ON Cloudsurfer - Women's Review
Our Verdict
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This Product
ON Cloudsurfer - Women's | |||||
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Awards | Best Overall Running Shoe for Women | Best Value for a Women's Road Running Shoe | Most Versatile Road Running Shoe | Best Stability-Focused Road Running Shoe | |
Price | $160.00 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $109.95 at Amazon Compare at 3 sellers | $89.95 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $140.00 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $99.98 at Dick's Sporting Goods Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | This shoe merges a chic look with improved practicality, offering a light bouncy ride construction for everyday runs | This running shoe offers the performance technology and comfort needed to be your go-to shoe, no matter your running goals | Affordable and minimally-minded, the updated Kinvara is a great everyday shoe that is suitable for a myriad of running situations | For epic versatility in a single shoe, we recommend this lightweight superstar | The structure and comfort of this shoe make it a highly recommended option for long distance runners who want a reliable road running steed |
Rating Categories | ON Cloudsurfer - Wo... | Asics Novablast 4 -... | Saucony Kinvara 15... | Hoka Mach 6 - Women's | Brooks Adrenaline G... |
Landing Comfort (30%) | |||||
Responsiveness (20%) | |||||
Stability (15%) | |||||
Upper Comfort (15%) | |||||
Weight (15%) | |||||
Traction (5%) | |||||
Specs | ON Cloudsurfer - Wo... | Asics Novablast 4 -... | Saucony Kinvara 15... | Hoka Mach 6 - Women's | Brooks Adrenaline G... |
Measured Weight | 6.46 oz | 7.36 oz | 5.44 oz | 6.27 oz | 8.21 oz |
Measured Heel Stack Height | 36 mm | 38 mm | 27 mm | 33 mm | 33 mm |
Measured Heel-to-Toe Drop | 11 mm | 8 mm | 3 mm | 7 mm | 10 mm |
Plate Type | None | None | None | None | None |
Rocker Angle | 21 deg | 22.0 deg | 25.0 deg | 24.5 deg | 26.5 deg |
Rocker Apex Location | 66.0% | 69.5% | 64.7% | 65.4% | 71.4% |
Style | Max-Cushion | Daily Trainer | Daily Trainer | Daily Trainer | Daily Trainer |
Upper | Engineered knit | Engineered knit mesh | Mesh | Creel jaqquard | Engineered air mesh |
Midsole | Helion | FF Blast Plus Eco | PWRRUN | Supercritical EVA | DNA Loft v2 |
Outsole | Rubber/exposed foam | AHAR outsole | Rubber | Rubber | Rubber |
Heel Tab Type | None | Finger loop | None | Extended heel pull | None |
Sizes Available | 5 - 11 US, regular | 5 - 12 US, regular | 5 - 12 US, regular |
5 - 11 US, regular & wide | 5 - 13 US, narrow, medium, wide & extra wide |
Our Analysis and Test Results
With a noticeable heel stack, a loaded Helion undercarriage, and CloudTec cushioning, this 11 mm drop shoe is a comfortable enough choice for daily runs.
Performance Comparison
Landing Comfort
The CloudTec midsole of the ON Cloudsurfer is soft and cushy, creating a perfect landing pad for runners seeking a maximal-adjacent running shoe. With a 36 mm heel stack and dramatic-feeling 11 mm differential, the Helion foam keeps you up, up, and away from the pavement. The cushioning rebounds nicely, allowing you to comfortably roll through your strides. It is worth noting that our last pair of ON running shoes packed out incredibly quickly and were swiftly relegated to “wear around town” shoes. Even after 50-ish miles in the Cloudsurfer, they are as comfortable and soft underfoot as they were in the beginning. Heel strikers will love how stacked the rearfoot is, as it is comprised largely of shock-absorbing foam.
Responsiveness
As is often the case with soft, plush running shoes, the Cloudsurfer is nothing to write home about when it comes to responsiveness. You can easily execute your standard tempo runs in this shoe, but its energy return is not very profound. The steep differential provides a forward rolling sensation, which propels you forward, but in a way that is dissimilar to a truly responsive shoe. If you are seeking a moderately responsive shoe that places comfort and underfoot cushion at its core, you'll love the Cloudsurfer. If you want to hear the iconic pop pop pop of a racing shoe that forces you forward, this is not going to be a match for you.
Stability
While not unsafe by any means, the Cloudsurfer falls a bit short in terms of stability. Its ultra-high stack holds your body away from the ground, and the heel lift is significant. The shoe's lateral architecture is extremely soft, which impedes its ability to hold you steady as you maneuver around turns and uneven roads. Its exposed foam and rubber outsole perform poorly on wet and gravelly roads, which is disappointing since this is a feature the manufacturer claims to have upgraded. When looking for a new daily trainer, we often consider stability as a crucial factor since many people will wear their running shoes to their HIIT workouts. While the Cloudsurfer is a decent enough daily trainer, it is not one we recommend for workout use because of its high stack and heel lift and the instability of this combo.
Upper Comfort
We'll start with the negative here since the positive attributes outweigh them. The toe box of the Cloudsurfer is a bit short, both vertically and horizontally. This isn't a dealbreaker on this otherwise very comfortable shoe, but it is something to be aware of. Aside from the slightly snug toe box space, the engineered mesh is comfortable and breathable. The chunky heel collar stays snug and comfortable while the thickly padded tongue gently cradles your upper foot. We struggled to get the lace system as locked down as we like it for speedier efforts, but this shoe has it all when viewed solely through the lens of comfort.
Weight
For a plush running shoe, the Cloudsurfer is impeccably lightweight. Weighing 6.46 ounces, it feels incredibly lightweight when worn. It's not the lightest shoe in our lineup, but it boasts one of the best comfort-to-weight ratios. The choice to leave the outsole foam exposed feels like a risk by ON, but this small attribute helps keep the weight low and proved to be surprisingly durably throughout our testing.
Traction
The Cloudsurfer is simply not it when it comes to traction. Its rubber and exposed foam outsole doesn't do the bare minimum when it comes to traction, in our opinion. This is one of the last shoes we'd recommend for runners who know they will be running in early morning dew, light rain, or any type of variable terrain.
Should You Buy the ON Cloudsurfer?
We often have a quick yes-or-no answer here, but it is not so simple when it comes to the Cloudsurfer. It is not a versatile daily trainer, in that we do not recommend it for gym use or agility training. We have other shoes in our lineup that hold up to those types of demands with ease. However, the Cloudsurfer is plenty comfortable with its foam-loaded features, making it a good choice for slower daily runs. Ultimately, you'll likely be satisfied on the basis of comfort alone if you choose to buy the Cloudsurfer, but there are more versatile shoes that we would recommend above this one.
What Other Road Running Shoes Should You Consider?
For comfortable underfoot cushion in a more technical-feeling package, we joyfully recommend the Asics Novablast 4. The Novablast is silky, comfortable, and ready for action, making it an all-around better choice for your versatile running needs. The Hoka Clifton 9 is less cushy but equally protective. The Clifton offers significantly more stability, and since it is slightly firmer, it feels a bit more capable. Lastly, the Asics Gel Kayano 31 has a truly loaded underfoot stack and scored better in every metric except weight.