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I’ve now had a chance to run in every On Running carbon plate shoe since the very first model and to say they have leaped ahead by light years with this shoe is not an understatement. The On Cloudboom Strike is very on par with what other brands are doing for a top end race shoe.
Helen Obiri won the Boston Marathon in her On Running carbon fiber shoes and really started to get tongues wagging about this brand in a whole new way. No doubt SHE did the work, but as elites have said lately “I wouldn’t consider racing without carbon plated shoes”.
Over the last 11+ years, I have run in a bunch of On Cloud shoes and always come away with the feeling that what they labeled as “cushioned” was not. That’s changed with the Cloudmonster and again with the new shape of the Cloudsurfer.
They have moved in to a new era of foam and personally, I’m on board! After 5 different speed workouts in these shoes ranging from my mile pace to a marathon goal pace, I’m ready to share some thoughts!
The Cloudboom Strike has a very different feel from the previous Cloudboom Echo 3, which was much firmer and lower stack.
As you know I’m always honest in my running shoe reviews with what I like, dislike and what might work for you that wasn’t a fit for me! Which is why, in the past, when someone asked about On Running shoes I always said I think they’re good, but their everyday run shoes didn’t feel great to my foot.
I’ve got a number of On’s in my rotation now, but let’s talk specifically about who is going to love this.
On Cloudboom Strike Details
In November of 2020, I did my first review of the On Cloudboom, their first carbon fiber shoe. It wasn’t a glowing review and I didn’t even have many carbon fiber shoes to compare it too! At that time carbon fiber was a more minimal shoe and the fit was so tight, I knew I couldn’t wear them for more than a track workout.
As noted above, the game has changed and On is here for it!
The On Cloudboom Strike is fun and light and did I say fun?
This is probably in part due to the removeable insert that you might have seen flashed around. It’s a big deal for a few reasons. One is that this “bounceboard” provides that soft bouncy cushion that makes the shoe feel so good over long distances.
The Helion foam here actually gives you a couple more MM of cushion, which if it where in the outsole would break racing regulations (only really a concern for elites or those winning). Ahhh tricky indeed.
The goal of all this foam?
It’s to help reduce leg fatigue. That’s also where the carbon plate comes in to play. The goal is to consistently find ways to reduce energy output and increase energy return. The things that allow you to move forward efficiently for longer.
I could feel the little geometry design that helped roll me forward, along with the spoon shaped carbon plate, which they call a Speedboard. It’s fun to have a shoe with bounce, especially when testing out 5K paces that I haven’t worked on in awhile.
As good as it felt on my faster speed, I was really impressed with how my legs felt when doing longer miles at my goal marathon pace (don’t get any ideas, I haven’t signed up!). I didn’t have any issue with the stack height or feeling unstable, just my feet and legs feeling light.
On Cloudboom Strike Specs
It’s obvious they massively increased cushion in this upgrade from the Echo, which I felt was a fairly firm shoe. They use Helion™ HF hyperfoam which in their terms is a combination of soft and firm to get you the best feeling and energy.
In other words, their superfoam is the best. Until you ask a different brand about their foam.
- Heel Drop: 4 mm
- Weight: 7.7 oz men’s and 6.8 oz women’s
- Stack Height: 39.5mm
- Carbon fiber neutral shoe
- Available in 2 colors
- Not available in wide
- Available at On Running for $280
I also really love that they dropped to a 4mm on this shoe. I think that’s another reason it felt so good and with the stack height, it feels more stable when the drop is lower.
Quick Take
Too many words happening here, no worries let’s take a high level look at what we like and dislike!
Pros
- Great cushion and slight forward roll
- Handles a variety of paces
- Plenty of cushion and stability for longer races
- Aligns with other fast road racing shoes
Cons
- Looser in the midfoot
- Hard to lock in the heel
- Super long laces
No worries about rocks getting stuck with the new design of their outsole. That grove is very shallow and doesn’t provide enough space like the older models. You’ll also notice a light rubber on almost the entire sole, which we don’t always see with supershoes. It’s not much grip, but should be enough for most rainy situations.
On Cloudboom Strike Fit
In general, On Running shoes are a little more narrow than some brands, but this shoe seems to defy that. Instead, it’s almost like the Cloudmonster 2 which was almost a sloppy fit.
Length wise these are very true to size, I wore an 11 which is what I always wear in On and most other brands.
Width wise they have more room in the midfoot. It’s not a wide toe box, but my feet felt like I had plenty of room and space above my toes. Occasionally in racing shoes that area can feel really tight.
Because there was no back lacing hole, I did struggle with getting the heel to feel locked in.
While I could adjust the laces across the mid-foot to feel more secure, if I got them too tight at the top then it cut in my ankle…so it was a weird balance.
Interestingly, I have struggled with other shoes like the Hoka Rocket X2 where there is no heel padding. But in all the miles I tried with these, I didn’t notice any rubbing. Again, that could be because I couldn’t get them too locked in either.
Regardless, it was a win and I was happy to keep running in them!
I did not end up with any kind of heel blisters from my foot pulling out of the shoe, but my longest run was 10 miles in them. So before a longer race, I’d likely take them out for at least 16 to make sure it was good.
Also, speaking of laces, they were insane. Ridiculously long and I struggled to keep them tied. I would double knot and then shove them under other laces.
Arch Support
While many of the other super shoes I tested had an almost forced arch support feeling, I didn’t notice that with these shoes. Others would say there’s a benefit to having that, but it simply made these quite a bit more comfortable from the first step.
Upper and Tongue
The upper is super thin and light, but doesn’t feel hard or stiff like a number of other super shoes. I still felt like it was a little hard to get the shoe on, which again is fairly common.
The tongue is very thin and both are designed to reduce water absorption (aka sweat). This means it’s going to help your feet remain cool over the long miles and should help prevent blisters.
The tongue is super thin, which has been dicey in a lot of shoes. but they made a really smart choice to cut the tongue way down, so there’s no chance it’s going to cut in to your ankle.
Who is it Good For?
Who is the Cloudboom Strike a good fit for, let’s break it down by some common categories:
- Wide Feet: Will fit better than many other carbon plated shoes
- Heavier Runners: Could work, we like the Skyward X better
- Long Runs: Will work well up to the Marathon
- Front of the Pack: Faster runners will see a lot of gains out of this shoe
Similar Shoes to the On Cloudboom Strike
One of the best ways for me often to figure out if a shoe is something I will like is to compare it to something similar. Or perhaps you already know you like another brand and want something similar.
On Cloudboom Strike Vs Echo 3
Honestly, these feel like two entirely different shoes. I’m not sure I’d call this a replacement other than the Strike is the better and newer option.
A look at past versions of On carbon plated shoes. You can see how the pods have changed and the stack height has increased. The far outside is the original Echo from 2020 and the middle is the more recent Echo 3.
As you can see the stack height is much lower, the cushion much lower and the shoe actual fit more narrow than the new Strike. Some folks might prefer the firmer feel, but the data really seems to be pointing to the benefit of the combination of the cushion and the plate.
All right I hope this On Cloudboom Strike review gave you some info to help you make a shoe decision! If there’s more you want to see in a review let me know!
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