The New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4 is the racing shoe follow-up to the SC Elite v3 – and it’s had quite the revamp.
The Elite v4 sees New Balance make changes to the upper, midsole, carbon plate design and the outsole in a bid to make it a better match for the super shoe competition.
Testers Tom, Laura, Mike, Nick and Kieran have all been putting the New Balance carbon racer through its paces to see if it’s a better match for the competition and should be on your feet for your next marathon or big race.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:31 – Price and what’s new?
02:25 – How does it fit?
08:29 – The Run Test
25:34 – Verdict
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Hey this is mik for the r testers and in This video we're going to be giving you Our multitester review of this the new BS SC Elite V4 now myself Nick Tom Kieran and Laura have all been testing This shoe and what we'll do is we'll Take you to the key stats of the elite V4 what's changed from the Elite V3 get Into those run thoughts and then let you Know whether the new B SC Elite V4 is a Racing shoe and a running shoe that you Should get in 2024 So here's a quick load down on the key Stats about the new BS SC Elite V4 so We'll start with price and this comes in At 260 in the UK or $250 in the US so That is a bit of a big jump up from the New B SC Elite V3 which was closer to That kind of200 $200 price point and you can probably Pick it up for less than that now as Well so in terms of weight out men's UK Size 8 weighed in at 225 g that is up From 210 G on the same size Elite V3 so It is a little bit of a jump up in Weight on the elite V4 compared to to The Elite V3 so in terms of drop it is a 4mm one here and like the Elite V3 the Stack Heights have remained the same so It is 40 mm at the heel and 36 mm at the 4ot so into that design and aside from a Pretty unique look on the elite V4 we Are now seeing a change in the upper
Material and that general make up of the Upper on the elite V4 so out is the sock Likee knit uper that we got on the V3 And in is a mesh one that new balance is Calling Phantom fit to give you that Kind of improved fit and hold compared To its predecessor now below that sit a Fuel cell midso and that is a full peber Based Mido that we're getting here on The elite V4 now with that is New Balances energy art carbon plate now it Is a lighter one and a curvier one than The one one used in the Elite V3 and That is to help improve the energy Returns on this shoe now the ult soo has Been reworked as well too and is a Definitely a little bit more coverage of That energy art carbon plate as well There too but ultimately it's there to Give you the kind of key areas of grip And traction at that kind of for foot And at the heel to make sure that you're Getting protection and durability out of This shoe over those longer [Music] Distances so the fit of the St Elite Before has been pretty good for me in my Normal running shoe size with New Balance you going be a bit careful Because of the way they convert sizing So a uk9 is a US 9.5 New Balance so lots Of brands that will be a us10 so it can Be a bit tight with a brand sometimes And sometimes they just make very short
Shoes I'm sure of I think new BS have a Tendency to do that but I haven't had That with this shoe I think it's fit Very well in my normal UK size maybe if You're big for your UK size you could Look at getting the slightly bigger size So you have more of a conversion across Us sizes between Brands but overall I Was happy with the amount of room and The hold in the 4 foot there with my Normal UK size heel is very loose not a Lot of padding going on around there Certainly potential to rub I would heel Lock it which is what I did I haven't Had any heel rubbing as a result and Actually the looseness of the design Doesn't mean it hasn't irritated my Achilles at all which isn't always the Case with racing shoes that can clamp The Achilles a little bit that's Positive to this loose design but I Think overall it's probably one that Most Runners are going have to be a bit Careful with to not get heel rubbing Which obviously be a big concern over Long distances in terms of what I've got I've got UK size 8 that's the same size I had the Elite V3 in now I think the Elite B3 upper and fit in general is one That kind of grew on me eventually but I Think those initial kind of runs I did With it I did think you had to work Pretty hard to get a good lock down in Issu particularly on the kind of tongue
And that kind of sock like in general Upper now this is a massive departure From what we got in the Elite V3 in Terms of what I've got in my UK size a I Found the space up front of the toes Generally fine for me and particularly Those longer runs I didn't feel like I Wanted a lot more room there it felt Good enough for me some might find it a Little bit snug but generally for me it Was absolutely fine as I said I actually Prefer the kind of upper makeup Particularly from the laces and the Tongue on issue compared to its Predecessor and I felt you know from a Lockdown point of view it was fine it Was really about the hill really where You've got no padding whatsoever not None of that kind of extra pent you Might see on some super shoes that you Know that are out there as well too Which did mean as I said going back Further on these kind of um eyelets to Really get a better lock down at the Hill make sure there was no slippage you Have to work a little bit hard on that Front but if you can or make it work for You then I do think you can get Generally a good hold and fit with this Shoe I would say go to size based on my Testing there may be an argument to Maybe play around with a half size up Just to get a little bit more room a Little bit more space if that's
