New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trail Review: A Carbon-Plated Trail Shoe That Finally Feels Natural

Introduction

New Balance’s first carbon-plated trail shoe, the FuelCell SuperComp Trail, arrived with plenty of promise, and a first proper trail run suggests much of it holds up. It is a race-day trail racer built around the brand’s FuelCell foam, a carbon fiber plate, and a sticky MegaGrip Light Base outsole. Straight out of the box it fits like a comfortable pair of slippers, and on a seven-mile mixed-terrain run it felt fast, stable, and surprisingly forgiving.

Who This Shoe Is For

This is a performance-driven trail shoe aimed at runners who want a responsive, snappy ride on rolling and technical trails rather than a slow plodding trainer. It suits medium to narrow foot widths best, as the upper is not the widest fitting and locks down very securely around the midfoot and heel. If your feet are wider, this may not be the shoe for you.

The shoe also suits runners who have been put off carbon-plated trail shoes in the past by an overly stiff midfoot. This one keeps a useful amount of flex, which preserves ground feel on uneven terrain.

Main Strengths

The standout feature is the midsole: a full nitrogen-infused FuelCell foam paired with New Balance’s Energy Arc carbon plate geometry, which uses strategically shaped and placed voids to increase stored energy and energy return. On the trail, the ride felt responsive and snappy without the harsh rigidity that some carbon-plated rivals suffer from. It felt closer to a TPU-plated shoe in flexibility, keeping you dialed in on technical ground.

The foam blend is slightly firmer than New Balance’s road FuelCell, which gives a stable platform when the ground turns uneven. It was one of the most stable carbon-plated trail shoes tested on mixed woodland terrain.

Fit is another highlight. The upper uses a lightweight, durable synthetic mesh with strategically placed perforations for airflow, a thin gusseted tongue that hugs the midfoot, good heel padding, and a toe protector for rocky trails. There was no foot pain or discomfort on a first run straight from the box, and no stones got trapped underfoot despite plenty of stony sections.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Sizing is the biggest warning: these size up small. The tester normally wears a UK 9.5 or 10, but needed a UK 10.5 for perfect toe length, so going up at least half a size is strongly recommended.

The 10mm heel offset is relatively high for a performance trail shoe, with a 31mm heel and 21mm forefoot stack. Runners who prefer lower offsets of 4 to 6mm may want to factor that in.

The weight comes in at 285 grams in a UK 10.5, which is reasonable for the category. At £200 in the UK, this is firmly a premium purchase, so it is worth being sure the fit and terrain match before committing.

Buying Advice

Buy this shoe if you want a carbon-plated racer for dry to mixed trail conditions, value a natural flexible ride over maximum plate stiffness, and have medium to narrow feet. It is arguably one of the best-feeling carbon-plated trail shoes available right now for that use case.

Think twice if your running is dominated by wet, muddy conditions. The measured 3.5mm lug depth is shallow, and while the MegaGrip Light Base rubber is excellent on rocky and wet-rocky surfaces, traction suffered in muddy woodland sections. A 4.5 to 5mm lug would have made the shoe far more versatile, so runners in muddy climates may want to look elsewhere.

If your trails are rocky, dry, or moderately wet, though, this is an easy recommendation and worth trying in store with the half-size-up rule in mind.

Conclusion

The New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trail delivers a rare combination: carbon-plated speed with a natural, stable, comfortable ride that does not sacrifice ground feel. Its main compromise is shallow lugs that limit muddy-condition performance. For fast running on rocky and mixed trails, it is a genuinely exciting option and an easy one to recommend within its limits.