Road Daily Trainer

New Balance Rebel 4

Name: New Balance Rebel 4
Brand: New Balance
Price: 139.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 8.4 (11 reviews)

A lightweight daily trainer with a wider, more stable platform than its predecessor, the Rebel v4 excels at easy paces and short fast efforts but draws mixed marks on fit—some find the generous upper accommodating while others flag excessive volume requiring heavy lacing.

"Snappy and actually has some flexibility" — Doctors of Running

Physical blueprint

Where this shoe sits

Weight 210 g

Heel stack 34.0 mm

Drop 6.0 mm

Cushioning Medium

Best for

Tempo & Speed5K / 10K RacingDaily Training

Pronation Neutral

Surface Road

Specifications

Weight (M9)

210g (7.4 oz)

Stack (Heel)

34.0 mm

Stack (Forefoot)

28.0 mm

Drop

6.0 mm

Midsole

FuelCell (PEBA blend)

Outsole

Rubber

Upper

Synthetic engineered mesh

Lacing

Traditional

Fit Profile

Length

True To Size

Forefoot Width

Wide

Midfoot Width

Average

Heel Width

Roomy

Lockdown

Poor

Toe Box

Roomy

Sizing

True To Size

Ride Characteristics

Cushioning

Medium

Feel

Firm Responsive

Energy Return

High

Stability

Neutral

Transition

Smooth

Bounce

Bouncy

Durability

Outsole

Above Average

Expert reviews · 7 reviewers · grouped per channel

Doctors of Running Youtube ↑

A wider-based lightweight trainer that felt stable and long-run-capable for Matt but rocked Andrea backwards into Achilles discomfort because her landing zone missed the outsole rubber.

Best for: Runners who land on the rear outsole patch — works great as a lightweight cushioned trainer; not for those who land behind the patch

source

+2 earlier reviews from Doctors of Running

Matt says the Rebel v4 and Mach 6 are both great versatile lightweight trainers — the v4 wins if you want bounce, softness and a wider accommodating fit without sidewalls.

Best for: Runners wanting a lightweight, bouncy, softer performance trainer that can do anything from easy to fast; works for wider feet and people who don't like sidewalls

30 miles tested · source

Matt says the v4 is the lighter, lower-to-the-ground, snappier option — great if you want that traditional Rebel feel and don't mind the outsole shredding.

Best for: Runners who want a closer-to-the-ground, lighter, snappier ride with more forefoot room

30 miles tested · source

EDDBUD Youtube ↘

A very light but disappointingly sponge-like ride with an upper design that just didn't work for him — sold on quickly.

Best for: Runners who want a very light, soft shoe and have a wide forefoot

source

+1 earlier review from EDDBUD

Ed says the midsole and outsole are good but the oversized, poorly implemented upper is the elephant in the room — a 9.9/12 score reflecting good foam and grip spoiled by fit problems that require aftermarket fixes.

Best for: Shorter faster efforts (track, 5K/10K pace) and easier recovery miles; not a long-run shoe

source

Kofuzi Youtube ↑

Kofuzi says the Rebel v4 has only gotten better over 100 miles — foam still feels fresh, outsole and upper are holding up well despite reduced rubber coverage, and it remains a versatile daily trainer that can handle fast pickups.

Best for: Easy runs with strides and longer easy runs; handles pace pickups well

100 miles tested · source

+1 earlier review from Kofuzi

Kofuzi says the v4 is one of the best daily trainers of 2024 but the extra width and borderline oversize fit make it less nimble for speed work — for Rebel lovers he actually recommends grabbing the discounted v3 first.

Best for: Easy daily training; top end of easy paces

source

Run Moore Youtube ↑

Steve calls the Rebel v4 a massive update he personally loves — wider and longer fit, more cushion, better support, and enough rubber this time around to fix the old durability complaints.

Best for: A do-everything neutral daily trainer for easy runs, long runs, tempo and even racing up to a marathon

10 miles tested · source

Seth James DeMoor Youtube ↗

Seth says the v4 keeps the Rebel fun factor and gets lighter with a wider, more stable base, but he personally misses the loose forefoot-striker feel and the heel flare of the v2/v3.

Best for: Tempo days and short road races (5K) for runners who want a lightweight trainer with a wider, more stable landing

source

The Ginger Runner Youtube ↑

Ethan calls the Rebel v4 a 'buy' — at $139 it delivers a SuperComp Elite-like feel without the carbon plate, excelling at shorter fast distances though the soft midsole has durability concerns for bigger runners.

Best for: Fast 10K to half marathon efforts; shorter faster distances where the low-stack cushion can shine

70 miles tested · source

The Run Testers Youtube ↑

A shoe the reviewer really liked — lightweight, stable, and more direct and snappy than the V5, offering a nice antidote to overly soft daily trainers.

Best for: Versatile lightweight daily trainer with a slightly more direct, speed-leaning feel than the V5.

source

Where it sits among similar shoes

Compared to other road daily trainer in the same lane.

Weight · lower = lighter Men's size 9

New Balance Rebel 4

210g

ASICS GT-2000 13

230g

ASICS Megablast 1

221g

ASICS Superblast 3

230g

Heel stack · higher = more cushioning mm

New Balance Rebel 4

34.0mm

ASICS GT-2000 13

36.0mm

ASICS Megablast 1

45.0mm

ASICS Superblast 3

46.0mm

Drop · higher = more heel-leaning mm

New Balance Rebel 4

6.0mm

ASICS GT-2000 13

8.0mm

ASICS Megablast 1

8.0mm

ASICS Superblast 3

8.0mm

Continue reading

Foam guide

How PEBA / Pebax foam works

Read the explainer

Similar shoes

Methodology. Specs come from manufacturer data and authoritative third-party catalogs. Reviewer verdicts are summarized from named, linked sources — never copied verbatim. We weight clinical and lab-tested sources more heavily than community commentary, but the specific weights stay internal. Never sponsored, never paid placement.

Last updated 2026-05-05