On Running Cloudultra Review
On Running and their Cloudultra shoes are all-purpose trail shoes that are just as at home on gravel as they are on pavement. I spent 400 km with these shoes in the Dolomites last summer and found them to be lightweight comfortable shoes around town as well as on gravel and dirt trails.
Overview
- Material: Total Recycled Content: about 5% – Polyester: about 20% recycled Product
- Weight: 295 grams
- Size Tested: 10.5
- Drop: 10mm
- Country of Origin: Vietnam
Who is On Running?
On Running was founded by former Swiss Iron Man champion Olivier Bernhard, Caspar Coppetti, and David Allemann in 2010. Looking for ways to improve the current breed of running shoes, Olivier began to experiment with putting cut sections of garden hose on the bottom of his shoe, and thus the idea for Cloudtec was born. Thanks to CLoudtec, On Running won the “Brand New” award at ISPO 2010.
In 2012 On released their first shoes, the Cloudracer. In 2019, famed Swiss tennis player Roger Federer became a shareholder in On Running. Their popularity has risen meteorically and it seems the clouds are the limit for On Running.
What is the Cloudultra?
In On Running’s words, The Cloudultra is a versatile trail shoe made for all-terrain adventure and off-road running. I would compare the Cloudventure to a Gravel Bike. It’s fast, lightweight, and built for tackling anything from pavement to dirt and gravel trails.
Upper
The upper of the On Cloudultra is an exceptionally breathable two-layer mesh upper. There is a very thin tight-knit weave (keeps out the little stuff) overlaying the main large perforated material (letting in a ton of air). The first time I wore these shoes was on a trip to the Dolomites, where temps hit above 35 Celsius on a regular basis. My feet didn’t feel hot, not once, even with the dark green color. When I took my shoes off at the end of the day my feet were very very dirty. I had no problem with that since it meant my feet were breathing and not getting hot as a result.
The ankle collar and tongue of the On Running Cloudultra are also made of the same Two-layer mesh as the rest of the shoe. It is very similar to a neoprene booty. It hugs the foot enough that when wearing the Cloudventures around town I do not need to tie them. This tight-fit liner also helps keep debris from entering from above.
Reinforcement of the upper is handled by a lightweight TPU. The TPU wraps from toe to behind the heel making for a very uniform and sleek look. Throughout my time with these shoes, the TPU looked as good at the end as it did at the beginning.
FlipRelease
Further holding your foot in place are traditional laces and On’s FlipRelease™ system. The FlipRelease is a small plastic piece that the laces run through just below the arch of your foot above the first eyelets. It is slotted so that it can have two positions for the laces to sit in. When in the FlipRelease is in a neutral position, the shoe fits as tied. Flip the FlipRelease and the lace slides into wider slots on the Fliprelease, thus loosening the foot box ever so slightly.
Midsole Magic Part 1: Cloudtec
Cloudtec is the result of Olivier’s experimenting with garden hose pieces on the bottom of his shoes. He originally cut chunks of garden hose and then attached them to the bottom of his shoes to see how they absorbed impacts. Thus, the idea for On Running’s Cloudtec was born.
The modern version of this is hollow cores of Helion foam, called clouds, that run across the midsole. The clouds compress horizontally and vertically with each footfall. By compressing they absorb impact and reduce strain on your joints while also adapting to the wearer’s running style because they easily flex in all directions. On calls this, “running on clouds.”
Midsole Magic Part 2: Helion
The clouds in the midsole are made of a double layer of Helion foam. Helion is the result of a production process that enables the combination of rigid, stable sections with more flexible foam elements along the same molecular chains. Previously, this was only possible by combining two different materials.
What does this mean to wearers of the Cloudultra? It means the Cloudultra has medium-density cushioning that works really well with Cloudtec in holding the wearer on the trail. The trail feel was great and thanks to the combo of Helion and Cloudtec I did not feel larger sharper rocks.
Outsole
On Running uses their proprietary Missiongrip™ for the outsole. Eschewing the industry standard, Vibram is a big move that doesn’t always pay off but in this case, it has. The outsole gripped dry dirt and rock very well. Wet sections were handled all right but were not the forté of these shoes, and I do not feel they were designed for wet days regardless. The large airflow holes on the upper are a testament to that. The 4mm lugs certainly aren’t designed with mud in mind but add to the smooth ride on gravel and dirt.
The outsole is made of 8 different pods, leaving channels of exposed Helion. The toe and midfoot are made of large, lego brick-like lugs. The rest are square lugs where the base material is notched. There is adequate traction in most cases and when pushing hard on the toes the extra large lugs do a good job if gripping. Braking is handled by the smaller square legs and on most trails was adequate though I would have preferred some more of the larger lugs here.
After 300 km there was no noticeable degradation of the exposed Helion which I was definitely worried about prior to wearing the shoes. The large Tetris lugs were well and truly intact but alas some of the smaller square nubs were getting quite worn down as they are slightly smaller than the Tetris lugs.
Overview
I had seen On Running shoes around the Alps a few seasons before I had the chance to test them. As they are proudly Swiss, I most often saw them in Switzerland. Some On Shoe wearers complained about getting stones in the Cloudtec. It turns out those concerns were not well founded. In over the month I exclusively used these shoes I did not get a single stone stuck in them.
I wore them everyday for just over a month, from trails in the Dolomites to those in teh Bernese Oberland and then Chamonix.Their medium cushioning and somewhat soft flex meant there was a day or two for my feet to adjust. I am used to stiffer shoes and the support they offer but I found them to be a great lightweight trail shoe for the tamer of trails.
They also wore really well around town. I don’t have the ability, or interest, in carrying town shoes. Thanks to the stretch liner I was comfortable in the Cloudultras at dinner. I didn’t even need to tie them tightly as the liner held me in place for light strolling.
Who are the On Running Cloudultra for?
The On Running Cloudultra are for anyone looking for a soft flexing general purpose trail shoe that looks good both on the trail and off. They have great grip on dry dirt and rock and when you end up on more rugged trails than expected, the Cloudtec does a great job of protecting your feet. They are great for the hot summer months thanks to their fantastic venting.
If you are interested in picking up a Cloudultra then head on over to On Running and pick some up. Looking for more shoe reviews? Hit the Search button.
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Black Sheep Adventure sports was provided with a free pair of the On Running Cloudultra to review. This in no way affected our opinion nor the review.
