The On Cloudstratus Review: A Week of Testing

Anyone who has known me for the past two years or so will know I love trying and wearing On’s running shoes.  Earlier this year, On released the Cloudswift, their first shoe made with their own Helion superfoam and now On has made their second new release shoe available, the On Cloudstratus. 

Cloudtec pockets in action

  When you look at the Cloudstratus from the side, the double layer of Cloudtec pockets look like they are designed specifically for heel striking runners like myself.  However, if you were to watch any of On’s videos, you’ll notice that every one of their model athletes are mid-foot strikers.  So these shoes are good for either type.  The Cloudstratus’ pockets will provide support and comfort no matter how you run. 

 The Cloudstratus combines features from other models of On’s shoes and makes them its own.  The Cloudstratus is also the first shoe to have a dual layer of Cloudtec pockets.  When I first heard about On doubling the Cloudtec pockets, I immediately thought of the razor business where shaving companies would add layers of blades “for the closest shave ever.”  It did sound a little gimmicky, but the thought of having two layers of Cloudtec pockets beneath my feet sounded great with comfort and cushioning.

  So on 20 June, I ordered a pair of the On Cloudstratus.

  I have worn these shoes every day since I received them in the mail.  I’ve done several runs and even a four mile race in the Cloudstratus.  I wore them every day at work, and considering I work in a seven story building and I have to be on my feet for the majority of the day, I think I broke them in for my running.

The Cloudstratus is built for medium to long runs on road-like surfaces. Besides the double layer of Cloudtec pockets made with On’s Helion superfoam, the Cloudstratus also has a speedboard built in it, uses a modified version of the On Cloudflyer’s star lacing pattern system, features an asymmetric front and back, has a ribbed insole, and oen of the more breatheable uppers I’ve seen for a running shoe.

  In an unusual move for On, the Cloudstratus has an 8mm drop. I’m used to On shoes having a 6mm drop, with the Cloudswift going with a 7mm drop instead.  I don’t think one or two millimeters will matter, but eventually they add up, so hopefully On doesn’t go any higher on the drop distance.

  The Cloudstratus is the heaviest of all the On shoes I own.  I don’t have a weight for the Cloudace shoes that I tested when I did a demo run with Fleet Feet, but my US men’s size 10 Cloudstratus shoes weigh 11.7 ounces or 337 grams each.  My Cloudswift are in second in terms of weight with each shoe weighing 10.75 ounces.  Compared to my Cloudflyer at 9.5 ounces and my On Cloud at 8.6 ounces, it would seem the Helion feature allows for more substance to be added, thus increasing the weight of the shoe.

  Back to the dual layer pockets, On’s Helion foam is supposed to be light, yet durable.  I can easily say that the Cloudtec pockets are doing their job with collapsing and bouncing back.  But on my second run, I did notice little cracks or creases forming on the underside of my shoes. I fully intend on keeping an eye on that area to see if anything happens. Also, I already sent a message to On’s customer service along with the picture you see here. 

  The On Cloudstratus has a speedboard built into it, just like the Cloudswift and most other models from On. The speedboard acts very similarly to the spring board found in the Nike Vaporfly 4%, but the Cloudstratus is less expensive and a good alternative for that.  The speedboard is supposed to help propel you forward so you use less energy with each push off the foot.  It may be the hype, but I did feel a little more spring in my step when I sprinted in these shoes.

  On made the front and back in an asymmetric pattern so that the shoe would be more fit to the foot and to keep the foot more stable as you run.  The star lacing pattern that I love on the On Cloudflyer makes its return here, but in that aforementioned asymmetric design.

The back of the asymmetric shoes have a hardened ridge that helps keep the ankle and back of the foot upright and where it needs to be. 

The insole has a special ribbing where the arch of the heel meets the shoe.  On touts that this feature helps with proprioception, the act of improving sensory feedback and aiding the body in know where it is in space.  All I know is that I feel better with the ribbing there because it grips my sock and keeps my feet from sliding about.

As for the actual running, here is how they went. 

