BY The enigmatically named On shoes have been making steady headway in Singapore over the last few years. We have with us here the On Cloud, the signature shoe of the pillow-soled range of running shoes.
Instead of relying too heavily on proprietary synthetic cushioning materials, the On range of running shoes are built around the CloudTec sole. Individual pods along the length of the shoe allow it to flex with your every step, and absorb impact while simultaneously giving you a firm surface to take off from.
The pods are an integral part of the mid and outsole, with reinforced rubber on the impact and take-off sections for grip and durability.
On claims that the Cloud is the world’s lightest fully cushioned running shoe, barely troubling the scales at under 200grams for a US9 sized piece. While you can use traditional shoelaces with it, the shoes come with an elastic rubber lace already threaded through the eyelets and depending on where you put the knot, the tightness can easily be adjusted.
It’s easy to get in and out of them. In use, they feel as secure as any pair of shoes tied with regular laces.
While it features full midsole cushioning, the medium-low stack height of just 6mm allows for a fast, natural cadence. The Cloud really does live up to its name, and is one of the lightest shoes that we’ve put on for the amount of shock absorption underfoot.
There is an acclimatisation period however, as it feels quite different from other running shoes. If you concentrate on the feel of the footfall, you’ll note that upon landing the shoe has a discernible feeling of sinking slightly as the CloudTec pods compress and soak up the impact. It hits maximum compression quite quickly, before you need to kick off again.
Step forwards and you kick off from the shoe’s maximum compression phase, wasting very little energy in forward propulsion. It’s a sound bit of engineering, and though there’s a different underfoot feel to other conventional designs, it works and there is no need to modify your style when you run with them.
The other bit worth pointing out is that the On shoes are clearly very well-built shoes. The stitching and detailing is much finer than practically all the other major brands. There are no misaligned logos, loose threads or excess glue overspill. The level of finishing is quite something to see and feel.
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