The New Balance Fuelcell SC Elite V4 is the carbon racer follow-up to the Elite V3, once again built to go the marathon distance.
Launching on the 1st February 2024, the Elite V4 sees changes made to the upper, midsole, carbon plate and outsole to make it a better match for the super shoe competition.
Testers Tom, Mike, Nick and Kieran have all put in some early running time with New Balance’s marathon racer to see if the changes from the V3 have been positive ones and this is a racing shoe you should be excited about in 2024.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:26 – Price and what’s new?
01:38 – How does it fit?
05:02 – The Run Test
19:12 – Initial verdict
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Hey this is m r testers and in this Video we're going to be giving you our Multitester first run review of this the New B SC Elite V4 now before myself Nick Tom and kieren get into that we'll be Giving the lowdown what's new what's Different from the Elite V3 and then We'll tell you whether this is a super Shoe launching in 2024 that you should Be very excited About so here's your loadout on the New Balance super comp Elite V4 or SE Elite V4 as we'll call it in this video it's Priced at £260 in the UK or $250 in the US so that's a jump up in price on the Elite V3 which is priced at £220 or $230 In the US Currently our UK size 8 came in at 225 g Up from 210 G on the same sized V3 so There is a little jump up in weight here To expect the drop sticks to 4 millim And according to New Balance offers the Same stack height figures as the V3 so That's 40 mm at the heel and 36 mm at The 4T the upper Department New Balance Has swapped its booty style knit for a Mesh upper and below that sits a full Peber based fuel cell Mido with a Lighter version of new balance's energy Art carbon plate that's a curvy one to Deliver those energy returns below is a Reworked out sole that does see a boost In overall rubber usage with more Coverage at the heel and 4ot and on top
Of the energy Arc carbon Plates the fit for me in the SC Elite V4 I'm size8 in the UK this is a size eight I haven't had any issues with it um I Found it to be pretty comfortable what I Would say about it is I it is tricky to Get a good fit in this shoe I did feel Like there's a little bit of slip Initially when I put it on uh so I had To play around with the laces quite a Bit to get a a good fit um there's Probably less space before the big toe Than I would normally have but I Definitely would stay to my size in this Shoe I've done 22k in it so far um and I Found it's very comfortable I've not had Any rubbing or anything like that in it But I do think it's a tricky shoe to to Get the fit quite right on uh there's Quite a lot of space in the for foot for Me around the sides of the foot but the Midfoot is actually quite narrow um so Worth taking that into consideration but I would stay to my size in this shoe so In terms of fit I've got my V4 and a UK Size 8 that's exactly the same size I Had the V3 in now the V4 it's definitely A I would say a more structured shoe in Terms of the fits I think you know it Doesn't hug like the um the V3 upper Does but I do think in general it's Still you know pretty similar in terms Of my experience I think you know the Space up front of the toes feels
Absolutely fine the the hold of the Midfoot good as well too the only thing I've noticed on my first couple of runs Is the lock down at the hill and I think You know again looks like I might have To play around with the lacing and how It kind of sits because I have found it A little bit loose just on one side and It's been on the right side on both of The runs so that's something to be Mindful here but generally I think in Terms of the overall fit and whether I Would go for the same size as before you Know the UK size eight for me was fine And I think if you're looking at this Shoe and you use the Elite V3 as well to I think you'd be fine going through size Based on my testing so fit of the shoe Has been okay for me in my normal UK Size you got to be a bit careful with New Balance sometimes they do come a bit Short it's partly because they go for Uk9 us 9.5 New Balance sometimes it's a Us10 so they can feel cramp but Sometimes they're just really small Fitting things like the original Rebel Was a very tight shoe like that this Isn't the case with this shoe I think It's okay in a normal sizing it's Slightly snug for me but like I say That's probably because of the way it Converts from UK to us sizes and I had Enough room today on the run I didn't Feel like it was cramping me at all uh
