Topo Athletic Cyclone 2 Review
This week it’s Topo’s latest roomy toe box road shoe in our Topo Athletic Cyclone 2 review. The Topo Cyclone 2 is a lightweight responsive shoe designed for fast running, yet with enough cushioning to use for tempos or steady runs too. Like all Topo Athletic shoes, they have a broad rounded toe box. Designed to give your feet the room to spread on impact so that you benefit from the shock absorption, stability and spring that your own feet can provide.
The Cyclone 2 feels very light when you pick them up. The women’s weighs only 155g in a UK5 and men’s 195g in a UK8. When running in them you feel like you have no shoes on. They allow great foot function, which encourages good posture making you very light on your feet. The mesh upper is made from a tough, abrasion-resistant mesh that is also very light. The mesh is quite open and almost see-through in places. For that reason, when building up some review miles I’ve been popping on my merino socks on to keep my feet warm! The original Cyclone had very light, almost floppy heel construction. This made them feel quite loose on your heel. It didn’t cause a problem for a lot of runners but that insecurity put a few runners off. The Cyclone 2 has a layer of lightweight foam around the top of the heel cup. There is still no plastic heel cup but the foam does stiffen up the heel nicely. This means that you can get the same secure fitting heel in the Cyclone 2 as you do in all other Topo Athletic running shoes. The heel tab is swallow-tailed so it curves away from the Achilles tendon. However, the swallow tail isn’t so large that is encouraged grit to enter the shoes. The tongue has the same light padding with two little loops on it. The laces thread through these loops and hold the tongue in place. It doesn’t slip to one side or the other while running. The fit feels very secure and comfortable. It also effectively holds your foot onto the midsole. Even when cornering at speed or running quickly downhill.
Pebax
The midsole is made completely from Pebax foam. This is a light foam with a very quick rebound, which gives the shoes a bouncier feel. The midsole is 28mm in the heel and 23mm in the forefoot, giving the Cyclone 2 a 5mm drop. The soft foam and flexibility of the shoes make me unaware of the heel drop. The midsole is shaped to encourage a midfoot landing, which loads the foot to allow it to spread on impact absorbing the shock, stabilising and then springing you into your next stride. If you land heel first there is the cushioning to give a nice soft ride still. The Cyclone 2 has a mild rocker, which together with the rebound of the Pebax foam helps promote a quick cadence. This makes for a very smooth feeling shoe that feels light and fast. While still having a soft forgiving feel to the cushioning.
A lot of shoes that use Pebax for the midsole are a bit too soft. It can mean that you sink into the midsole. The rebound almost feels unnatural and instead of running you feel like you are bouncing from one foot to the other. The Topo Cyclone 2 is completely different. It feels like there is just enough Pebax foam to give you a soft, cushioned landing but you still have plenty of ground feel. The rebound is just enough to feel nice without throwing you off your stride. You feel nice and smooth and like you are running in complete control. You also feel very low to the ground, which makes the Cyclone 2 feel very agile. Ideal for a fast shoe that you want to use for short intervals of hill repetitions.
The outsole has a very thin layer of smooth but tacky rubber. This has given me complete confidence to comer at speed even in the wet. The outsole also gripped well on a tarmac hill cover in wet leaves which I often use for hill reps. This means I could relax on the run back down the hill.
The space and ground feel of the Cyclone 2 means that you can feel your feet functioning inside the shoes to help you run quickly. It gives a great feeling of running quickly compared to ‘riding a shoe’, which is the feeling that I get from other shoes with stiffer soles.
Topo Athletic recommends the Cyclone 2 for distances up to half marathon. I have happily run in them for sessions that have taken over one hour and a half with the warm up and warm down with no issues. My feeling is that if you are a quick half marathon runner then the Cyclone 2 would be a great choice. For a lot of runners the Cyclone 2 would be a great 5km/10km race shoe that is cushioned enough to be used for quick sessions, tempo runs and even some steady running. I have done about 150 miles in the Cyclone 2 and there is no sign of wear to the outsole and the cushioning has the same feeling as it did initially. It leads me to believe that the Topo Athletic Cyclone 2 will be more durable than other lightweight shoes of this type. In my experience Topo Athletic running shoes do tend to do more miles than a lot of other shoes.
In summary, if you want the benefits of a roomy toe box and low drop in a lightweight road shoe great for faster running, it’s a great option. It’s a road running shoe for those that want to ‘feel like they’re running’ and yet with the Pebax plate feeling the perfect combo of bounce and responsiveness. You have cushioning and propulsion but still feel nimble and close to the ground.
Other Considerations
Hoka Cielo Rd: Firmer than the Cyclone 2 and not as comfortable to wear for longer outings but a similarly quick feel. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-cielo-road-review/
Altra Escalante Racer: The mesh is very open and also lets the cold air in winter. The ride is much firmer than the Topo Cyclone 2. The toe box has a similar rounded shape but isn’t as broad. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-escalante-racer-review-zero-drop/
Altra Escalante: These are heavier and feel more like a lightweight trainer than the Topo Cyclone. They do have enough cushioning to be used for longer tempos but don’t feel quite as fast as the Cyclone. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-escalante-3-review/
Brooks Hyperion Max: A real rival to the Topo Cyclone 2. There is less room in the toe box and a thicker midsole. They don’t have the same ground feel but they don’t feel overly bouncy. They also have enough cushioning for you to push them upto the marathon distance. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/brooks-hyperion-max-review/
Brooks Launch: More of a fast-training shoe. Less bouncy but very smooth. There is also a GTS version which offer some anti-pronation support. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/brooks-launch-10-launch-gts-10-review/
New Balance Propel: The Pebax plate gives these a bouncy feel which takes away the feel for the ground but adds to the underfoot protection. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-fuelcell-propel-v4-review/
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