Knowing when to go hard and when to go soft is the secret to running, at least according to the new Soft Wins campaign video from Swiss brand On, made with elite athlete Hellen Obiri.
Go hard on race day and in your fast training sessions, but make sure to go soft and take it easy when you need to, and as it happens On has a new shoe to help you do just that in the Cloudsurfer Max.
This is the most cushioned shoe in On’s line-up, replacing the Cloudeclipse and sitting above the On Cloudsurfer 2, which is a lighter daily trainer that uses the same rockered midsole design.
I’ll be racking up the runs in the shoe over the next few weeks for a full review, but I took it out for a five-mile run on launch day, here are my key takeaways from that.
The Cloudsurfer Max is not as soft as you’d expect
On’s marketing around the Cloudsurfer Max suggests you’ll be stepping into a very soft shoe, but that’s not what I felt in my first run in the shoe.
The ride is firmer than most cushioned shoes — the Helion foam in the midsole is still comfortable, and does a good job of reducing the impact of running, but it’s not as pillowy as a shoe like the Saucony Hurricane 25.
This has its advantages though — the firmer base helps you to roll onto your toes and will maybe make the Cloudsurfer Max a bit more versatile and better for faster runs than many max-cushioned shoes.
The midsole rocker is smooth
I’ve been a fan of the CloudTecPhase rocker on past On shoes like the Cloudsurfer 2 and Cloudeclipse, and it works well on the Cloudsurfer Max as well.
The midsole has a series of cutouts in it that collapse into one another like dominoes to help roll you forward with each step, creating a naturally smooth ride that helps the miles tick by more easily.
This means that despite the fact the Cloudsurfer Max is not a particularly light shoe at 10.8oz in my US men’s size 9.5, it feels lighter than that on the run.
It’s not a typical max-cushioned shoe
The Max in the shoe’s name suggests it will compete with the likes of the Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 and Brooks Glycerin Max as a highly-cushioned shoe, but that’s not really what the Cloudsurfer Max is.
For one, the stack height is not as high as on those shoes at 36mm at the heel and 30mm at the forefoot — most max-cushioned shoes have stacks over 40mm.
It’s also not as soft as those shoes, or as wide as most highly-cushioned shoes, and the narrower base on the Cloudsurfer Max does give it a nimbler feel, though might reduce its stability.
The Cloudsurfer Max is a looker
On’s running shoes almost always have aesthetically-pleasing designs, and that’s certainly the case with the Cloudsurfer Max.
It’s a shoe you could happily wear for casual use, giving it a bit more versatility than most running shoes.
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