But even ignoring that very personal issue, I’m just not super convinced the On Cloudboom Max would be the shoe I’d gravitate to for its expected purpose. In my size US M10.5, the shoe weighs in at 11.1 oz (315 g) — which I consider to be on the heavier side for a trainer, but still fairly “OK” for the most part if it’s a max stack, protective cruiser like the Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 or Nike Vomero 18.
But for a race day shoe, even if it’s meant for the “slower” pack, that weight is inconceivable to me for the full 26.2 (hell, even 13.1 is a hard sell).
Although the ride itself isn’t terrible, there isn’t anything I feel to be special about it either. Going at a normal, easy pace for me, to some extent it feels smooth through the stride, albeit a bit stiff and blocky. But once the tempo starts to pick up, there isn’t any inherent rocker or “pop” off the forefoot. And while the softness of the PEBA foam is there and the slight flexibility of the nylon plate can be felt, all this tech just feels rather muted to me. And I’m left with a feeling that this is just a more premium version of a max cushion shoe like the Asics Gel-Nimbus, but with a plate. There’s still a lingering sensation of “boatiness” with the On Cloudboom Max, at least for my preference anyway.
I then started to think that maybe this shoe would benefit a bigger, heavier runner. We’ve seen throughout the last few years that shoes in this category tend to be favored by those who can really compress the foams and activate the plate (Adidas Adizero Prime Strung X 3 comes to mind). You’ll have to read Chad’s thoughts on that, but it just felt like I couldn’t really reap the benefits of whatever it is I’m supposed to get out of the Cloudboom Max.