The heel felt a bit loose when I put it On and I was walking around the house And I wasn't entirely sure I wasn't bit Worried about robbing so I did heel lock The shoes from the off and I had no Problems at all on the run so yeah if There is a problem there I think heel Locking will probably deal with it but I Was a bit worried about it so I did do That for I headed out on the run today Fit then and after the first s mile run I did I thought I would recommend going True to sizing these shoes yes they're Very snug yes they come up a bit short But I had really good hold across the Midfoot there and it just had like a Race fit was how I felt I've just come In literally about two minutes ago from An 11 and 1/2 mile run which is about 90 Minutes long a bit slower actually over That sort of time on feet they're Definitely coming a bit too short and I've changed my mind actually I think I Would recommend going half a size up in These particularly my my toes I felt the End was busting along it's something That I felt in the uh in the in the Trail version of the elite as well for New Balance just a little bit short so I Don't know whether their lasts are Coming up short but if you don't want Any of that toenail bashing at the end Over a long distance over a marathon I Think you're going to have to go half a
Size up in these shoes at least I think I will to avoid that otherwise I think The hold and the hugging's really nice The only other problem I had was in the Heel colors but I'm talk more about that In a Second so I've actually done two runs in The SE Elite V4 so far the first one was A 10K tempo run um and that was at about 4 minute 40 km and I also raced in it Today I did the New Haven 10K in it and That was at about 3 minute 50 km uh Which is my race Pace um the biggest Thing I would say about issue is is a Big change from the SC Elite V3 the SC Elite V3 was fine it just didn't feel to Me like a lot of the super shoes that Have been out for the last couple of Years it didn't have a lot of propulsion It didn't have a lot of Bounce um and That mids just felt a little bit more Like a daily training for me than a Super shoe especially in comparison with Things like the alphafly and The Vapor Flies and and things like that um the uh SE Elite V4 has a much better mid soole It is now what I would class as a super Shoe feeling uh midsole but what I would Say is that it isn't uh noticeably Bouncy or propulsive midsole for me it's Actually similar to something like the Sakon Endorphin Pro 3 I don't like it as Much as the Endorphin Pro 3 as you Probably imagine if you watch this
Channel um but it's a very similar feel Um it's quite a subtle um feeling Midol Foam so it doesn't feel aggressive it Doesn't feel like it's really moving Your foot forward it doesn't feel that Bouncy but it is definitely a lot softer Than the SC Elite V3 it feels like a Super shoe um and it's definitely a shoe I think would really come into its own Over long distances for like marathons And things like that the tank I erased In it today I actually got a pretty Close time to my PB so today I got about 3920 but it was really windy so I think If I was racing on the flat in nice Conditions I probably would be pretty Close to my 38 minute PB so um I I felt That it was absolutely fine for that uh It felt fast um I didn't really worry About it on my feet too much little bit Like the so Andor in Pro 3 one of the Reasons I I like that shoe is because it Feels natural it's not very aggressive And it just is really really good for Long distances where you just need Something comfortable um soft enough to To help your legs feel less tired Throughout the run but also um has a Little bit of Bounce in it this is Similar um I definitely think over a Marathon distance I think this would be A good shoe um from from those two runs I've done so far shorter distances I Think it's fine but I think there's
Better shoes out there uh it just Doesn't have that pop for me it feels a Little bit heavier on the feet than some Of the super shoes that I would prefer To use uh for shorter distances um but All in all I I did enjoy that that those First couple of runs in this um it Definitely felt on that tempo run that I Could maintain that pace really easily And I wasn't aiming to go for that pace I just picked up the pace a bit more uh Because I I felt good in this shoe it Felt like I could run fast in it uh and It felt very comfortable it's one of Those shoes that you don't really notice On the on the foot um which is quite Nice it's accessible for people it's not Aggressive in a way that some people Might not like Uh Super Shoes so I think that's a good Plus point for it um and I will also say That the upper is uh quite nice and Breedable for me no issues with the Upper at all as I mentioned I did have a Bit of problem getting a nice lock down Fit but once I'd got that it was fine um The one I don't like is the tongue Structure of it it is basically just a Little flap of like felt or something um And it's really hard to sort get it into Position um obviously that's designed to Minimize weight um but would have Preferred something a little bit more Structured on there to make it easier to