  The initial test run felt great.  The back part of the shoes cushioned my feet so well, I thought these shoes were better than the Cloudflyer.  The front felt alright; it was still cushioned, but not as much as the back.  That was a 2 mile run. 

  The second run I did, I ran a little faster, and had a sprint session towards the end.  This was also a 2 mile run.  The back area still felt great, but this time the front felt a little more cushioned.  Maybe it’s because I kept breaking in my shoes by wearing them to work and walking around all, but the front was a lot better the second time around.  The sprinting felt a little faster, too, and either that’s me believing the speedboard helped or the speedboard actually helping. I did notice the creases at this point, though.

  The third run I did was a slow 1 miler in order to get my dog ready for an upcoming 5k race at the end of July.  I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with the shoes while I was running at a much slower pace.

The fourth and final run I did the Born in the USA 4 Miler.  This race had hills, people as slow-down obstacles, a few water stops, and a downhill sprint.  I started a steady pace, but would have to slow down and then speed up as I passed groups of people.  I stopped during the water breaks, mostly because of the humidity.  But after trudging up the hills and enjoying the downhills, I finished the race and I can easily say that the Cloudstratus performed better than expected.  I did look at the bottoms of my shoes afterwards and the cracks are a little bigger than before.  Again, this is something I need to have On address.  So far, they don’t look like they are hampering my performance, but still it’s something I am going to keep a close eye on.

The Cloudswift with a hole

One other issue that is a concern for me isn’t from the Cloudstratus, but from the Cloudswift.  I bought the Cloudswift three months ago, and a UK Youtuber, Chris Ford of “Fordy Runs” noticed that his pair developed a few holes in the heel area.  Several people commented on his video and in other social media platforms.  I took a look at my shoes and saw the holes forming on the inside of my shoes as well.  This is something I’m not used to.  My old On Clouds and my Cloudflyer never developed fabric tears like my Cloudswift.

  I don’t like to paint the shoes in a negative light because overall they are doing their job well and they feel great. They provide a lot of cushioning, perhaps even more than the Cloudflyer.  My only concern right now are the creases that formed on the Cloudstratus, but I will have several updates in the upcoming months regarding this. 

The On Cloudstratus: A First Look

I got the On Cloudstratus because it looked like a good alternative to the Cloudflyer, my favorite running shoe from On.  The Cloudstratus features a dual layer of Cloudtec pockets and has a composite make-up of Helion superfoam mixed with another type of foam that On likes to use.

  I will have a more in depth article on the On Cloudstratus after I run in the shoes more, but in the mean time, go ahead and check out my video above to see and hear more about the latest offering from On.

The On Cloudstratus has been released!

On Cloudstratus crushing it

On 20 June, On released their latest shoe, the On Cloudstratus. It is a running shoe that has a double layer of Cloudtec pockets, contains On’s latest superfoam called Helion, and incorporates elements from other On shoes such as the star lace pattern from the On Cloudflyer and the asymmetric upper that I’ve seen on the On Cloud shoes.

On Cloudflyer's star pattern lacing system

  I’ve been a fan of On and their shoes for almost two years now. I’ve owned several of their shoes and did reviews of them on YouTube. I even bought a pair of their limited edition On Cloud Edge last year, which is now known as the Cloud Terry, and I still wear them to this day because of their comfort and durability.

a hole formed on my Cloudswift...

  But recently, On has had an issue come up with this year’s shoe models that have gotten several groups and fans a little upset: the heel interior’s fabric will rub and form a hole when your heel will come in contact with the shoe. A hole may even form on the top of the shoe at the heel area. This all sounds like the fabric has friction problems. My On Cloud Edge has this issue, but it’s from me wearing them almost every day for everything.  My On Cloudswift are only three months old and they have formed a hole in the inside. Nowhere near as big as Chris Ford’s On Cloudswift.  This is definitely an issue that On needs to address, but I honestly don’t think it will be fixed until they release next year’s models of running shoes.

...and on the other shoe as well

  In the meantime, I did debate on getting the On Cloudstratus. While the hole was a concern, personally it was mostly a cosmetic one, even though no one can see it unless I take the shoes off. Also, On has never disappointed me when it comes to the durability and comfort of their shoes.  As a fan of On, I can overlook the shoes’ ability to collect rocks and burrs because I know about it and can adjust my running habits (and routes) accordingly. 