Something maybe you're finally you're Lacking in your usual size in the elite V4 fit for me in the New Balance SC Elite V4 I'm size eight in the UK this Is a size eight uh I found it to be a Comfortable shoe to wear I've not had Any issu issues with it I did find that When I first put it on it did feel a Little bit loose around the heel uh so It took me a bit of time to get a bit of A lock down fit um but once I'd got that It was fine I've raced in this shoe uh And you can get a nice lock down fit With it um so yeah I would stay to my UK Size in this shoe so then when it comes To fit I went on a journey with these Shoes initially I found these acceptably Snug you know with your classic close Hugging race fit that's good for lock Down and secure hold across the midfoot And into the heels yes it's kind of Tight not unlike the kind of things like The hoker rocket X2 fit snug all of that Kind of stuff you expect from a raayo But to the end of my 90minut test run There's one thing I did find that was a Bit difficult and I found them a bit Short I could feel my toes hitting the Ends of the toe box particularly when I Was Landing more with my 4 foot and I Think over a 3-hour marathon I that Probably become problematic for me I Also had some quite serious heel cutting Which I'm not sure if that's down to fit
But it wasn't great and overall I think I'd recommend going half a size up in These to get that extra length Particularly if you plan to race Marathons or longer in them jury is out On whether or not sizing up will prevent That heel cutting though one of the Things that I really love about the V3 Is how comfortable it is um the the the Sock like Upper gives it fits your foot nicely and It gets 10 out of 10 for that for me so The V4 the upper is very different and It fits very different too It's it's a similar size in I'd say to The V3 so I'm a UK size 6 I wor UK size Six in both because of the engineered Mesh of the V4 and the fact that there's Less give There I would maybe go up half a size it Is a snug fit um and in the V3 there is A bit more Um it gives it gives more so there's There's a bit more leeway in there Whereas you kind of youve got the fit That you've got in the V4 I did have Some problems um on my first run I ended Up stopping a couple of times to retie Particularly my right foot now it could Be just me couldn't it but none of the Other shoes that I'm running in at the Moment I'm having issues on my right Foot um just this one so it it did ease Off so the the more that I ran in it
I've run in it four times the the better I got that fit to be I don't know Whether there was some some uh loosening Of that of that upper might might have Been given a little bit as it warmed Over those runs uh but it did it did Improve a lot I didn't have any issues Um like kieran's experience my my heels Are all intact they're okay um so round The back absolutely no problems for me No slippage or anything it was just in This in this toe box I found it to be a Little bit tight there um I mean in that V3 upper the laces or Aren't there doing very much there's um They're just there just to like tie it Off a little bit but you know you're in There you've got that sock and it's very Comfortable whereas you are using the Laces ear a bit more to kind of to get That fit and I did have to take those Those four runs that I did to get to Being quite happy with It So I've run just over 55k in the SC Elite V4 and I've used it for the long Run which we had up on the channel as Part of our first run where I did around 22k with an extended 8K pickup looking At around kind of 340 PK Pace done an Easy to steady hour progression running The shoe finishing down towards my Marathon pace and then I took it down The track for a pretty tough session
Running five threshold miles so 530 per Mile Pace with short recoveries that Were float recovery so I did 400 m or Actually back to the mile start line so Less just less than 400 meters in around 95 seconds so I ended up being about 12 1 12K at 330 perk pace so my marathon Pace and that is the session where I Think this shoe really sha because it Did feel very cruy it felt very bouncy It didn't feel really aggressive when I Was running the faster Pace on those Mile reps there but it really did feel Like it was bouncy and propelling me Through those reps and helping me to Conserve energy keep rolling through Really nicely and on an extended session Like that it was perfect for it and I Did enjoy doing that run in it for sure In fact I've enjoyed all my runs in the Shoe as like the long run I did was on Tired legs but you know did protect the Legs pretty well and helped me run quick Progression run felt really good rolling Through easy to fast Paces I do think It's one of the more uh comfortable Shoes of the Super Shoes to use for the Easier Paces I did at the start of that Run because I do think it is quite a Forgiving shoe in terms of the ride feel I do think it's one that will be Accessible to lots of Runners as quite a Comfortable shoe and then it's got the Pace for that hard track session one of
