?SHOE OF THE THE MONTH?
Reviewed by Chris Mickleburgh - Sportlink
Chris says…
The On Cloudstratus is the first On shoe to have a dual layer Cloudtec system of sequential Cloud elements to cushion the impact of running at any pace. These are directly connected to each other under the heel of the shoe for a cushioned landing when hitting the ground.
This is especially good if like me you are a bit of a heel or midfoot striker. Despite this being one of the most cushioned On shoes I have tried on it still isn’t as soft a feeling as other brands out there. I did like how the toe box of the Stratus, which like the Swift, is nice and wide and doesn’t constrict the foot at all even when it gets hot and my foot expands. The forefoot has a nice firm push off so you can pick up the pace if you wanted to.
The transition from the dual layer of clouds at the back to the single layer at the front is smooth and almost feels like you are being helped to get up onto your toes. The speedboard in the shoe has a lot to do with this as it helps to encourage you to move naturally through your gait cycle. Having been suffering recently with a sore Achilles I found the heel to toe drop of 8mm more forgiving than the slightly smaller drop of the Cloudflyer and Cloudsurfer which I use a lot. The external TPU heel-counter along with the rippled insole which fires up proprioceptors give great stability, meaning it is appropriate for both neutral runners, and over-pronators. In my opinion there aren’t many shoes that can give such a responsive feel whilst providing so much cushioning. I currently have a lot of shoes on the go but there is definitely space for this pair.