  And I’m hoping the On Cloudstratus is another good substitute for the On Cloudace, arguably the best cushioned On shoe.  The On Cloudflyer is a very good alternative to the Cloudace and I want to find out if the Cloudstratus will rank there as well. I’m still a fan of On and their shoes, but I don’t want to blindly follow them and buy everything they have (and praise all that they do without checking and testing it out beforehand). I’ll have something on it shortly after the shoes arrive in a few days.

  In the meantime, check out my review on the Cloudswift and Cloudflyer running shoes.

Private Murphy Gets In the Way Again

  In the military, Murphy’s Law is something we always think about when making plans.  If you weren’t familiar with this adage, it’s “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”  In the Army, some of us have taken to calling Murphy’s Law “Private Murphy,” because it would usually be a private or someone low ranking who doesn’t pay attention to the details of the mission and messes up the scenario.  Well, Private Murphy decided to come along for a trail running race with my wife and I, and it cost us more than being able to cross the finish line. 

  Several months ago, I received an invitation to run in a brand new half-marathon race due to my video recording abilities.  This past April, I ran in the initial True to the Brew Trail Run/Hike, a 6.5 mile trek through a part of the Palmetto Trail.  In usual fashion, I ran with my GoPro Hero 6 to record the course as I ran and augmented it with the Karma Grip to keep the camera stable while recording.  The highlight video I created from that race impressed the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, the organization responsible for the promotion, care taking, and maintenance of the Palmetto Trail and Grit Endurance who organized the race.  I felt very ecstatic about all this and wanted to provide the same type of video with the half marathon.

  But I haven’t run a half-marathon in almost three years from the start date of the True to the Brew Half Marathon.  I don’t count the Bad Rock Ultra, even though I complete 13.1 miles because I had 12 hours to complete at least three laps totaling the half marathon distance and I had (almost) all the time in the world to rest between laps. 

  So in typical military leadership fashion, I decided to do use the “backwards planning” technique to figure out what all I needed to do and prepare for some kind of success with recording and running in this race. 

When I initially got the race invitation, I looked up Croft State Park, the location for the True to the Brew half marathon and saw some steep hills in this section of the Palmetto Trail.  This made me think that I would be going a lot slower than I would want.  It would require me to get new running gear, expand my electronics capabilities, and keep myself going the whole time.

  I knew my time has significantly slowed down since the year before I retired from the Army, but that I was also going a little slower than normal on the two half marathons I participated in back in 2015.  My average times back then for a half marathon were about an 8:40 mile with an overall run time of 1 hour and 55 minutes.  I wanted to run the True to the Brew in about a 9:30 mile to even a 10 minute mile pace pitting me in the range of around 2 hours and 10 minutes.  Considering I am normally comfortable running between a five and 10 kilometer distance, I didn’t need to work on short, fast distances but focus on a slower long distance pace.  I commenced on running my training runs at a 9:30 pace while just running whatever time I could on a regular race before the True to the Brew happened.  I built a plan to implement longer distances as race day and race week got closer with the help of backwards planning.

  When it came to recording the footage, I knew my GoPro Hero 6 would need an upgrade in SD cards.  I run with a 32 Gigabyte card.  With most GoPro settings such as Pro Tune turned off, I get 1:50:00 to record.  Looking my best time for a half-marathon, I would be short at least five minutes if I just ran with my equipment as is.  So, I had to shop around for a 64 Gig SD card that could handle the taxing requirements of a Hero 6.  There’s a big difference the SD cards that work in the GoPro Hero 5 and older iterations and the GoPro Hero 6.  Anyway, besides the race itself, I try to record the before and after scenes of the race.  That meant I definitely need to get the bigger card, so after searching Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, I got one on Ebay for about ten dollars cheaper than anything in stores.  And a 64 Gigabyte SD card brought my recording time to three hours and forty minutes. 