The hardest sessions I've done in a Little while and I felt very comfortable Doing it in this shoe on a wet and Greasy track as well with no problems With GRE grip which is nice know just You know don't always buy Super Shoes For the grip but this has got pretty Good grip so yeah I've enjoyed my Running experience like all around I Think a shoe that's up there as a really Good super shoe and the best one New Balance has made certainly for looking At longer distances like the marathon I Think maybe the S elite3 which I know a Lot of people don't like I really did Like I thought it had a really good Aggressive ride for shorter racers in Particular you got more bounce here the New foam is certainly more bouncy and I Do think it's a better Marathon racer For sure as a result but desp all of Those positives and the shoe I really Like just I don't know left me wanting Slightly more I think there's a little Bit more to come from New Balance still In their shoe lineup and maybe it will Come with the SC Pacer V2 which is going To have the same foam in a smaller stack So it be a bit lighter cuz this is a bit Of a chunky fun stir it is you know just Show 250 gr which is where shoes like The adios Pro 3 and the alphafly 2 were In terms of weight it just feels now We're moving towards this next
Generation of Super Shoes like the Alphafly 3 where we're looking at Actually really lightweight shoes that Still have big stacks and deliver a lot Of Bounce and I think the SE Elite Before isn't quite that it's not very Light it's not very agile it's not a Shoe that i' necessarily be desperate to Pull on for a 5K okay where I'm sure It'll be very fast for sure like all of These shoes but I think there' be better Options for that then if you're looking At the longer distances I think you can Get a similar level of Bounce from other Shoes that are also lighter and just a Bit more aggressive like the alpha 3 so In isolation just testing this about any Other shoes in my mind I'd have you know I would have adored it even more I Thought it would have been you know best Thing I've ever pulled in my feet and I Did really like running in it and I Think it's a great shoe I sure I'd be Happy to wear for Marathon I think where It struggles is when you come to the Comparisons about what else is out there And maybe what you can get from other Brands so in that run test now post Those couple of runs I did for our first Run video what I really wanted to see Was how the elite V4 handled those kind Of longer runs because ultimately I Think that's what the changes are really Geared towards from the Elite V3 which I
Think is a very good running shoe as Well but ultimately I think what it Comes down to is if I had a marathon to Do if I had a race to do would it be the Shoe that I'd pick over other shoes Probably not and I think maybe it just Lacks a little bit of wow factor for me At those longer distances now the elite V4 is a total to different shoe totally Different Prospect and I do think it is A better shoe suited for those longer Runs the changes in the mids I do just Make it feel like a better shoe for Those longer distances and what I would Say Is it's not a super aggressive shoe not A super aggressive shoe like things like The alphafly things like the hak X1 what I've just tested you know other super Shoes that have come out where they Really kind of get you up on your toes Very quickly in those kind of Transitions and how that rocker kind of Works now I almost feel like The Rocker And V3 is probably a little bit more Pronounced even when you're not probably Going all out in it so I think with the Elite V4 once you engageing it at those Kind of quicker Paces that's where you Get the most the most rewarding feel out Of it and it is it is a shoe that feels Nice to go quick I think the other thing It is an it feels like a very Accommodating shoe and I think
Accommodating might sound like the Nicest way to describe is shoe but I Think in terms of a shoe that you may Want to run quick over a Marathon Distance things like the Endorphin Pro Things talking Endor Pro three or that Dorphin Pro range cuz The Four's coming Out the shoes that I feel like you know For me if I had to ease off in places or You know for whatever reason that it's a Shoe that I would feel comfortable to do That and I felt like in the longer runs I've done I was running Clos to my Marathon pace where it was just kind of You know below 8 Minute miles kind of 730 740 at my kind of quickest it felt Okay to do that and to kind of slow off A little bit in this shoe and I think That's a a really important aspect or Characteristic of the elite V4 I think Ultimately you know you're getting a Smooth ride you're getting as I said you Know when you're running quicker it Feels nice that change that having that Full pea Mido does make a huge Difference I think in the feeling of Running in this Shoe other thing I think you know I Probably point out has been an issue in My runs but you know the outsole and the General you know size of the shoe and The weight of the shoe has grown a Little bit on the Elite V3 and I think You know that was a really Nimble shoe
