On Cloudsurfer 2 Review - 67 Miles

My size 12's came in weighing: Left 11.0 Ounces, Right 11.1 Ounces
Sample size weight: 9.0 Ounces
Heel Stack: 37 MM
Drop: 9 MM
Upper: Engineered mesh - is made with 88% recycled polyester and boosts breathability for a soft and inviting fit
Neutral shoe
Outsole: Full-length rubber compound has also been computer-optimized by Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to increase grip and durability in a lightweight construction.
Price: $160 USD MSRP

The MSRP for the shoe is $160 dollars. 

On has a site that they will resell returned product, including running shoes.  They rate the condition of the shoe and then set a price that correlates to the rating.  This pair of shoes was purchased for $77 dollars plus shipping/tax, so around $93 out the door.  When they arrived, you could not tell they were ever worn.  

https://onward.on.com/

This is a unique way of potentially saving some dollars on running shoes. 

The shoes ran on black top, concrete, dirt, gravel, grass in mostly dry conditions with some rainy/wet surfaces (nice light rain along Connecticut river) mixed in. 

They ran in my neighborhood, Houston memorial park, Spring Creek Greenway (Houston), along 2 paved trails on the Connecticut river in Hartford and in Bluff Point park on the coast of Connecticut in Groton. 

I used this shoe on several back to back to back runs to check how the shoe recovered from usage and overall, this is a positive on the shoe.  It seems to round back into running form quickly and dry out fairly quickly (good for Houston heat/sweat). 

Laces: The laces are a nice ribbed style of lace that stayed tied during my runs, are not too puffy and look to be a durable quality lace
Tongue: The Tongue is not gusseted, but has a lace holder/strap on the tongue.  I had no issues with tongue movement during my runs, but would like to see a gusset at this price point.
Upper material: The upper is an engineered mesh that has a nice design (Especially for On Fans), is fairly breathable and a nice lock down.
Heel: The heel is nicely structured to keep the heel in place while not being to beefy or cumbersome.  I had zero issues with heel slippage, rubbing etc.
Collar: The collar is nicely padded, maybe leaning on the thicker side.  I have seen some feedback on reviews about the collar being too big, but that is not my experience with the shoe.  It provided me a nice and comfortable lock down without being to puffy.  
Toe Room: The upper design has a nice design for toe room.  I was able to flex and splay my toes during the run.  I don't think the toe box is "large", but it is accommodating. 

The Cloudsurfer 2 has a good layer of rubber outsole on the shoe.  It has provided good traction on all the surfaces I have run the shoes on.  I am seeing wear in my high wear area.  As you can see, the tread pattern is mostly gone in that area, however the layer of rubber is thick enough that I should get good life out of the outsole on this shoe.  

My only concern would be potential traction on wet surfaces without the tread pattern, but so far I have not had any issues.  Note: I ran in the rain at around 57 miles in the shoe with some of the tread worn off and I had no issues on wet black top. 

The Geometry of the shoe is a slight rocker with more of a traditional underfoot set up.  It is a configuration that works well for me on a daily trainer.  It allows for a smooth transition underfoot for my mechanics.  It aids you a bit with the slight rocker, but you do still need to do your part which is what "training" is all about. 

The foam is an EVA based foam called "Helion".  The first version of the Cloudsurfer was reported to be very soft and they have updated the formulation on the second version to be on the firmer side.  I believe the engineering philosophy here is to combine the firmer upper/lower section of the foam with the Cloudtec pods to have a shock absorption type of effect and take the energy of landing into the shoe via the pods and then ideally have those pods rebound in between the firmer platforms. 

So my question in the beginning stages of this shoe were, will the pods rebound?

What I found as my answer is.......... sometimes.  My first run of 7ish miles left me concerned that these would be too firm for longer runs and a shoe that I would keep around 6-8 miles.  After 67 miles and a 17 mile long run, what I have determined is the answer is more complicated than that.  

My training plan had a long run (15 miles or more) on the docket and I decided to use the Cloudsurfer 2 for this run so that I could accurately give feedback on it.  This long run was my second long run at the peak of my training cycle, which is normally a more relaxed effort run with some walking involved.  On my first run in the shoe, I was hitting some faster paces which my theory is, was too much for my mechanics to allow the pods to spring back on the run.  On this long run, at lower paces with walking mixed in, I noticed that I was getting a softer ride with some return.  It was a more interactive experience. 