  But I had another problem and one I couldn’t simply upgrade with an SD card.  The GoPro Karma Grip has a battery life of one hour and 45 minutes.  I figured I need to do one of two things: either select times to turn on the GoPro for recording or come up with a plan to charge the Karma Grip during the race.  Since I hadn’t run that trail before, the first option didn’t seem reasonable to me, so I went with the latter.  To do that though, I research if it was possible and it was with a portable battery charger, but I couldn’t find anyone showing how long using a battery charger would prolong the GoPro Karma Grip’s power usage.  I ran my own tests and came up with two hours and 30 minutes.  That worked for me, but I would need to have a means to carry a battery charger during the race. 

  I determined that I would have to wear a trail running vest for this race.  I have never worn one for a run before so I reached out to several YouTubers who were very familiar with running vests and went with a very inexpensive but usable trail running vest sold on Amazon.  I tested it out a couple of times and would adjust its fitting periodically.

  I also determined that while I usually don’t carry additional water or supplements during any runs or races, I figured I should have a couple of my Science In Sport gel packs, especially since this was a trail race with hills and water stations would be placed three to four miles apart.  I could carry them in my new trail vest, too.

  I also had to get new running shoes for this race.  When I ran the 6.5 mile race back in April I skipped on wearing my favorite running shoes, my On Cloudflyer and used a normal looking New Balance Vazee because On’s shoes are notorious for picking up rocks, acorns, and anything small that would get wedged between the cloud pockets.  Fortunately, a local outdoors store had a great sale on shoes and I spotted a pair of Altra trail shoes for about sixty US dollars.  However, Altra shoes are known for their “zero drop” style shoes.  “Zero drop” means that your toes and heels are on the same level in the shoes as opposed to most shoes where the heel is slightly higher due to increased cushioning built into the shoes.  My Altra Lone Peak 3.5 shoes had great grips for trails but I would need to wear them for the better part of six weeks to get used to how they felt and how to run in them without injuring myself.

  After I went through and did a PCI, or Pre Combat Inspection, of all my new gear and checked my training, I felt more prepared to do this race.  We drove up on Saturday morning to do the race and got there in plenty of time for packet pickup.  A little after 7:30 AM, the True to the Brew Half Marathon officially started and I was feeling good.  150 of us went running down the street and into the entrance for the Palmetto Trail within Croft State Park.  I had a nice pace of 10:30 a mile due to the bunching of several runners resulting in a lengthy single file line of runners for over a mile. 

  I hit the first water station, located about 4.5 miles into the race at about the 50 minute mark.  Not my best time and definitely slower than I anticipated from all my training and studying of the race course, but if I kept that pace, I would finish at the 2:15 mark and be good with recording everything before I lost power.  But as I started to head out, I got a text from my wife that she fell along the course and heard a loud crack.  A fellow runner saw her and told her that she was near the four mile mark.  When she relayed all that information to me, I took off in a dead sprint back to the four mile mark.  I got there but saw no sign of my wife so I range walked (fast walking, that’s all that is) for a bit before picking up a jog and continuing on.  I kept checking my phone to see how far back I had gone and finally saw her sitting on the side of a hill at roughly the five kilometer mark.  Her ankle was incredibly swollen, almost the size of a grapefruit.  I sent out a message to the race organizer, Erin, and let her know I needed help with my wife.  A little later, a first aid person showed up and triaged her and a little later that, another came by with an ATV to move her back to the starting line.  The first aid guy, Brendan, and I trekked back to a collection point and eventually made it back to the start line.  Once there, I drove my wife to an urgent care facility and that pretty much ended our race.  We got home, elevated her foot, grabbed pain medications, and scheduled a follow up appointment with her doctor.

   So while I had prepared everything I would carry and implemented a training plan for myself, Private Murphy still showed up and managed to FUBAR what should have been a good race for my wife and myself. 

  I did manage to put together a video onthe first leg of the race, though.   


(Disclaimer: the links in this blog that go back to Amazon through an affiliate program)

New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo V3 Running Shoes Testing

The Shoe Vault

  I had a chance to try out the New Balance Free Foam Vongo V3 running shoes while attending the weekly Fleet Feet running event.  Normally on Tuesdays, Fleet Feet hosts a “Pack the Park” event in one of the local parks.  On this particular Pack the Park, a New Balance representative would be there along with several different types of New Balance shoes for us to try on during our run, however, the park was closed and we tested out the shoes on a pre-determined route by Fleet Feet. 