To run in this isn't a clunky or heavy Shoe But ultimately you compare it to The other Super Shoes that out there has Picked up a little bit in weight in Comparison you know there is quite a lot Of rubber in this out soole and from a Durability and grip point of view it's Been absolutely fine I haven't had to Run in any rain or wet conditions but You know Pavements and Roads has been Absolutely fine cornering has been good As well too it also feels like maybe It's it's added a bit of weight to the Overall you know feeling of this shoe And running in it now in terms of the Durability it's been okay I'm not seeing Any terrible signs of wear over kind of 50k of running in this shoe I am seeing Kind of a weird and I don't know if it's Going to affect their performance over Time but seeing some like a little bit Of a dent in the kind of this kind of Geometry style uh midsole design that We're getting here on the elite V4 as I Said I know that's going to affect Performance why I'm seeing some Dent or Just you know kind of noticeable dent in One side of the shoe so for me all very Positive I think it feels good to run Quick in at shorter distances ultimately I think it is a better shoot to run Longer in than the Elite V3 and it comes down to the the midsole Changes I think the upper just works a
Little bit better once you get that lock Down right and the Alo feels I think as Good as what we have in leite V3 as well Too so you know not changing things that Worked from the previous shoes so the SC Elite line or the RC Elite to SC Elite Line is an interesting one because uh It's not one that I've massively been a Fan of in the past the RC Elite 2 uh I Quite liked but I found it wasn't a very Fast shoe I couldn't really race in it The same way that I could RAC in other Super Shoes at the time like the Vaporfly uh but it was a very Comfortable shoe really nice shoe to Wear the SC Elite V3 uh I do like that Shoe it just doesn't really deliver the Goods when it comes to Super Shoes for Me um and it was never a shoe that I Would pick up if I was going to take on A race that I really wanted to get a Fast time in because it just felt to me That it just didn't have the bounds or The proportion That I Want from my Super Shoes um and I should probably say here That I am a runner that loves soft Bouncy shoes The More Bounce the better Uh and I just think get it from the SE Elite V3 now the SE Elite V4 is much Further in the right direction for me It's a big difference from the SE Elite V3 uh the midso stack is a lot bouncier Um it's softer there's just this just Feels a lot more like the sort of Super
Shoe that I like to wear I'm talking Things like the S endorphin Pro 3 the Alpha flies uh it's moving more into That that world now and it's definitely A shoe that I would pick up now as an Option that I would happily use for uh Races like marathons half marathons Things like that um so I've done about 50k in the shoe so far the I've raced in It uh I've done a 5K and a 10K in this Shoe I haven't done anything over that In over a race but I have got half Marathon coming up soon uh which I may Use it for um what I would say about it Is that it is much more my sort of shoe I now really like the feel of this shoe Um it's there's a nice bit of Bounce to It there's a nice bit of softness in it It's a very comfortable shoe to wear and To be honest it's pretty similar to what You'd expect from a lot of big super Shoes out there like the alpha FES and Talking doin Pro 3 A6 M Speed uh Sky Those sort of shoes it feels very Similar to those now uh and it's Definitely a top tier super shoe for me Um what I would say though is that it is A very subtle Super Shoe so whereas in Shoes like the alpha flies and the vapy Flies they're very um designed to really Make you run fast they really Propel you Forward they make you run in a certain Way that is fast you're running they're Designed to make you run faster um I
Think this is more of a cruiser uh a Little bit like the so Dophin Pro 3 uh Which is one of my favorite race shoes Of all time um because it's it it's Comfortable the msold is very enjoyable To wear um and it just feels really Great to get a nice consistent Pace on The 10K that I did in it uh I ended up With about 39 minutes my PB is 37 Minutes and 30 but I'm not as fit as I Was when I did that and it was really Windy so I definitely say that in terms Of performance it's right up there with With the best of the best uh for me what It really comes down to though I think Is that it just doesn't have some of the Performance feels that you might get in Things like the alphafly 3 alphafly 1 uh Those sorts of shoes um but it's a very Solid comfortable bouncy shoe that Really works well and I think it's Probably best suited to those sort of Half marathon to Marathon distance Events where you want something that Maybe is a little bit more subtle that Just really keeps your legs feeling Fresh and just moves you along nicely Throughout the course of that race other Things I would say about the shoe is That it has a really nice outo I'm Impressed by the outsole and um it has Passed so far over that um 50k or so That I've done uh the outsole test for Me because I normally rip the outsole
