When offered the chance to run in a pair of On Cloudventure, to say I was excited is an understatement.
Having run in several models of other On shoes, I automatically had high expectations when first putting this shoe on. However, and just like all the other On models, it immediately felt very comfortable.
Whilst the padded engineered mesh upper helped create a sock like fit, at the same time this extra padding was not over the top and therefore still gave an appearance of having a fairly lightweight pair of shoes on your feet.
On numerous occasions with other trail shoes, I have had difficulty with the tongue being either too short or narrow causing a twisting movement mid run. With the Cloudventure, the tongue is slightly more wide and padded lending itself to a much more secure fit.
I was also aware (in a good way) that not only did the heel also have a good amount of padding, but was a little higher adding to a very secure fit in this part of the shoe too. To further this support and protection, the overlays come in an abundance from the base of the heel through to the midfoot and on to the toe box.
There are of course many other features within The Cloudventure such as the patented Cloudtec technology, engineered speedboard which runs throughout the entire length of the shoe and serves as both protection from any sharp objects whilst also supporting the natural rolling of the foot and cloud elements which are made from zero gravity foam.
Unlike other models these cloud elements are either completely or partially closed in so as to prevent any trail debris such as stones entering the centre of them. This doesn’t affect the cushioning or responsiveness in anyway whatsoever and if anything allows for a better push off. They are also combined with an overlay of tough sticky rubber called Missiongrip for extra traction along with zig zag channels allowing for extra traction on a variety of different surfaces.
This shoe is now in its second incarnation and the tag line of soft landing and firm take off can most definitely be applied to the feeling of running in this shoe. In fact it felt even more responsive when I upped the pace.
All in all, for me the shoe really does do what it says on the tin with superb grip and protection across a wide variety of surfaces be it mud, loose gravel and even tree roots. Even when on road sections too for which I can honestly say that I have had road shoes with less cushioning in the past.
Oh and despite the common thought that you get stones stuck in On shoes, it certainly didn’t happen to me when running in these new Cloudventure.