I did a slow motion video capture at a higher pace and you can see in the pictures above, that when I put strong effort into the shoe it appears I am bottoming out the pods and at that pace I may be missing the sweet spot of the mechanics of the shoe for where the spring back happens at a speed that you can feel it under foot.  It's just a theory, but what I found over the the 67 miles is these are less firm at my easy/steady pace and walking.  When picking up the pace, the loss of response is noticeable.  

That said, this shoe can pick up the pace.  The mechanics of the shoe for me worked well for picking up the pace and if you like that firmer ride or more typical On shoe ride, these may work perfectly for you and perform exactly as you expect.   

The youtube reviews on these shoes are quite varied.  I have read/watched some that have this shoe as bad and I have read/watched some where they really like this shoe and it is in their consistent rotation with great marks.  

I can't pinpoint for sure why this shoe gets such seemingly drastic differences in opinion.  I think part of it is in personal preference and current practice.  What I mean by that is if you are a trail runner and doing a lot of trail runs currently, a firmer road shoe may be closer to your current usage mode than a softer shoe.  Trail shoes tend to be firmer to provide stability on the surface of the trails and you can be running on rocks, roots etc. which can build your experience case to more of a firmer operating style.  This may skew how a shoe feels on the road when you transition.  

I also wonder if larger runners or runners that just naturally put more force into a shoe on impact, are engaging the solid areas of the foam midsole in a way that is different from lighter runners.  

For me, the shoe performed well at higher paces but the underfoot feel was less enjoyable over the easier/steady paces, but not uncomfortable for me at all.  I tend to put force into the shoe on impact and have also been running on more trails lately.  This may be skewing my physical feedback to the shoe in a direction that works better for me "today" over someone who is running in say a Glycerin Max or New Balance More.  

Again, just a theory

First off, if you like On's design language (I do), then this shoe is a great travel shoe.  It is very comfortable underfoot to walk around in, looks nice and is also a capable running shoe.  

Taking out the "lifestyle" aspect, I would use this shoe for easy/steady pace daily miles.  If I am doing speed work or fartlek runs, I will probably lean towards a different shoe. 

If I had to rate this shoe it is probably a 3.5, but I don't have that option in the stars.  My problem with rating this shoe is the MSRP and the other options available at that range.

Salomon Aero Glide 3: Same MSRP of $160 - Is just a superior overall shoe https://www.weeviews.com/reviews/4037/salomon-aero-glide-3-23636

Mount to Coast R1R: Same MSRP of $160 - is showing better wear, better on long runs, very comfortable overall and a shoe I would pick over the CloudSurfer 2 at MSRP: https://www.weeviews.com/reviews/3968/mount-to-coast-r1r

Mizuno Neo Zen: MSRP $150, so 10 bucks cheaper and is a superior overall shoe: https://www.weeviews.com/reviews/4021/neo-zen

Adidas Adizero EVO SL: MSRP $150, so 10 bucks cheaper and is a superior overall shoe: https://www.weeviews.com/reviews/3888/adidas-adizero-evo-sl

Topo Phantom 4: MSRP $150, 10 bucks cheaper and probably a shoe that has more of a specific audience like On shoes: https://www.weeviews.com/reviews/4066/phantom-4

Saucony Ride 18: MSRP $145, is an equal shoe but at 15 bucks less: https://www.weeviews.com/reviews/4117/saucony-ride-18

The caveat to the above, is we got this shoe for basically $93 bucks.  At that price, it changes the dynamic of comparison because it is a significant cost difference.  

I think On has a good framework for a shoe that could make a mark, but they have to figure out the midsole situation.  It's already a good shoe, but I feel like there are other shoes in the market that are just further ahead in their evolution for responsiveness at this point in time.  That doesn't make the shoe bad at all, it's a shoe I will continue to use.  However, if they get the midsole figured out to be a more dynamic feedback experience underfoot, I think they can do some damage. 

Let me know if this shoe works for you and why you think it is working for you.