Off of most Super Shoes I've still got Quite no issues at all with the outsole On these so far so that's a good sign um And uh I found them to be pretty Comfortable to wear over the run as well Um they also feel relatively stable uh For me they're not the most stable shoe They're still the Super Shoe that's got This sort of massive Mido in them um but They felt pretty good they're not They're not an unstable super shoe for Me so for my run tests I've done 30 plus Miles in the New Balance SC Elite V4 I Did some fast and marathon pace sessions I did a longer 90minut run with fast Intervals interspersed and a couple of Proper half marathon paced workouts as Well overall there's a lot I like about These shoes I mean I I think they look Great for a start I'm a big fan of the Cutway this kind of geometric look I Found the uppers breathable enough and I Think the initial stepping Comfort was Pretty good for these shoes not too Fussy and fiddly you know some RAC shoes Can be a bit kind of awkward and a bit Difficult to get on these you can slip Them on really nice and easy lace them Down that's all good they are a very Different proposition to the SC Elite V3 Which I really like for being Compact And Lively and in some ways more Accessible than the likes of the Alphafly or the adios Pro you could say
The V3 I think was a bit more of a Friendly sort of traditional Super Shoe In terms of the uppers the way it kind Of fit and that mid soole ride that Might have limited its all out speed but It was a shoe you could use for a wider Variety of races I thought and training Runs overall it was just a bit more Forgiving I thought now this next gen New Balance shoe has definitely moved Closer to the other Super Shoes there's Much more of an Adios Pro Vibe here to The ride to the look and the feel and in My tests I found they had a big soft Springy bouncy feel with plenty of Rebound and plenty of energy and Absolutely bucket loads of fun generally Speaking I really enjoyed the way that They moved Under Foot for my marathon Pace and faster efforts yeah out there I You know I had no problems with the ride At all I thought there was plenty going On here there's also enough cushioning To take care of you if the engine fails Which is something you know if your Engine falls out you drop off to a plug Whatever you're really struggling there Is enough here in terms of that mid so Cushing to protect you a little bit for That I didn't feel the carbon plate but That can be a good thing and for my Style I think this roering you know There quite a strong roering here adds To the sort of nice clip along as well
Now I still don't think they quite pack The punch of the alphafly 2 I haven't Tried the three yet and at times I found The stability somewhat lacking no more So than something like the adios Pro 3 But this is a shoe that I thought you Almost have to control at times you want To sort of beond focused how you're Landing with your feet beyond that for Me though they do much of what you want A Rao to do give you that extra boost When you're working hard in a fast Session One really good thing there's no Harshness here over long time on feet From the ride on the of underside of the Feet you know from the road coming up I Found there was good protection to my Legs felt less beaten up after tougher Sessions the next day sadly though all Of that kind of Falls away for me Because of that one major issue with the Heel collar where they cut quite badly Quite deeply from the very first mile That I was running in them now I wasn't Aware of too much kind of slipping with The heels but the Arc of this kind of Collar it sort of bends in and just Seems to hit my lower heel at the wrong Angle and yeah as I said it sort of drew Blood after a single Mile and try as I Might to tweak the lacing add in blister Protectors change my socks on subsequent Runs I just couldn't prevent it and it Was threatening to happen on both heels
Too so that sort of suggests to me that It's more of a problem with the shoe Than it is with the way I was lacing it Down now I ran through it in my tests And I'm still waiting for the hole to Heal in my um in the heel but despite Enjoying the ride for that reason it's Going to be really hard for me to Recommend these shoes now I know some Other testers have had some heel rub Issues no but not as bad as mine and Some haven't so not everyone will suffer This and if you don't I think the SC Elite V4 could be a great fun race and Tempo shoe but for me it hasn't quite Worked because of that issue so I've Done four runs in this shoe now um a Mixture of tempo and some mile reps uh Some marathon pace yesterday's run was 8 Miles with 5times 1 mile that half Marathon Pace and it's it's it's performed well Um in terms of helping me hit those Paces so it was nice and smooth um the The there's a nice Heel To Toe motion I Felt like my legs were like turning over Nicely as I was running along that was All good the Foam um the sole feels a lot firmer than The V3 it does feel um Less there's less give there there's Less squish with that firo you get more More return more Responsiveness so yeah it was good it
