Hi Nick, I’ve got the Elite 2 and had the first edition and TC previously. I’d say this is the most accurate review I’ve heard on the V2. It’s a really comfortable long run shoe at any pace, but lacks something when doing high intensity intervals. Very pleased with it, and even though it’s expensive I think I’m going to use this as more of a trainer than racer in my rotation. Thanks.
It's a pretty terrific shoe to use for a lot of training I think. Pricy for that purpose of course, but if you have it and have others to race in, it's a real treat to pull on regularly!
Took me by surprise but I found that it was quite easy to engage the plate and make it very responsive during my only interval session in them. I had labelled the RC Elite v2 as a cruiser ideal for Marathon distance and perhaps road Ultras only after my first couple of runs in them but do think that they have a lot more to offer than that. I would certainly be tempted to try then in a Half and I will test them against my only other plated shoe (the 361 Flame) over shorter distances. The 361 Flame is a great shoe that hasn't had anywhere near enough recognition. I've knocked 30 seconds off my best 5k time in them (on a rather crappy uneven surface in places) and also ran over 16 miles in the Flame around 5 to 10 seconds per mile faster than my aim pace for this autumns Marathon. Might try adding another carbon plated shoe to my rotation at some stage but not convinced that any shoe will give me much more of an edge than what I currently have. Favour the RC Elite over the Flame at Marathon distance in the dry but a close call over all other distances I would suspect. The 361 Flame is an absolute steal for around £160 yet isn't even mentioned in the same breath as the shoes from NIKE, Saucony, adidas and asics. Apart from it being a little firmer than Peba foam I would expect that the 361 almost matches the Mext% 2 in terms of performance and has the added benefits of probably being more durable + offering a £50 saving.
Fantastic review again , I really love these shoes and they are really a good all rounder for a fast paced carbon racer, and my legs are still fresh after a high tempo run 😊
I have to say I do love the colourway, I know that shouldn't be a major factor in shoe selection but great job from NB. I have the VF2 and Endorphin Pro 2 so if I did get this it would fit into the hard training session bracket and for that price I can't justify it. Maybe I'll look at it when one of those needs replacing. Great interview on The Big Run podcast btw guys, some very good insight into marathon gear and prep.. I assume the Teal Alphaflys are already ordered!
its soft, actually feels softer than my Clifton 7 . its fast shoe without feeling fast. like when i run on my marathon pace i tend to run faster because it dont feel like i am running fast when i actually I am. great for marathon and half marathon
I just grabbed a pair for a smidgen under £140, and plan to use it as a long-distance trainer. I agree with you that £210 would be too pricey for that role.
I really appreciate the review! I got the SE Pro 1 on sale for 150$ but found the plate makes it too rigid for the marathon but great for 5K-10 mile distances for me. I think the RC Elite V2 would good a great partner to the Pro for the half and marathon distance just as you suggested. Thank you!
I'll watch the full video when I get the time, but how does it feel in terms of cushioning and comfort compared to Vaporfly and Alphafly? I've got the Vaporfly but I'm tempted to get some Alphaflys just to see what they're like and for longer races or long sessions....but maybe this would be better!? Thoughts?
This is the most precise review about the rc elite v2. Well done......its a really good and fast shoe. Very good to have in a collection. Only hicup is the fit. It slips on bends and feels unstable at times. And upper locks at a very weird place on the foot like precisely on the bony part on top. Might cause a significant size problem for foot types resulting in further instability. fit is poor for the price ask.
This shoe feels great on 100% flats, anything uneven and horizontal movement in the heel occurs. Only shoe I've felt with horizontal heel movement on heel strike
Great review Nick. I'm 65 and not as fast as you, I ran a 5 mile tempo (7/7:15 pace)(in the wet no slippage) within a 9 Mile run last Saturday and felt myself not working so hard to maintain pace, the cushioning helped my ole' legs stay fresh. Like this shoe so much I purchased a 2nd pair in a different colour with a nice discount (price £178.50) (NBGIFT4YOU). I raced a 10k two weeks ago in Adidas adizero adios pro v2 and although OK and comfortable I think this shoe will suit me more over the HM. I'm not sure if runners at my pace (6:50 race pace) benefit from the carbon plate, I've not tried vapourfly.👍
That's a handy discount haha! I definitely feel like these are good for keeping your legs fresh. Interesting on the Adios Pro 2, we've not been able to test it yet, keen to see what it's like.
Tha ks for the review. One of uou lists stability as an advantage and the other says instability is an issue. How does this shoes stability compare to the vaporfly?
Looking to buy my first carbon racing shoe. Tried VF2 and its too narrow for me (alphafly probably same), endorphin pro from what i heard is a bit too stiff, so im leaning towards RC elite 2 and Metaspeed Sky. Which one do you suggest for 10k (4:30 min/km pace) or 21k (5 min/km pace)?