To to get a nice comfortable fit outso Is absolutely great um if you watch the Channel you know that I tend to destroy The outsole of most Super Shoes um Pretty much uh the majority of the Super Shoes I've tested over the last year I've ripped the outer piece of rubber Off of the back of those shoes this Seems absolutely fine I'm not had any Issues at all there is a bit of rubbing For me because I tend to rub that side Of my foot when I'm running um but no Issues at all on the out out soole uh And I think the front is really good as Well it's got nice level of grip it was Quite wet and a little bit slippy today On that 10K race lot of turns um felt Good for that felt pretty stable um when Turning those Corners so all in all I am Impressed by this shoe so far I think It's definitely getting there for a top Tier Super Shoe at the moment um and I'm Definitely going to enjoy picking this Up more which I I can't say about the SC Elite V3 okay so into that first one I've actually done a couple of runs in The elite V four now my first run was my Kind of midweek Club run and that was Kind of pace wise kind of 8 minute mile Pace dropping below that as well points As well too I have to say I was a little Bit underwhelmed by the elite V4 and I'm Trying to get a sense of maybe why that Was I think maybe I was a little bit
Tired my legs were a little bit tired Maybe I wasn't just kind of feeling it On that run but I think mainly I just Didn't feel the excitement in it the Main thing for me is when I was falling Back on this Hillel it just felt a bit Soft I didn't feel like I was getting Any real energy out of this shoe maybe It's because of the paces I was running Maybe because my legs were just a little Bit Tiner I just really wasn't feeling It and I don't know it felt fine it just Didn't kind of blow me away but then a Few days later I did my second run that Was closer to my marathon pace on my Kind of my marathan Pace at the moment So kind of seven kind of 30 minute mile Pace dropping just below that kind of 720 and kind of dropping below that a Little bit as well to go a little bit Quicker in it then I felt like I was Getting what I expected to get from this Shoe and the first run there's that Bounce there there's that excitable ride In there and when I was dropping back on My hill I felt like I was getting Something back from it at those quicker Paces and it makes sense because I'm Running quicker you know at my quickest Pace at the moment and that's where I Felt that I was finally getting the most Out of what I expect to get out of the Shoe kind of reminds me a little bit of My time in the rocket X2 I think things
Like the cloud Echo 3 I think you look At the cloud boom Echo 3 was obvious a Little bit firmer but I think you know Once you hit those quicker paces you Engage that shoe a little bit more what It's capable of it feels great to run in I think it's the same thing with a Rocket X2 and I would say it's a little Bit like this with the um New Balance Elite V4 now the Elite V3 you know a Very good shoe I always kind of felt it Was more of a quick daily train of shoe That could also work for racing as well Too but it just lacked that little bit Of magic for me in terms of what I found You're getting that balance but I think You're also getting that protection I Think you're getting that comfort as Well too I think the upper in general Does work a little bit better for me now It is a little bit heavier and I think That's a little bit disappointing to see And I think that's mainly coming from Getting a bit more rubber on the out Soole here which you can clearly see When you kind of compare it to Elite V3 But ultimately it's not a weight that Has felt like an issue for me I do wish It was a little bit lighter and you Compare it to the other Super Shoes it Has does it is going to be a bit heavier But I think overall in the grand scheme Of Things it's I think it's going to be
Fine particularly if you're looking at It from a long distance kind of marathon Shoe but you know I've done kind of a Kind of an hour in it I've done kind of Seven miles in it at my marathon pace That second run when I felt a little bit Better my legs felt a little bit better And I was running at my quicker Pace This shoe felt a lot better to run it in I mentioned the outso and I think to say There's a there's definitely a lot more Rubber here compared to the Elite V3 and I think you know outside wise great on The Elite V3 I think it's going to feel Solid again on the V4 like for me I was Out kind of Pavements roads it's dry Conditions cold conditions but Absolutely fine Corning was fine as well I found it relatively stable for me as Well too overall so from that point of View um you know you compare it to some Of the other kind of Super Shoes for me It feels a lot more stable in compar to Some of those shoes so yeah I think First run little bit underwhelmed I Think I maybe put that down to my own Kind of you know just being tired and it Probably not running at my quick his Pace where I think you're going to reap The benefits of this shoe second run Much improved in terms of experience a Nice bounce I think you get energy there As well I think there's good protection As there that's there as well too and
