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- New Balance is launching the SuperComp Rebel v1 for faster training and the SuperComp Elite v6 for marathon race day.
- Both use Infinion cushioning and FANTOMFIT, but the Elite adds a redesigned carbon-fibre plate and weighs 24g less.
- The shoes launch in Australia at 10am Melbourne time on 4 August, priced at AUD$300 and AUD$380 respectively.
New Balance is splitting its latest speed shoes between the work and the reward. The new SuperComp Rebel v1 brings a propulsion plate and Infinion foam to everyday training, while the lighter SuperComp Elite v6 keeps its redesigned carbon-fibre plate focused on marathon day.
Arriving in Australia on 4 August, the SC Rebel will set you back AUD$300, while the carbon-plated Elite v6 climbs to AUD$380.
While both running shoes share the same foam platform and FANTOMFIT upper technology, their plates, drops, weights and intended jobs pull them in different directions, giving that extra eighty bucks a job to do come race day.
1/12SuperComp Rebel Brings a Plate to Training
- Price: AUD$300
- Weight: 222g
- Drop: 4mm
- Stack height: 40mm / 36mm
- Midsole: Infinion foam
- Plate: Precision-engineered propulsion plate
- Intended use: Daily training, tempo sessions and faster runs
- Colours: Pistachio Butter with Morel and Digital Mist with Grey Matter
Despite the familiar name, the SuperComp Rebel has dropped “FuelCell” from the title and introduced a new first-generation model built around Infinion foam and a precision-engineered propulsion plate.
Infinion is New Balance’s new cushioning foam, designed to return energy through each stride while holding up across repeated training runs. The propulsion plate sits inside the midsole and is shaped to help the shoe roll forward, giving tempo sessions and faster runs a little more assistance without turning the Rebel into a dedicated racer. That remains the Elite’s job.
New Balance hasn’t specified what material it has used for the Rebel’s plate, but we know it’s distinct from the carbon-fibre setup inside the Elite. Its shape, material and placement are instead tuned around regular training, while FANTOMFIT adds lightweight reinforcement around the midfoot and heel to keep the foot secure.
The SuperComp Rebel comes in Digital Mist with Grey Matter or Pistachio Butter with Morel, pairing muted uppers with oversized Infinion midsoles that still make the shoe look fast.
It weighs in at 222g, uses a 4mm drop and carries a full 40mm of foam beneath the heel. It’s a thick shoe, that’s for sure, but its sculpted midsole and conventional runner shape make its $300 ambitions fairly obvious. If you’re a casual runner, there are more affordable options. But if you’re chasing PBs in training, have at it.
1/14SuperComp Elite v6 Saves Carbon for Race Day
- Price: AUD$380
- Weight: 198g
- Drop: 8mm
- Stack height: 40mm / 32mm
- Midsole: Infinion foam with Energy Arc geometry
- Plate: Redesigned carbon-fibre plate
- Intended use: Marathon racing
- Colours: Fresh Air with Alkaline Green and Satsuma Orange with Digital Mist
Taking the same Infinion foam, the Elite v6 pushes it all the way to marathon racing with a redesigned carbon-fibre plate, Energy Arc midsole geometry and an ultralight mesh upper.
The Elite’s redesigned carbon-fibre plate is intended to support propulsion and running efficiency over marathon distances, giving the shoe a more specialised race-day setup than the Rebel. New Balance’s Energy Arc system pairs the plate with strategic voids in the midsole, allowing the foam and plate to compress before springing back through each stride.
Its thin mesh upper keeps weight down and allows more airflow, while FANTOMFIT provides the structure needed to stop the foot from moving around inside the shoe.
At 198g, it’s 24g lighter than the Rebel and uses a steeper 8mm drop. The SuperComp Elite v6 comes in Fresh Air with Alkaline Green or Satsuma Orange with Digital Mist, with both colourways leaning harder into the shoe’s race-day brief through bright midsoles and translucent uppers.
1/4The Athletes Who Helped Shape the Elite v6
New Balance developed the Elite v6 with input from athletes including triathlon world champion Alex Yee and American marathon record holder Emily Sisson. Yee ran his 2:06:38 personal best in the SC Elite v5 at last year’s Valencia Marathon and says the new v6 feels “even lighter and faster”.
As Emily Sisson puts it: “The innovation in this update raises the bar for race-day footwear.”
Whether you’re preparing for the City2Surf or lining up near the front of a marathon, the roles are already pretty clear. The Rebel handles the kilometres leading up to race day. The Elite is built for the day the stopwatch matters.
Both shoes launch through New Balance Australia at 10am Melbourne time on 4 August, priced from AUD$300.
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