New Stability FuelCell SuperComp Pacer Introduction
When marathon data are being damaged left, proper and centre by tremendous thick racers just like the Alphafly, Vaporfly and Adios Professional, it’s a uncommon prevalence when a document is smashed by a runner carrying one thing totally different, one thing just like the SC Pacer.
The SC Pacer is 1 of three footwear within the New Stability SuperComp sequence: there’s additionally the SC Coach and the SC Elite v3 however the SC Pacer is far lighter and is designed for short-distance racing. All of them have a carbon plate and use FuelCell foam.
The SC Coach has been certainly one of my favorite coaching footwear I’ve examined this yr whereas the SC Elite v3 additionally has an extremely energetic, bouncy journey so I’ve been excited to check the SC Pacer too.
The SC Pacer competes immediately with 2 different short-distance mini tremendous footwear which have been launched earlier this yr: the Adidas Takumi Sen 8 and the Nike Streakfly. The Pacer is $30 cheaper than the Sen 8 and $10 cheaper than the Streakfly.
The SC Pacer weighs 201 g (7.1 oz) for a males’s normal measurement. It has an 8 mm drop with 25 mm within the heel, 17 mm within the forefoot and it prices $150.
New Stability FuelCell SuperComp Pacer First Impressions
I used to be conscious of the SC Pacer however the first time it made a very large impression on me and caught my consideration was when Emily Sisson broke the American girls’s document carrying an all-white prototype of it on the Chicago Marathon in October of this yr.
The explanation this was so unimaginable is as a result of the Pacer isn’t New Stability’s flagship marathon racer: the Elite v3 is. The Pacer has a thinner midsole, making it extra suited to quick races.
My first run within the Pacer was a 15 kilometre tempo run. I actually loved how gentle it felt on foot however I struggled to get my pace to marathon tempo on that run. I had been doing most of my pace work in marathon tremendous footwear so the journey of the Pacer felt much more minimal and it didn’t have the extent of propulsion that I’m used to.
Transitions felt actually easy and comparatively pure for a racer because of the versatile carbon plate. The higher felt very comfortable- a lot better than the SC Elite v3’s higher. The higher was the spotlight for me on the primary run.
New Stability FuelCell SuperComp Pacer Higher
The Pacer has an ideal higher with no flaws: it’s gentle, breathable, accommodating and it offers wonderful foot lockdown.
The comfortable mesh has massive holes on the highest of the toe field so air flow is great. I ran in heavy rain a number of occasions and the Pacer didn’t absorb a lot water whereas the massive holes within the mesh allowed the water to empty simply.
The sizing is unquestionably true to measurement with an accommodating forefoot and toe field. The match is relaxed with a coaching shoe match fairly than a racing match. You might most likely go a half measurement down if you would like a comfortable, racing match however for me, true to measurement was excellent.
The skinny, flat tongue isn’t gusseted but it surely doesn’t transfer round throughout runs. The collar is evenly padded and heel lockdown is phenomenal for me.
New Stability FuelCell SuperComp Pacer Sole Unit
The journey of the SC Pacer is the firmest of all of the FuelCell footwear that I’ve examined. Not solely is the stack peak solely 25 mm within the heel and 17 mm within the forefoot however the FuelCell foam within the Pacer appears like a firmer model than those within the Insurgent v3 and SC Elite v3. This setup leads to a cushioned journey which isn’t mushy so it’s straightforward to faucet into the Pacer’s pace.
The Pacer doesn’t have a really thick midsole so it doesn’t possess a rocker geometry to quicken transitions. As a substitute, it depends on a stiff forefoot to offer the snappiness wanted for a quick journey. It has an old-fashioned journey harking back to the New Stability traditional 1400 and 1500 fashions so in case you take pleasure in a variety of floor really feel with a responsive really feel, the Pacer will probably be proper up your alley.
Identical to its SuperComp siblings, the Pacer additionally has Power Arc know-how but it surely feels much more muted than within the Elite v3 and the Coach. The explanations for this are that the carbon plate isn’t cambered (it’s a flatter profile) and the void below its heel is far smaller/shallower so the midsole can’t splay as a lot when it’s loaded. It shops lots much less vitality so it isn’t as propulsive.
The Pacer doesn’t offer you as a lot pace help as maximalist carbon-plated racers. The carbon plate setup can’t be as aggressive as a result of the midsole is skinny so the plate has to have a flat profile. The carbon plate can also be a versatile one so it doesn’t really feel as punchy however the upside is that it offers you extra management over the shoe.
I take pleasure in utilizing the Pacer for shorter, pace runs due to how gentle it’s and the way partaking it feels. It presents one thing totally different from the common, maximalist pace footwear which I’m used to doing exercises in and it makes me really feel like I’m working tougher through the exercise which isn’t a nasty factor.
The minimal outsole has a flat profile with 2 strips of rubber on the rearfoot and 1 piece of rubber on the forefoot. In wet climate, grip isn’t nice due to the flat profile and the truth that the rubber items lie flush with the midsole foam.
There’s a variety of uncovered midsole foam on the outsole of the Pacer and it exhibits vital scuffing after only a couple runs as a result of the froth is so comfortable. This can be a shoe that was designed for race days solely and never for coaching runs.
New Stability FuelCell SuperComp Pacer Conclusions
A very powerful factor to know before you purchase the SC Pacer is that it doesn’t really feel like an excellent shoe. It received’t provide the similar pace help that an SC Elite, Metaspeed Sky, Endorphin Professional and so on. offers you as a result of its midsole isn’t as thick and its plate is versatile.
The SC Pacer has a minimalistic journey with loads of floor really feel which is a throwback to racing flats of the previous. It does nevertheless have a brand new age midsole foam so it’s much more forgiving in your toes and legs- elite runners can simply run a full marathon within the Pacer.
The truth that Emily Sisson was capable of smash the ladies’s US marathon document carrying a model of the SC Pacer is gobsmacking. I feel that she may have achieved an excellent higher time if she had worn the SC Elite v3 as a result of it presents extra vitality return and extra pace help than the Pacer.
For the typical runner like me, versatility is restricted as a result of it’s finest suited to half marathon distances or under and paces under 5 minutes per kilometre. I personally nonetheless wouldn’t do a brief race like a 5K or 10K in it as a result of I really feel that maximalist tremendous footwear supply extra propulsion than the Pacer does although the Pacer is far lighter.
The Pacer is for runners who don’t take pleasure in excessive stack tremendous footwear and preferring to be in charge of their mechanics. The Pacer presents a way more pure journey.
Of the quick distance (mini) tremendous footwear, I’d fingers down decide the SC Pacer over the Takumi Sen 8 and the Streakfly. It has the superior higher and its midsole is probably the most balanced- not too agency just like the Sen 8, not too comfortable just like the Streakfly.