The outso feels strong and grippy it Looks like it's going to give a lot of Life I'm not seeing anywhere I said I've Done you know a couple of runs in it you Know no major concerns in terms of that Side of things but yeah as I said this Feels more like it more of what I was Hoping to see if the Elite V3 This feels like a little bit more of a Step up in terms of being a kind of top Tier racing shoe but I still think you Could probably use for training runs as Well too those kind of longer kind of Marathon pace quicker Pace kind of Training runs as well too so yeah after My first couple of runs didn't love it The first time second time definitely Massively improved in terms of Experience I feel like as I get into my Initial verdict there's a lot more to Look forward to in this shoe from a kind Of marathon point of view a racing point Of view compared to the V three I'm just Heading off to do my first run in the New Balance fuel cell super comp Elite V4 whatever something like that SC Elite V4 uh got my long run on the plan today It's a Sunday here so I'm going to be Doing 90 minutes just kind of how I feel The plan is to start a bit easy do a Loop I know it's about 8.7k at like a Steady Pace to test out the shoes with Some faster running and then just round Up to the 90 minutes just see how they
Feel really but yeah mostly be fairly Relaxed today but yeah good extended Pickup in the middle there to test them At Speed So first round all done um that was Pretty good pretty good I am uh not sure How much I learned today I wasn't Entirely blown away but I was quite Tired today uh so on the 8 and a2k odd Push oh I felt pretty good I was Clipping along quite nicely around Around 337 338 for that section on Average and it was prettyy windy first Half and then with the wind second half So not quite as much with the wind the Way that Loop works unfortunately uh the Shoe feels bouncy more than anything I'd Say it's one it's one of those super Shoes that's really all about bounce Things like the uh like the alphafly 2 And maybe actually even the RC Elite to A little bit more than the RC Elite 3 Which is more rocket it doesn't feel so Tippy forward and aggressive so that's Quite noticeable when you're into the Wind you know you got to work quite hard To get in the right position to really Engage that bounce then when you're Running with the wind uh you really feel Like you're flying cuz you get a big Amount of boun big long stride you know It feels really good very easy to pick Up the pace and then afterwards after
That you know I just tick through Another 12K or so you know moderate pace And yeah felt good for that so certainly Works certainly is a super shoe you're Certainly getting that efficiency Benefit the bounce you know propulsion But it's not one of the really Aggressive Tippy ones it's it was more Like a bigger one a more uh bouncy one I Think some like the adios Pro 3 reminds Me of a little bit as well but I think Adios Pro 3 probably has a slightly Firmer more uh I'd say direct aggressive Ride just really soft this foam on this It felt very uh very soft to me at the Start of the run and actually even when Running quite hard you get a lot of sink In so you get a good amount of bounce Back as well but it's not quite that Same tip forward feeling so yeah good First run out in them uh certainly want To do some more um like I end of end of A long week and I was and I did race Yesterday so I not entirely convinced by My own um impressions of the shoe as yet I'd like to do a lot more on them and Get some more insights but solid run Decent fast section uh good Super Shoe All around but doesn't feel like drastic Improvement what we've seen before from New Balance but did like the SE elak V3 A lot I know some people didn't I Thought it was a really good shoe so This feels like a really good shoe as
Well and I'll do some more testing and See how it goes so for my run test then For this first run I have done two runs I did a Seven Mile with five miles at Steady Pace 7 Minute miles I think you Know my marathon pace would be somewhere Around like 620s or 630s at the moment So that gives you an idea of where I'm Hitting and today I went out and did 11 And 1 half miles at 8 and 1 half minute Mile pace so took me about 90 minutes Bit slower I did have some sort of Faster sections in that as well and Overall I think the first thing I think The ride of this is nice it's got a Lively I it's you know it's a totally Different ride to the old fuel cell SC Elite and yeah a lot has changed here And I think it's changed for the better There's really nice roll through from The Rock ring I think the phone sinks And responds really nicely there's good Response here there's good punch good Energy they're Lively I think they're Exciting I had a lot of fun running in Them you know the minute you put them on They've got that super shoe feel like You know you can feel that kind of push Forward and they had that for me these Definitely move towards the kind of Adios Pro end of things that's how they Felt to me on that on those first miles Particularly when I was going fast they Gave me plenty back when I was trying to
