On Cloudsurfer Review
This week we’re featuring arguably one of the biggest growing brands in both the running shoe (and fashion shoe) space. It’s our On Cloudsurfer review. The Cloudsurfer was the first running shoe that On made. This seventh version of the Cloudsurfer, which has just recently come into stock at Northern Runner in Newcastle is very different to the original shoe. Northern Runner was the first retailer in the UK to sell the original Cloudsurfer in its distinctive black and green colourway. The ‘clouds’ on the bottom of the shoes provided the cushioning and worked independent to each other giving a bespoke level of cushioning and some proprioception. The clouds were attached to a thin nylon plate called the ‘Speed Board’. This supplied the spring. The On Cloudsurfer had a unique and different ride to anything else on the market at the time.
The original Cloudsurfer was designed to be a bit of an all-rounder. It had a high level of cushioning that allowed you to use the shoes for your everyday miles, yet the speed board responded well to the increase in pace, which meant you could enjoy running fast in them too.
The latest Cloudsurfer we reviewed focuses on comfort and protection, so the ride doesn’t have the same ‘spring’ as the original. What replaces the spring is the increasingly popular softer ‘running on pillows’ feel.
The upper is designed around comfort and the tongue and heel cup have a lot of soft padding. The two-layer open mesh upper is very soft and pliable. There are tapes that the laces thread through that are attached at the base of the shoe to help pull the upper into your foot. This allows it to hug your foot shape. The heel cup is much softer than on other On running shoes, which means the heel cup also moulds to the shape of your heel. The forefoot section of the upper has a good level of volume, which allows for a straight big toe line that gives your toes the room to spread and function inside the upper. This further adds to the feeling of comfort that you have when you put the shoes on. The tongue is fully gusseted to stop it from moving around. The elastic of the gusset also pulls the upper around your foot.
The Cloudsurfer is designed as a neutral shoe and won’t suit runners with a tendency to supinate or pronate slightly. The soft upper wasn’t designed to offer structure or support. It was designed to hold the foot onto the midsole and allow it the space to function.
The upper is attached directly to a very soft midsole made from On’s ‘Helium Foam’. There is no speed board or anything else in the shoe to give any structure or rigidity. As well as being soft, the Helium foam regains its shape very quickly which gives the runner the feeling of rebound. Within the Helium foam is the ‘CloudTech Phase’. These replace the original style ‘Clouds’. In the original Cloudsurfer these where stuck to the bottom of the shoes but in the latest version the Clouds are within the midsole. The Clouds consist of oval cut-outs that go right through the midsole. They are placed at slightly different angles depending on the direction of the force elicited by the foot as it compresses the midsole when moving through the gait cycle.
Although the midsole has a good amount of rebound, this doesn’t give you a lot of propulsion. However, the outsole is curved to create a rocker like Hoka and Scott running shoes. When your foot touches the floor, the rocker keeps it moving so you don’t sink into the soft cushioning and stop making forward progress.
When chalking up review miles I can either run uphill or downhill from my front door. In my first run in the Cloudsurfer I chose to run uphill. In soft shoes I often feel like I am ‘running on the spot’ when running uphill. It can make me feel like I lift my feet more and push off less so my hamstrings and glutes feel like they work harder. In contrast, when running uphill in a firm or responsive midsole running shoe I feel like my feet spring me up the hill. To my surprise it took no longer to get to the top of the hill in the Cloudsurfer than it would normally on an easy run.
I then ran down a disused railway line that was gradually downhill. The midsole was so soft that it felt like it was bottoming out at times. I think this is just the sensation that you get as the ‘clouds’ in the midsole compress. Even when flat the midsole felt soft. What surprised me was there was some ground feel. The midsole is so soft that you can easily compress any part of it with your fingers. In my head I had this vision of bouncing down the hill going in all directions but, because the Clouds bottomed out the ride was a lot more stable than I was expecting.
Jogging along was easy and comfortable but picking up the pace I found somewhat tricky. The Cloudsurfer is not designed to run fast and win races, but do your everyday running miles, including newcomers running their first few miles.
The advantage that you get from using shoes with softer midsoles is that they reduce the impact that your body feels that allows you to recover quicker. You also don’t get the same stiffness and soreness in your legs after long runs. This is something that Chris Thompson, a British professional runner who is sponsored by On believes has allowed him to keep working hard at improving his running even though he is now 42 years old. The two-time Olympian and European silver medallist ran London Marathon at the weekend in 2hrs 11min 50 seconds.
The shape and fit of the Cloudsurfer is very similar to the On CloudGo. They both have the same straight big toe line and roomy toe box. The upper of the Cloudsurfer is lighter and softer and pulls into the foot better. The heel to forefoot drop is 10mm (32mm in the heel and 22mm in the forefoot). This could suggest that the Cloudsurfer is more suited to heel strikers but this isn’t the case. The soft midsole and curved rocker shape to the outsole makes it easy to land midfoot. The CloudGo has a similar heel to forefoot drop and it felt like the shoe was pushing me onto my tip toes when trying to run midfoot. This isn’t the case for the Cloudsurfer. You can easily land midfoot.
The Cloudsurfer is a very light shoe. The women’s UK5 weighs 205g and the men’s UK8 245g. These are the kind of weights you would expect racing shoes to be rather than everyday training shoes. The soft flexible feel to the Cloudsurfer makes it feel like there is nothing on your feet.
In summary the Cloudsurfer is a well cushioned everyday training shoe with a very soft ride and all elements have been designed to offer comfort during your regular training. The fit is roomy in the toe box that keeps the feet functioning properly and offers another aspect of comfort.
Other Considerations
New Balance 1080: These are nearly as soft. However, the upper has a bit more structure and shoes are slightly stiffer which I found made it easier to pick the pace up in these. Here is a link to our review for more information: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-fresh-foam-x-1080v12-review/
Hoka Clifton 9: Although Hoka a renowned for their soft midsoles the Clifton 9 despite being soft has a very springy feel. So, they didn’t feel like I was sinking into the midsole as much as other soft shoes. Here is a link to our review for more information: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-clifton-9-review/
361 Centauri: Although these are soft the midsole didn’t feel as deep so I didn’t feel like I was sinking into the midsole of the shoes. Here is a link to our review for more information: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/361-centauri-review-361-centauri/
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