New Balance SC Elite v5 (100km review)
New Balance Supercomp Elite v5 (100km review)
I rarely see these shoes being talked about in this sub, so I thought I’d just add some insights about the shoe, especially that the shoes are going on sale left and right for these (well, at least here in SEA). I’ve reached roughly 100km in these racers, and here is my review of the SC Elite v5.
About me:
- 5ft6
- 142lbs
- everything foot striker lmao (generally midfoot striker, but I forefoot strike when running very fast and heel strike when running slower than easy)
5k - 17:55
10k - 49:44
HM- 1:57:50
M - 5:35:☠️☠️
Additional context: I’ve long been a fast runner (relatively) on shorter distances but pretty terrible when the distance goes farther than 10km. New Balance has always worked for me as a half marathon/marathon racing shoes due to how comfortable and unaggressive they are. Excluding the RC Elite v1, I have raced in the RC Elite v2, SC Elite v3, SC Elite v4, and now the SC Elite v5. I i were to quickly rank them based on my experience with them
SC Elite v5 - Propulsive, energetic, but stable enough. Firmest NB racer yet.
SC Elite v3 - Smooth Rolling and very accommodating fit. Most comfortable NB racer.
RC Elite v2 - Buttery soft midsole with tons of shock absorption. Non-existent bounce.
SC Elite v4 - Blocky and bottom heavy. Terrible ‘racing’ shoe.
Upper:
\\- New Balance went with a mesh upper again but on this iteration, it felt very… durable. It’s a lot less breathable compared to v3 and v4 (which had awesome breathability) but it now feels very sturdy and resistant to foot movement. Lockdown of the shoe is great due to the full gusset the v5 has, and this has honestly been a very big change. I got very used to New Balance making racing shoes that do not feel like racing shoes because they lean heavily on comfort. While a remnant of that remains with the roomy toebox (relative to racing shoes), this definitely feels like a clear move towards the performance side. As a result, the step in comfort of the SC Elite v5 is easily the weakest out of NB racing shoes, but also the best upper in terms of lockdown and performance.
Midsole:
\\- Year 2 of New Balance finally using non-eva midsole for its racing shoe, and I like the changes they made in this version. It feels a bit firmer compared to v4, and would daresay this is the firmest midsole from NB racing shoes yet. While I can’t necessarily say if it’s an entirely different iteration of peba-based fuelcell, this feels very energetic. Not a lot of squish, but a whole lot of give back after each push-off without bottoming out on the foam. I can’t feel the plate but I am reaping the benefits of it. It’s also weird to say as early as now, but I have a feeling this midsole will last a long time… The midsole didn’t have a break-in period, but now at 100kms, this feels near pristine— something that I cannot say for the v2 and v3, which lost the limited pop they have quite quickly.
Outsole:
\\- The outsole has a ton of rubber underfoot, and while I was initially skeptical of the semi-translucent outsole, it has performed really really well. It has gripped every surface I ran on perfectly, and was awesome when I ran on the track oval with it. I would honestly throw in the hot take that the grip is on par with PumaGrip, which is the best outsole on the market in terms of performance and durability.
Ride:
\\- The ride of these shoes feels very balanced. It deviates far away from the comfortable and smooth rolling ride experience from previous NB Racing shoes, but it also doesn’t feel as aggressive as Nike or Hoka racing shoes. It sits firmly in the middle as a hybrid of still-comfortable but now mildly aggressive racing shoes. It’s energetic, but controlled. It’s snappy, but forgiving.
Weight/ Comfort:
\\- It feels like magic how New Balance went with Mesh for the upper, more rubber on the outsole, but made the shoes 40 grams lighter. But in reality, they did it through cutting what used to be always a wide base on NB racing shoes (and on the V4 it was one uncomfy slab) into a more modern approach of racing shoes. It’s now a lot less accommodating in fit as a result.
Overall:
\\- as a terrible distance runner, the departure of New Balance from their comfort focused racing shoes into a more modern and aggressive racing shoes was something that initially scared me. But after trying it on, it remains comfortable enough for me to run in but at the same time be able to enjoy the massive reduction in weight, propulsive but controlled ride, and a seemingly very durable midsole and outsole.