Wasn't it wasn't uncomfortable at all it Just wasn't that level of comfort that I Am used to with the V3 so I did Feel nice smooth I I felt now the stack Height is the same across the V3 and the V4 on paper but it does feel like like You're you're sitting a little bit Higher on top of the shoe um maybe Because of the way it's constructed You're less sitting into the shoe and More on top of it I did feel a bit more Um conscious of that and that I was Having to pay attention a bit when I was When I was running on you know uh going Off on and off curbs and things like That I was a bit more um conscious But it's it's a less easy shoe to Running than the V3 is what I'm saying But the the pace was good uh the energy Term was good it's not an aggressive um Carbon plate you're not like right up on Your toes like you can be I don't like That because I find that I my big toe really doesn't enjoy that So that was a plus for me taale of two Halves game of two halves with this shoe There's the there's the um Mido and the Outso and then the upper and the upper For me hasn't I prefer the upper on the V3 I think I've made that clear enough Now I love the upper on the V3 I prefer That Um the midso and the Outso is
Different and I guess it's just Different tastes as to whether you think That is for the better or not um so it's Potentially potentially it's going to be A bit quicker but it's just a different Feel a different kind of ride um to the [Music] V3 verdict on the SC Elite V4 is this is A fantastic Super Shoe a great Super Shoe a very bouncy shoe with a fantastic Foam in there a carbon plate one that's Going to help you protect your legs and Be really efficient and go out there and Run very fast Marathon times and set PBS And all of that is true of lots of shoes These days and that's kind of the Problem we have here with this very Saturated carbon sh Market where all Brands really have almost converged on a Quite a similar design now and they're All making brilliant shoes that stick to Kind of similar patterns of PE Foams and Plates and just means you're looking for Small differences between them I do Think you can get a slightly more Aggressive ride from other shoes Particularly the Nikes I think the VAP Fly 3 and the alphafly 3 are lighter More aggressive big old stack of foam And they give you a lot of Bounce like This sh does but they also give you that Bit more dynamism and more of an Aggressive feel for racing which I do Like then there's even things like the
Metas speed Sky Plastics which I think Is a really good shoe intering to see What happens with that line in the Future but I do think a lighter shoe a Slightly maybe more aggressive shoe than The SC Elite V4 and overall it's not Really come out and blown a load of Those other shoes out of the water like There's a lot to love here but it's a Lot of similar stuff to what we've seen Before and I don't think it's like Bettering lots of other shoes out even The adios Pro 3 the S and dorin the lead And Dophin Pro 3 it comes out and it Goes right up against them you're not Really losing anything by picking up This shoe but I don't think necessarily You're picking it up and going brilliant That's better than all those other shoes That's the one I want to get and that's What I do get with something like the Ally 3 or the Bap fly 3 and that's why I Would lean towards getting those shoes Just as more reliable racing options I Think I feel better having on at the Start of the marathon put me in a Marathon with these on at the start line I'd be delighted I'm sure I'd go and run Very well I'd be able to run to my best But I'd be happier wearing something Like the Ally 3 and when you're spending Big money like this you know just Collecting all of these shoes that'll be The one I go for over this and there be
A few others i' probably consider ahead Of it as well so yeah it's a really good Shoe from New Balance all around just One that hasn't really lit a fire under Me in the same way that some other Carbon shoes have so my verdict on the Uh New Balance SC Elite V4 I think it is A very good Super Shoe um I think the Problem comes where there are a lot of Very good Super Shoes out there at the Moment for me this is now top tier I Wouldn't have put the SC Elite V3 in as Top tier I think it was a good shoe I Just don't think I would have ever Picked it up in comparison with some of My other shoes if I'm was going to do a Race like you know going to Boston Marathon soon um I would never even Think about picking up the SC Elite V3 As a shoe that I would go for a pb4 uh p At at one of the biggest races of my Running life um but now I would go for This I think this is an option which you Could pick and you would be very very Happy with this shoe in comparison to a Lot of the other Super Shoes out there Um I probably for the price there are Super Shoes I prefer um i' definitely go For the alply 3 or the one uh over this Shoe uh for doing Marathon distance um Or or Half Marathon distance I would Probably go for the S Dophin Pro 3 which Is one of my favorite shoes of all time I think that's a very similar shoe to