Sort of hit those 7even minute miles Kept my heart rate nice and low the one Problem that I've had though is this That in there is not the colorway of the Shoe that's blood and you've got these Heel collar that are quite thin and They're quite high and they curve in a Little bit and what's happened here They're not very flexible so if you goes To the OS Pro the the pro colar Sort fold over and the top of them are a Bit flexible but because this is curving In it's quite thin it's all quite Pointed that has basically just cut a Massive hole in my heel it did it Yesterday I thought maybe it's just a One-off so I put a plaster on today sort Of fixed it padded it out changed my Socks went out again today I did 11 Miles I could feel it from the start and When I've got back it's it's really sort Of much worse my heel is in a big mess So that's a big problem here for me at The moment I don't know whether that Will change if I go half a size up I Don't think so because it's it's just The way the heels hold it's not really To do with too much movement in the foot It's just this top bit my foot my heel Isn't really sliding up and down it's Just curving in and digging in at the Base of my Achilles there so that is a Bit of a problem which is a bit Disappointing because otherwise I've
Really enjoyed running in these shoes You know on when it comes to ride I Think New Balance have got themselves a Shoe here that is a it's basically their Best carbon racer today I would say it's Much more in line with the other ones We've come to expect the vaporfly 3s I Haven't tried the new Alpha flies but It's up there with the adios Pro it's More lively than things like the Under Armour elite first versal the suck suck Endorphin Elite you know there's lots Going on here and feel nice and light And energetic and I've really enjoyed Them but that is somewhat going to ruin It for Me solid first R in the shoe today there I want to go and do some fast sessions I'm feeling a bit fresher and maybe Racing them when I'm feeling a bit Fresher and see how they feel then but Yeah it feels like a good shoe it feels Like a shoe in the category of the Slightly bigger bouncier Cruiser carbon Shoes rather than the more aggressive Tip forward shoes I feel like Potentially the problem we'll have here Is that there are now shoes I think that Are doing a really good combination of Both those things things like the Alphafly 3 which uh has a lot of Bounce And propulsion but tips you forward a Lot as well an aggressive weight ands a Fair bit lighter than these shoes so the
Weight gain here maybe looks maybe feels Like it's a bit more as a marathon Focus Shoe obviously with the SC Pacer two to Come as well a slightly lower stack that Would be interesting CU feel like this Phone might work really well with a Slightly lower stack cuz it is very soft And springy and maybe you could reduce It a bit reduce the weight and get that A similar level of Bounce but in a Slightly more aggressive ride that'll be Interesting but like I say uh it was Long run today I'm fairly tied legs I'm Certainly ke do some more testing but Pretty solid run here it's a good super Sho this but um you know I want to see Some more from it if I'm going to be Convinced that it's one that blows the Competition away or goes right up Against things like the AL so some Initial thoughts on the new bats SC Elite V4 now after the first run I was a Little bit concerned about issue the Second run that definitely changed and What I would say is now the Elite V3 for Me is a fantastic shoe and I've enjoyed Run post testing I think what it was for Me if I looked at that and somebody said To me I've got a run a marathon in a Shoe would that be the shoe that I would Pick over the other options probably not Now it's very early days in testing I Haven't gone marath and distance in this I haven't gone and done a longer
