ON contacted me again this summer and asked if I’d be willing to try out a few of their newer models. They sent pairs of the ON The Cloud, and the ON Cloudsurfer. I’ve now put miles on both, and am going to start by reviewing the Cloud (just going to refer to it as Cloud since saying the The Cloud sounds silly…) since I prefer it over the Cloudsurfer. (Disclosure: these shoes were review samples and were provided free of charge by the manufacturer).

Specs

Per Running Warehouse, the Cloud weighs in at 7.4oz in men’s size 9. Stack height is reported at 24mm heel, 15mm forefoot (9mm drop). In contrast, ON reports drop at 6mm.

Sole and Ride

ON’s trademark is the podded sole design seen on all of their shoes. Basically, these consist of squarish rubber pods that are hollow in the middle. The pods compress on contact to provide cushioning – the bigger the hollow, the more cushioning provided.

The Cloud differs from other ON shoes in that the sole pods are built from the midsole rather than the rubber outsole – in other words, they are hollowed out foam and the pillars supporting the pods are thicker, so they don’t compress as much. This gives the shoes a more responsive feel from heel to toe than the other ON shoes I have tried. For me, this was actually a welcome surprise as they have a racing-flat feel on the road (though more flexible), and they felt great when picking up the pace. I’ve actually had fun running in this shoe, and at 7.4oz they are and 1.5 oz lighter than ON’s actual racing shoe. I think the weight reduction is largely due to the lack of heavier rubber pods on this shoe.

The drawback of the firm-feeling sole of the Cloud is that I’m not sure I’d choose this shoe for long distances. I tend to prefer more cushion for double-digit miles. But if a firm, flexible shoe sounds like a good match for your stride, they could certainly work for that purpose.

One last thing about the sole, and this is a negative – the podded design is really good at picking up road debris. I’ve had to stop to pull acorns out of the sole on many occasions (acorn production is out of control this year where I live!), and I wouldn’t go anywhere near a trail in these for fear of what they might pick up. They’re a lot like the Nike Free shoes in this regard – you will occasionally have to stop to pull junk from the sole.

Upper and Fit

When I first saw photos of the Cloud I felt that it looked more like a causal, fashion shoe than a running shoe. When they arrived this feeling was further enhanced by the fact that they come with thin, elasticized laces that allow for easy on/off but do not allow for tightening (see photo at left). The elasticized laces don’t even utilize the bottom two lace loops, and I didn’t feel that the fit was secure enough with them for running purposes. Fortunately ON includes standard laces in the box, and I immediately swapped them onto the shoes.

The upper of the Cloud has a very casual look to it. Although they run like a racing shoe, they do look like a fashion shoe, and that’s not a great match. This is not a flashy shoe that will make you feel fast. Conversely, they are subdued enough that you can wear them casually around town and not look like you’re about to run a 5K.

The upper mesh over the forefoot is fairly thick and feels very durable, and toward the back of the shoe the upper has a canvas-like feel. There is minimal internal structure to the upper, and it almost has a slipper-like feel to it. Pretty comfortable shoe.

Regarding fit, this is not a roomy shoe. The forefoot width is adequate for my foot, but there’s not a huge amount of room for toe wiggle. Those with wide feet should look elsewhere, but if you like a racing flat feel these should be fine on an average width foot. I’ve been wearing them casually quite a bit and they feel fine for all-day wear.

Conclusions

The Cloud is a bit of an odd shoe. It looks like a fashion shoe but runs like a racing flat. I love the ride, especially when picking up the pace, but would like a bit more flash for a speed shoe. However, they are conservative enough in appearance that you can wear them out and about and not look like you’re wearing a running shoe. I’d recommend these for someone who likes a firm, flexible feel with a low-key aesthetic (with a average to narrow-width foot). The Cloud is solid offering from ON.

The ON The Cloud is available for purchase at Running Warehouse and Zappos. Purchases made via these links provide a small commission to Runblogger and help to support the production of reviews like this one – thanks!

When I first saw the On Running cloud shoes my immediate gut response was that they were a total gimmick. On is a new company out of Switzerland, and like most shoe companies they incorporate a featured “technology” in their shoes (think Gel, Wave Plates, forefoot lugs, DNA, etc.). In the case of On, the technology consists of rubber pods on the sole that they refer to as “clouds.” The clouds collapse flat on contact, providing cushioning, and then once compressed they have little ridges that lock together to provide a firm base for push-off. At least that’s the idea.

I actually put off accepting a review pair of the On shoes for quite a long time because I wasn’t certain that they’d be a shoe that I’d like to run in. But, after hearing from a few readers that they liked the shoes, I decided to accept a pair of the On Cloudracers for a trial (disclosure: the shoes reviewed here were media samples provided by the manufacturer). So how well do they actually perform? Are the cloud pods a revolutionary technology that will forever change the running footwear landscape?