This I just think it's got a little bit More to it there's a little bit more Proportion in it uh and I feel like it's Just a bit more conducive to running Faster but it's very similar to this I Think um so I would be more than happy If I had to racing this shoe uh in Boston this year I think it would be a Great shoe to do it in um but there are Still shoes that I just prefer a bit More and I think that really comes down To that propulsive feel uh slightly more Aggressive design of something like the Alpha fly 3 and ultimately that energy Return that you get from it as well Which I think this is has got a lot but I think they just shoes that just do it Better so I think it's good but for me It's still not quite there in comparison To some of my favorite Super Shoes out There so the verdict the problem that Happens for Brands when a new shoe comes Out is obviously the price of this one Is now a lot less than the price of this One now if they were both the same price On the Shelf it would be a difficult Question as to which one um to go for However given that this one is about 100 Quid cheaper than this one now if it was Me and I didn't really have them both in My cupboard and I was going to the shop To buy a pair I think I would save The100 and go for this bad boy so then It's a really mixed bag for me for these
Shoes I think there's a lot to love About the New Balance SC Elite V4 and I Can see a lot of people enjoying racing In them I think they offer most of what You look for in a good race shoot energy Protection liveliness and most of all Fun but it's hard to enjoy all of that With a hole in your heel without that Quirk I think I'd be putting these among My favorite races actually along with The vaporfly 2 the alphafly 2 the ads Prim X strung to and the first gen as Well and also the hok rocket X2 is Another shoe that I like to race in Particularly up to the half marathon are They better than those shoes well Probably not is the price offputting Absolutely particularly if you're in the UK where the price has shot up more than Outside but we seem to be getting done On price these days over here when we Roll through the next Generations of Those other shoes I wouldn't be Surprised at all to see those prices Rise and that will make this one look a Whole lot more competitive but I don't Think I'd be able to choose them above The primex strung 2 or the alply 2 based On price and performance now if going Half a size up fixes that heel color Issue for me I would be more than happy To chase Marathon PB in them though but They wouldn't be my first choice because Of that hill so my B on New Balance SC
Elite V4 is that if the New Balance Remit here was to make this a better Shoot for running longer distances or Racing longer distances and running kind Of a marathon then I do think the Changes here are welcome I think the Mids changes I think the upper changes In general as well too and what you're Getting from the out as well are real Positives here in terms of making the Elite V4 a better shoe for racing over Longer distances and I think the best Way to describe it for me is that if you Are looking for a kind of one of these Super Shoes where you know it's not Overly aggressive uh things like you Know they are fly things like C X1 which I've just tested then this is going to Feel like better suited to you something As I said like the Endorphin Pro range Where you can feel good running fast in It it feels like you're getting good Level of protection and comfort as well Too in that shoe and ultimately as I Said if you feel like you have to ease Off in places and I feel like this is an Accommodating shoe to do that and won't Work again against you now is it the Best super shoe that I've tested on kind Of race shoe I think if you look at it Other things where you know as I said I've used the hawas yellow X1 I think That is a totally different Prospect to This shoe as again that is more of that
Kind of alphafly style kind of Aggressive feel in terms of Rao if That's something you're looking for then I don't think you're going to get that In the elite V4 but if that's you know if that's too Much of a subi for you then this feels Like a better suited option it is Expensive would I personally be picking It over other Super Shoes it just Depends on what kind of I think race I'd Be doing and I think you know I'm going To be using this at London I haven't you Know I didn't you know I've been injured I haven't been able to run a marathon For a year so this would be the ideal Type of shoe for me I'd be looking at Something like this in the Endorphin Pro Range where I think that's going to give Me that faster feel but also going to be A stable shoe a shoe that I feel like as I said if I'm having you know or having To slow down or having to ease off I Need to do that any point in the race Then I feel like this is a shoe that Will allow me to do that and not make it Feel uncomfortable to do that whereas I Think there's a lot to like about the Elite V4 as I said I think if you are Looking for a super shoe a marathon shoe A step up from the Elite V3 and you Don't like that overly aggressive feel Of some other Super Shoes and Racing Shoes that are out there with carbon
Plates and I think this is a shoe worth Looking at as well okay so there have it Our multitester verdict on new B SC Elite for if you are looking for some Comparison videos with this shoe don't Worry they are on the way too in the Meantime you can check out reviews of Other super shoes that have launched in 2024 so things like the Nike Ally 3 the Puma fast R2 and the Haka cell X1 when We have videos of those all on the Channel right now as always like Subscribe hit that little bell to find Out about our latest videos and yeah We'll see you for next run test this [Music] Video