On Cloudboom Strike Reviews

Their favourite race shoe, with every PB set in it (69:21 half, 31:36 10k); nothing else they've tried has matched it.

A rocket ship for speed work and the most comfortable shoe they've worn.

50 km of speed work made the Cloudboom Strike their favourite racer: sized a full size down, superb lockdown, breathable upper, incredible energy return, but not stable and not for heel strikers.

Score 7.45. A true super racer and the missing piece in On's range. The thick insole/midsole gives high forefoot protection without losing reactivity. It suits a push-off, forefoot style and needs good running mechanics. The thin outsole rubber will likely wear first.

A-/B+/A-. On's bounciest super shoe. One tester nearly made it his racer of the year except for the heel. Another tester loved it for a 10K but not longer. A third tester gave it an A for the bouncy, propulsive ride she'd missed since the Alphafly 1.

Much better than the Echo 3: deeper cushion, more energy return and a fun, engaging ride. It suits forefoot strikers; for him, a heel striker, it lacked a forefoot rocker and wasn't efficient enough for a marathon. Runs half a size big, poor wet grip, overpriced at $280.

On's best race shoe yet: light (<8 oz), with Helion HF cushion right under the forefoot and grippy rubber. Sizing ran long by up to a full size, and the stiff heel collar dug into one tester's Achilles, leaving it unrunnable two days later. Wear crew socks. A Vaporfly 3 costs $100 less.