Both great shoes, Metaspeed is a bit firmer whereas the RC Elite is also about the cushioning. Both quick, so might depend on whether you'll like the really cushy feel of the RC. Metaspeed probably a tad more stable too.
Pretty honest review and yes a great cushion shoe. I'm a neutral runner but not sure why these shoes makes me pronate (same with RC elite 1 and TC) which will give me pain under plantar fasciitis after 15 km. Even when walking I do see a pronation which is really surprising for me. So only using my NB shoes for less than 10-12 km at a time and not using them more than twice a week. You guys have noticed any pronation issues with them?
Any reason (e.g. health) other than cost for not using carbon plated shoes for almost all training? I have been running exclusively in NB RC Elite 1 and 2, Saucony Endorphin Pro, an Nike Alphafly for the past year and love it. In case it matters: I am 50, triathlete, marathon around 3 hours/half in 1:27.
I (Nick) really don't know at this stage! Some are a bit unstable which won't be great for a lot of training especially on mixed terrains, but generally they provide a comfortable ride and you recover quickly, which is obviously good during hard training programmes. There is still part of me that thinks save them for the boost on race day, but getting great training in is also a huge plus!
@@TheRunTesters the instability has given me injury in the ankle/achilles area heading into London. That was with the endorphin pro v2. I'm now considering either the elite v2 as a softer carbon option, or another pair of 1080s as they have been a great daily trainer for me.
I have not seen any research that can prove it unhealthy to use carbon plated shoes solely. There is some talk about making the legs/feet weaker and some about stress fractures but that is not verified with quality research studies. Hard to design such studies too to find the cause-effect link with so many factors at play.
Any idea on durability/mileage for this shoe? Some are saying they should last a bit longer than the Vaporfly and Alphafly? What do you think? How many miles would you expect a 54kg runner to get out of these, the Vaporfly and the Alphafly?
I've (Nick) done 157km in the New Balance so far and no signs of wear and tear, but hard to say longer term. I've always found the Vaporfly and Alphafly to be more durable than widely reported, have one pair of Vapors with several hundred miles on them and still good for training at least. I'm a bit heavier than you too at 68kg or so, so I think you'll probably find al three reasonably long-lasting.
@@TheRunTesters perfect thanks! I can get some Alphaflys for 25% off so if you think they'd last 300 miles or so for largely speed endurance training I may opt for them instead..... But those RC Elite V2s do look 😎😎
thank you for the nice review. always to the point. i completely agree with your verdicts and feelings. i did not have the insole slipping, but i heard other reviewers complaining about it, some suggested to glue it, others to double tape it, what do you think? is it necessary? i find the shoes great for training, but if this is for training what is the TC for? :)
We haven't had any issues with the insole slipping so not sure what the best solution is for that. The RC 2 is primarily a race shoe - that midsole is probably not going to give you as many miles as you'd need for training runs. The TC is far better for training.
I had the insole slip issue for the first time on this weekends 16.25 mile long run. Looking for suggestions on what to do with this as definitely want these to be my race day shoe on October 24th. What have others who have experienced the insole slipping been doing? Can gluing it really be the best option??
@@TheRunTesters yeah loved this shoe on my first run this Sunday , a half marathon, insole of the right shoe ended up creeping back up and out the heel though, so that more than once I did have to stop and fix it. And then ended up running with no insole. :( Would love to get an opinion on how best to fix it.
Considering pairing these with my endorphin speeds for 1/2 marathon efforts and training. They are replacing my Novablast (1) that have turned out to be a bit unstable on the longer runs. Bigger runner here 190 cm and 95kg .. trying to figure out if they would work Of if I should go for something like the ride 14 or mach 4 instead
The RC Elite 2 is softer and bouncier than the Speed 2, would probably be more comfortable over the full marathon. The Speed 2 has a smoother, more stable ride, and still very fast as well. The Loch Ness course is pretty straight from my memory, so you won't have to worry about instability in terms of corners on the RC Elite 2. Enjoy the race, it's absolutely beautiful - just save some gas for the uphill at around 28km!
@@TheRunTesters . Haha. Yes Mile 19. Do you need to run in the Speed 2 for it to soften up a bit. Few people I know say it’s quite firm out of the box. I do a lot of my long and recovery runs in the Nike Invincible Run. Obviously quite soft but considering this also as it is 26 miles.
Haha that's not a bad idea, we need to update our big carbon shoe round-up soon for sure, so will try and include something like this in that. The Asics Metaspeed Sky is one non-Nike shoe that I'd (Nick) say will probably figure in the top three across all distances for me
Hi, we are all journalists who write impartial reviews for magazines and websites in the UK, and we are provided with free samples in order to do those reviews. That's the job.