  The New Balance representative had four different models of shoes for us to choice from: the 860, 880, the 1080, and the Vongo Fresh Foam.  While I am usually an On Cloud person when it comes to running shoes, I have been wearing On’s Cloudflyer for the past several months because of the stability it offers. 

The Shoes To Try

  While perusing the various shoes on the rack under the New Balance tent, I asked the New Balance rep what the various numbers meant.  She quickly replied that I was looking at the shoe sizes marked on the bottom of the shoes.  I chuckled and said that I knew about the shoe sizes but didn’t comprehend the model numbers. That’s when she explained what 860 (support and stability), 880 (neutral support), and 1080 (neutral) were.  Talking about my current running shoes, the Cloudflyer, she suggested I go with either the 860 or the Vongo.

  After selecting the Fresh Foam Vongo V3 because they offered a more tradition form of support for stability running, I walked around to get a feel for the shoes.  They were kind of dusty on the outside, but I attributed that to me wearing a size 10, which is a fairly common shoe size.  Walking around the outside of Fleet Feet on the asphalt felt okay.  It was nice walking without adjusting my stance like I do for the Altra Lone Peak 3.5 with their Zero Drop foot feature.  I wandered around in the Vongos and tried to put them to the test with walking: I moved while widening my stride, I would pivot in them and listen for any squeaking or other weird noises. 

 Other people were still checking out I continued walking and then started stretching my legs and rotating my ankles since I ran in the Labor Day 5 Miler the previous day and my ankle was hurting at two different times during that event.  When the last person picked out a pair of shoe for the demo run, we unofficially officially began our warm-up exercises.  I kept toiling with ways to make the Vongo V3 flex and move about, and yet they still felt fine before the run. 

Stretching Out

  We went for our three mile run, though others who were faster opted for the four mile try-out on their New Balance shoes.  Everything felt okay and normal with the Vongo V3 at first.  I start behind most of the other runners and slowly work my way past each person, similar to what I do during a race.  I had no intention of passing anyone, but the cushioning felt pretty good and the shoes were comfortable. 

However, near the one mile mark of the run, both of my heels started to hurt each time I hit the asphalt.  That pain endured for almost a quarter of a mile.  It was a rather annoying pain that I couldn’t stop thinking about, but wasn’t enough to prevent me from continuing running.  The cushioning wasn’t helping and it almost felt like the support was not there anymore. When I hit the halfway point and turnaround, I let one of the Fleet Feet people know that my feet were hurting but I would finish the run. 

  It took about another five minutes before the pain in my heels went away during the run.  I have no idea what happened, and I couldn’t tell if the pain was residual from the race the previous day or if it was from the Vongo V3 themselves. The treads on the soles looked fairly new, but the dust atop the shoes told a slightly different story.  The pain subsided to almost nothingness by the time I finished the run, but I couldn’t help but think about what caused it. 

  I will say that while the Vongo V3 felt good before the run and okay after the run, if I hadn’t ran in the On Cloudace two weeks prior, I wouldn’t have a good gauge to on when it came to testing shoes.  With the Cloudace, I can easily compare them to my Cloudflyer and feel the difference.  Both models of On shoes offer cushioning, but the Cloudace was so comfortable, provided a lot of support, and didn’t have issues.  As for the Vongo running shoes, the other direct comparison I can do is with my New Balance Vazee shoes which I don’t usually wear for races, though I did wear them for a 6.5 trail race and a couple of 5k and a 10k run in the past. The Vongo feels better than the Vazee, seems to provide more support, but the traction on both felt about the same. 

  Proper footgear is essential when running and I was very fortunate throughout my Army career that, to my knowledge, I didn’t have any foot issues.  I know too many people who got out of the service and either had difficulty running afterwards or couldn’t run at all.  If you get a chance, test shoes before you buy, and definitely if you are given an opportunity to do a demo run with a shoe company, go for it.