Gliding into the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4s was like kickstarting a romantic relationship. We’d first met at the American brand’s flagship store on Mumbai’s hot retail street of Linking Road in Bandra. The white shoe, covered with a ‘bleached lime glo on the upper and hot mango’ accents at the base, was an instant giveaway of the sneakers’ imposing personality. Albeit a little too loud for my liking—I was more of a basic white or black dressed-up performance shoe kind-of-person—the popular trend of wearing neon kicks to offset your neutral running gear had me convinced of giving this pair a shot and choosing it from the five other colourway candidates.
The shoe’s silhouette, in itself, was also unlike the stock you see around. A wide midsole on a relatively low 30mm stack, with only a marginally tapered toe box on a 24mm stack, lent it an eye-catching geometrical structure that challenged me to dispel my notion that thinner silhouettes would grip my feet better and give me a more efficient output. While the v4’s looked bulkier than most of its ilk—and the broadness took a minute for my narrow feet to adapt to—they were extremely lightweight. Due to the elongated breadth of the shoe, however, people with slender feet had dismissed the sneakers on the internet, as being too wide. So, as first impressions go, it wouldn’t have necessarily been an instant green flag for me but if opposites do attract then I was probably on to something here.
The first date
An hour later, on the treadmill in my gym, is really when we started hitting it off. Within the first 500 metres, I was delighted at being able to web my feet out and catch a better grip with every stride, thanks to the same wide silhouette. My toes that would otherwise stick close to one another in a narrower toe box had more wiggle room, especially benefitting my big toe on the left that had grown a tad crooked, thanks to a past football injury. The fact that my feet were now evenly placed—a necessity for injury-free runs—relieved my left ankle of a nagging pain that my other shoe dates had given me.
Fifteen minutes later, between 2.8 and 3km, a new comfort set in. The upgraded FuelCell midsole foam (that’s arguably the USP of the shoe and armed with a PEBA/EVA blend to enhance cushioning, stability and responsiveness) offered an excellent buoyancy. The lack of extra padding in the shoe made it lighter to carry, while the relatively low stack compared to other shoes (not too much or too little), still felt like I was running on natural ground. The mesh casings at different touch points of the shoes were a great detail for natural ventilation. Around this stretch in my routine run is when I would most feel the effect of a sole’s padding. Some giving off heat due to a low foam and slowing down my run or being too locked in and making my feet feel stuffy. The v4’s lightness and energy were a welcome change and made the shoe’s personality that much more attractive.
At 5km, you’re pretty much gliding with a consistent bouncy return, save for a slight bother with the tongue that seemed a little flimsy in relation to the overall attention to detail in the v4’s silhouette. Depending on how well you’ve tied your laces and after covering a certain distance, the wide silhouette also tends to lose the hug with which it first envelops your feet. It’s perhaps why some slender-footed exes may have had a few complaints. But overall, for me, it was a great first date with the rush and thrill of more.
A sophomore effort
Two days later, we were back at the gym together for a shorter run and right from the onset, there was a vibrancy in my stride. My feet took to the shoes almost instantly, without having to break in again. The wide silhouette began growing on me. My pace was quicker and the responsiveness even more fulfilling because I was expecting it this time around. But as I was hitting a higher speed, a rubbing sensation occurred on the arch of my right foot. I had to slow down my run and eventually stop as it started to itch. Turns out that the shoe’s extra inner lining around the arch and my padded socks weren’t getting along too well, resulting in a shoe bite. I wouldn’t entirely blame my date for this one and dismissed it like having a bad prawn during an otherwise perfectly enjoyable experience. Although I’d secretly hoped my date would lose the added inner mesh lining even though it was a fixed part of its personality.
In it for the long haul
Once my shoe bite had healed, I was back to regularly testing the many characteristics of the Rebel v4s. I’d treated it to a light slow walk; a jog on a muddy trail; and a circuit training cardio session on the treadmill. On some days, my v4s were in a great mood and very rarely, I’d feel a few hotspots or irritations. But it pretty much matched its dating profile bio where it stated that the shoes will change the way you look at an everyday trainer. The fact that it was so accessible at Rs. 12,999 meant I was getting every bang for my buck. The bounce, return and sheer lightness of the run made it worth it even if it wasn’t always as plush as I’d hoped for it to be. And so, before our relationship got too serious, I’d begun mixing up wearing my two other running trainers with the v4s to experience a sense of diversity in my runs. But every time I wanted an ally for my 3-5km runs who guaranteed a dose of fun, I’d only hit up my New Balance Rebel v4s.
