Article by Michael Ellenberger
On Cloudboom Strike ($280/ 290EUR)
Introduction
The Cloudboom Strike is road racing and marathon supershoe that, quite unlike prior ON racers which tended to be firm (if responsive) and lower stack, goes all in on cushion (especially at the forefoot where we see an increase of 7.5mm) and bounce. Featuring a drop in midsole that eliminates the sockliner and conventional lasting board, the Strike effectively gets more energy returning cushion stack height than competitors yet remains within World Athletics standards.
Pros:
Bouncy and light - you don’t need to be a running shoe reviewer to put these on and think wow!
Drop in midsole give it more cushion than competitors yet within World Athletics limits
Lighter and more stack than Echo 3: 11g lighter and with 1.5mm more heel and 7.5mm more forefoot height
Cons:
Most comparable shoes
Metaspeed Sky Edge and Sky Paris
Nike Vaporfly 3
Adios Pro 3 and 4
Stats
Approx. Weight: men's 7.4 oz / 210g
Sample Weight: men’s 7.18oz / 203g US8.5
Prior Version Weight: men’s 7.55 oz / 214g (US8.5)
Stack Height: men’s 39.5 mm heel / 35.5 mm forefoot ( 4mm drop spec)
Prior: 38 mm heel 28mm forefoot 10mm drop
Platform Width: 70 mm (contact) 80 (full) heel / 65 mm midfoot / 110 mm forefoot
Tester Profile
Michael is a patent attorney and graduate of Northwestern University Law School. Prior to law school, he competed collegiately at Washington University in St. Louis (10,000m PR of 30:21). Michael’s PRs include a 67:43 half-marathon (Chicago Half-Marathon) and a 2:21:19 marathon PR at the 2023 Grandma’s Marathon. Michael continues to race on the roads, and is chasing a sub-2:20 marathon and potential OTQ in the future.
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
Michael: Sam sent me his pair of the Cloudboom Strike (herein, “Strike”) to test, and I won’t lie - I had my head in the sand about these, and knew almost nothing about them. I’ve seen them on the feet of top athletes from watching professional competition, but I didn’t know anything about their availability, let alone their stats - so I was excited to come into this test very nearly blind. And, I was not disappointed.
The Strike is bouncy and fun - by far my favorite On racer yet - and I’m excited to talk more about them.
First, let’s talk about the upper. This is the not Lightstrike (LS) version, though that review may be forthcoming here soon (sssh!), but I will note - this isn’t the easiest shoe to get into, either. It’s not quite Alphafly v1/v2 levels of difficulty, but allocate a few minutes of time before you need to step out the door.
Once they’re on, though, I’m a huge fan of something I’ve actually never seen before on a racing shoe - grippy laces! So grippy, in fact, that I thought Sam had spilled maple syrup on our review pair, but no - the laces are coated, in some places, in a rubberized, tacky material that helps them stay locked. Smart!
Now, once they’re on, I can speak to the fit and finish - there’s a slick pattern masking a minimal upper here, with various structural elements sublimated into the material, but no distinct overlays.
The colorway I have - red, white, blue and purple; all quite neat - makes it almost look like you’ve bled through the shoe in spots, but that’s not to say it’s a bad look.
Fit-wise, I found the midfoot and arch to be narrow (and indeed the platform at the midfoot is narrow at 65 mm), but not debilitatingly so (no blisters or hotspots, but noticeable when starting nearly every run I did), so wide-footed folks may want to look a half-size up, at least.
The length was fine in a true-to-size 8.5.
Midsole & Platform
Michael: Again, I knew nothing about this shoe before testing it, but my blind impressions on my first ten-miler were that the midsole was squishy, bouncy, light, and much more engaging at faster paces than slow. This is not a shoe I particularly like running easy in (similar to my thoughts on the Adios Pro line), because the foam is so squishy (and here, the platform so narrow) that they just feel more unstable than I’m comfortable with.
Of course, that isn’t a specific knock here, because the Strike isn’t made for running easy. It’s made for racing - and the Helion HF foam here. is seriously awesome.
Even more awesome, On is doing something I haven’t seen from other major brands, as the Helion superfoam insole/midsole that provides additional cushion above the carbon plate end there is 22mm of it above the plate at the forefoot and 14mm above the plate at the heel.
By using this approach ON eliminates the conventional lasting board and “cheap” sockliner putting energetic foam directly below the foot all the way down to the plate.
The Helion HF foam is removable and while ON has not said it is possible different densities are available for their elites as for example the Cloudstrike LS version’s ride is firmer while the stack height is listed as the same at .