Distance run in this and spent a couple Of hours on my feet in a shoe so it's Hard to say but what I'm seeing is is a Shoe that feels like a better Alternative to the other kind of Marathon super shoes that are out there And I think that's the key thing for Me the changes here o on the whole feel Like a step in the right direction for New Balance I think the upper barring The kind of Hill lock down stuff that I've seen so far I think are positives I Think the midsole changes are positives As well too the outsole feels great like It did on the V3 the only thing for me The slight thing for me other than the Kind of lockdown is the pickup in weight Where I think the trend from other shoes Has been to go lighter and I feel like While it hasn't felt like a heavy shoe At the moment you know whether that Feeling still feels good over the longer Distance that's the key thing for me but I think when you look at the price you Know it feels like a better match at the Moment for those other super shoes that Are built for those longer distances so On the whole as I said the positive Experience so far I want to see how it Handles those longer distances it is a Shoe that I am planning to use for the London marathons so on those longer Training runs I'm going to be doing very Very soon this is where I'm hoping the
Shoe will really Excel but so far so Good particularly on that second run That I've done with it as I said I feel The changes are positive ones on the Whole with the new B SC Elite V4 Elite V3 very good shoe this feels at the Moment it has the ingredients to be a Super kind of shoe over that Marathon Distance I'm seeing something a lot more You know exciting for me compared to the Elite V3 which is a good shoe but I Think this feels like a step up in terms Of that experience and I'm definitely Looking forward to spending a bit more Time an issue so my verdict on the New Balance SE Elite V4 I think it is a a Very big Improvement on the SE El V3 I Think it is now ass shoed that feels Like it can almost compete with things Like the alply and the sorin Pro 3 um And I think that it is uh now a lot more Accessible for people so if you are Somebody who's looking for a super shoe And you've maybe not tried one before And you want something that's maybe a Little bit more veering towards the Daily shoe feel um but has those super Shoe benefits from it I think this is a Good option now I definitely think a lot Of people could pick up this shoe and Find it quite nice comfortable enjoyable Shoe to run in without feeling too Aggressive or just not getting used to The the the feel that you have from some
Super Shoes um I would still say that if It there was a top 10 of Super Shoes Which we probably will do this year um That it's not high on the list for me I Think it's probably sitting around like This the six or seven Mark for me I Think there's a lot of better shoes out There when it comes to Super Shoes Things like the alpha flies things like The V flies uh and for me the soorin Pro 3 which I would class it as the direct Competitor for this shoe when it comes To what it's trying to deliver I just Think the uh endorphin Pro 3 just has a Little bit more to it I think the foam Just a little bit more energetic um I Think it just it it's subtle but it Still propels you forward a little bit More um so I i' would still go for that Shoe over this one but I think it's very Close now I think this is really um a Big move for New Balance and uh I'm Impressed a it so far verdict then and After two very different runs in this And 18 miles in total over two days I Think the New Balance fuel cell Elite V4 It's a good shoe it's a really good shoe I really enjoyed running it it's Lively You know I overall I kind of love the Way it feels on the foot I love the ride Of it's nice and snappy it's nice and Roling there's lots of Bounce there's Lots of energy I think you know there's There's also a decent amount of
Protection as well when I sort of r a Bit slower today and I think it's sort Of taken a big step on compared to the Other fuel cell Elites that ran a little Bit more sort of traditional they were Not in that kind of Punchy end of carbon Race shoes and this moves it a bit more Towards those shoes like the adios Pro As I said earlier big problem for me These heel collars if that could be Fixed we going half a size up I think New Balance have got a potential winner On their hand I think I'm going to see If I can get hold of some more half a Size up and see if that works if you Don't have that heel color problem I Think you can have a winning carbon shoe On your hands here but whether that's Going to happen to you or not I don't Know it might just be me the way my feet Work or the way my kind of heels are Sort of shaped and all that kind of Stuff but overall those first miles it's Been like a 95% thumbs up but the 5% is A really big problem but if you can get On with these shoes I think a lot of People are going to like them okay so They have some multitest initial Thoughts on the new B SC Elite V4 now if You got any questions about this shoe in The meantime do let us know in the Comments as always like And subscribe Hit that little bell to find out about Our latest videos and yeah we'll see you
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