Of all of the On shoes, the Cloudracers are the most minimal, and would be classified as their racing flat. They are 6mm drop according to Running Warehouse (24mm heel:18mm forefoot), and weigh in at about 10oz in my size 10.5’s. The weight is an issue for a racing flat – in a market where most flats weigh in at 6oz or less, the Cloudracers are downright heavy. On likes to tout research conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology which apparently shows that subjects running in On shoes have a lower heart rate and lower lactate levels. I’d be interested to see the study since I’d like to know what shoe they were compared to – it has been repeatedly shown in the scientific literature that about a 3oz increase in shoe weight reduces running economy by 1%, and most competitor shoes to the Cloudracer weight at least 3 oz less, and in some cases as much as 6 oz less.

The weight of the of the Cloudracers is almost surely a result of the outsole, which features the rubber “Cloudtec” pods (more on this in a minute). The rest of the shoe is indeed quite minimal and really pretty nice. The upper is a very breathable, barely-there mesh with minimal overlays (you can see right through the upper in the photo above). The ankle collar is lightly padded and comfortable, and I had no issues with blistering or hot spots. Internally the Cloudracers are outfitted with a 5mm cushioned insole, which is fairly thick compared to other flats. The insole curls up medially to provide arch support, which is good or bad depending on you preference. Without the insole arch support is minimal. not sure how to describe it, but I really like the construction of the tongue.

The fit of the Cloudracers is fairly snug – you can tell from a top view of the shoe that like most flats, it’s not built on an anatomical last. That being said, I don’t find them constrictive and they’re fairly comparable to a Saucony Kinvara in terms of forefoot width. I did order a half size up in the On’s, and this was probably unnecessary as they fit a bit long on me. If you are considering them, order your usual size.

The sole of the On shoes is clearly the main selling point, and it’s what they’re marketing hard. As mentioned above, the idea behind the cloud pods is that they compress on contact, and once compressed, provide a firm base for push-off. You’ll notice in the side-view photo above that the pods on the heel are made of thicker rubber and are larger than those on the forefoot – this is important because it really speaks to who this shoe is designed for.

On my first few runs in the Cloudracers (I’ve run in them 5-6 times now) I honestly didn’t feel like they provided particularly notable cushioning. In fact, they felt rather firm to me, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not what I was expecting. I actually enjoyed running in them, though I wasn’t blown away, and the weight of all that rubber on the sole had a lot to do with that. I think that the issue for me is that most of the time I land either flat or only mildly to the forefoot or heel. The pods on the forefoot are thin and don’t provide much cushion, so the ride felt pretty firm. If you like a firm shoe that’s great, but the shoes are advertised to feel like “clouds,” and they definitely did not feel billowy underfoot.

After a few runs in them, I decided to try to consciously emphasize a heel strike. That’s when I had the a-ha! moment. When you land with a pronounced heel strike the heel pods provide fantastic cushioning, and the transition from heel to toe is really pretty nice. But, since I have to force myself to run this way and it feels awkward, I can’t keep it up for too long.

On does have a video in which they compare a heel-strike landing in their shoes to a more traditional running shoe, and it does look like the On shoes reduce vibration in the calf muscles a bit (not sure how much to conclude from this, and I’m sure the difference depends a lot on what you choose as the comparison shoe):

My conclusion is that the technology in this shoe is really designed for a pronounced heel-toe gait – big billowy pods on the heel to cushion initial impact that give way to thin, minimally bouncy pods on the forefoot that allow for a firm push-off. Thus, if this is how you run (and upwards of 90% of runners do run this way), I think the shoes do behave as advertised and could be a good choice. However, if you’re a midfoot or forefoot striker, there are better options that weigh much less.

Even if you are a heel striker, the weight of these shoes will likely be a turnoff if you’re looking for a racing flat (even the Brooks T7, which has a pretty substantial heel lift, weighs 3-4 ounces less). Dealing with this issue will be a challenge for On since the podded sole would seem to require a heavy rubber construction. This is a big drawback to building a shoe company around a signature technology – can you make an On shoe now without the Clouds? This is very similar to the position Newton is in – can they make a shoe without the forefoot lugs or are they bound to include them in every shoe they ever produce?

Aside from the weight, the other big issue with this shoe is the price tag. At $129 MSRP a shoe needs to really blow you away to justify paying a premium, and this one just doesn’t do it for me. I can spend $40-50 less and get a pair of Saucony Grid Type A5’s that weigh a 4oz less and provide just as much cushioning under the forefoot, or a pair of Brooks T7s that have plenty of cushion under the heel. In this sense the On’s are a also lot like Newton shoes – you pay a premium for the shoes and had better be pretty convinced that they’re going to be the best thing ever to justify the cost (incidentally, Newton also preaches durability, but On states on the Cloudracer webpage that you can expect to get 4-5 marathons out of them – I suspect the upper will be the first thing to break down). Do you want to spend $129 for a shoe that may only last 100-125 miles per the manufacturer’s own webpage? Not sure I’d recommend that risk. I’d guess that other shoes in the On line will have improved durability, but that comes with increased weight and in some cases an even higher price tag.

So to conclude, the On Cloudracers are a decent shoe, and what I thought would be a gimmicky technology does seem to work pretty well with a pronounced heel-striking gait. However, they are rather heavy for a racing/speed shoe and they’re pretty expensive for a shoe that the manufacturer claims will only get you through 4-5 marathons worth of mileage.

If you are inclined to buy a pair of On Cloudracers, they are in stock at Running Warehouse.