Again, though, this shoe is defined by its extreme bounce - one of the best I’ve found - and I cannot stress how enjoyable it is to run once you’re hitting tempo pace or faster, and really engaging the midsole structure here. This is a far cry from the first-generation On Cloudboom of 2020 (our video thoughts here), which was low-platformed, firm, and relied entirely on its rocker geometry. With the Cloudboom Strike, On has leveled up its foam and midsole massively.
Outsole
Michael: The outsole is thin here, and most reminiscent to me of the Adios Pro line in terms of grip. That is to say - it’s better than you’d think, just by looking at it, but it’s nothing special. I’d be wary of wearing these on particularly technical courses or on wet days if there’s a lot of turning involved, but there’s nothing particularly concerning here.
I’m not sure if this should fall under outsole or midsole, but I found these to be really quite squeaky, especially when walking inside (like, from shoe-tying to the front door, or down to my treadmill). Maybe it’s that I’m often running when the rest of the house is asleep, so if you need a silent shoe, the Strike is not for you!
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Michael: I really don’t have a lot of negative things to say about the Cloudboom Strike - and, given how little I knew about them coming in (usually I read at least a spec sheet, if not the website description for a shoe), I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised. Should I be? On has been making top-tier shoes for a while now, and its athletes are some of (if not then) best marathon racers around - look at Helen Obiri’s recent track record.
But even so, I think for the “average runner,” On hasn’t quite put out a true “marathon super shoe”.. until now. As good as the Cloudboom Echo line was, we all had our doubts about its marathon prowess due to their firmer lower stack rides - I think that’s totally gone here.
The Strike is so light, so bouncy, and so propulsive that I think runners up and down the results sheet can find enjoyment (and get strong results) in it. I would recommend trying it first and seeing if it matches with your pace and footstrike - again, I had quibbles with them at slower paces - but if they do work for you, you better put in the training for that PR, because the Strike will be capable. A really fun shoe, I’m glad I got to test these.
Michael’s Score: 9.7/10
(deduction for the midfoot narrow-ness, and resulting mild instability)
😊😊😊😊😊/5 (a Blast!)
5 Comparisons
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
Metaspeed Sky Paris (RTR Review) Metaspeed Edge Paris (RTR Review)
Michael: ASICS really brought it this year, both the Sky and the Edge Paris are sensational shoes. And in a head-to-head(-to head, since I’m grouping Sky and Edge together) battle... a really, really close call. The ASICS racers and especially the Sky feel so nimble and light without the instability I noticed on the On. For a course with a lot of turns, for example, I’d strongly side with the ASICS. But most courses aren’t structured that way, and over a marathon… man, I really think this is a personal preference pick. The ASICS has a superior upper and a more comfortable fit. The On feels a little more plastic-y in the upper, but the midsole is so bouncy and exciting, and I do think it provides more energy return than the ASICS (which relies more on its geometry and plate, rather than the foam). Try them all?!
Vaporfly 3 (RTR Review)
Michael: The Vaporfly is the no-brainer competitor here - two flagship offerings from top brands, and both pitching lightweight, next-generation foams. It’s a close call! I think the Vaporfly is a little sharper (you can feel the plate more) and more aggressive, and I’d prefer it to the Strike in shorter races. At 13.1 or 26.2… it’s really close! I’d probably take the On for a full marathon over the Vaporfly due to its hyper-soft foam.
Alphafly 3 (RTR Review)
Michael: The Alphafly 3 has become my go-to marathon (and, overall racing) shoe. I absolutely love the never-slow-down geometry - the Vaporfly feels more peppy, yes, but the way you’re just constantly being propelled in the Alphalfy feels, well, like cheating! It’s a great shoe for my foot and strike. But, that’s not to say this is an easy choice - I actually prefer the slightly-softer portfolio on the On here, and think it manages to give you that forward propulsion without feeling so… mechanical? I have to think your legs will come away feeling better after a hard effort in the On than in the Alpha (in fact, in my case this was exactly true), though there’s a little less edge to the Cloudboom Strike… it’s a close call, much closer than I had expected. I think I prefer the Alphafly, (my marathon times in the low 2:20’s) but really - you can’t go wrong. Two deluxe shoes.
Adidas Adios Pro 3 (RTR Review)
Michael: The Adios Pro 3 is so good (actually, let me stop myself for a second and just acknowledge that there are a lot of excellent racers out there from nearly ever major brand, and besides the monetary cost to that, it really is a good thing, eh?) - and that makes this, too, a close call. But, after evaluating and running both, I actually think the On excels because it’s so similar to the Adidas, with improvements in nearly all ways. The On smooths out a somewhat erratic (if fast!) Adios Pro ride, making it more manageable and more efficient. Neither upper is perfect, but the On has a better fit and the laces add measurable value to the shoe. You absolutely can’t go wrong with the AP3 - but I think I’m taking the Strike!
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