-review/

Hoka Rocket X 3: A more user-friendly carbon shoe. Not as plush and cushioned as the SC Elite v6. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-rocket-x-3-review/

Altra Vanish Carbon 2: A broader rounded toe box and a set up that allows more foot function. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-vanish-carbon-2-review/

Saucony Endorphin Pro 5: A similar user-friendly carbon plated road racing shoe like the Hoka Rocket X3, Brooks Hyperion Elite v6 and the NB SC Elite v6. Less soft and plush than the latter two models. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/saucony-endorphin-pro-5-review/

New Balance Pacer v2: More of a track spike feel. Less stack and cushion. Feels more like a nimble road racing shoe and for that reason more of a 5km/10km road racing shoe. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-fuelcell-supercomp-pacer-v2-review/