ON Cloudracer General Info:

ON Cloudracer is the Swiss company’s offering of a performance-racing shoe. Featuring a slimmer version of the companys unique Cloud-Tec midsole and lightweight skeleton upper the Cloudsurfer is streamlined for competition.

ON Cloudracer Overall Impression:

The Cloudracer is definitely a hidden treasure amongst a sea of racing performance shoes. The translucent skeleton mesh, which composes the shoes upper, is like nothing I have ever laid eyes upon or marched out a few miles in. This mesh is perfect for this shoe and for obvious reasons as it is not only one of a kind, but lightweight and extremely breathable and sheds water well to boot. The other nice feature of this upper, as with all ON shoes, is its lack of traditional overlays. What ON has done to replace traditional overlay construction is use a creative series of zigzag stitching and interlaced webbing. This symphony of stitching provided simple but superb structure and support to the shoe.

ON Cloudracer Sole Unit

The Cloud-Tec mid-sole outsole of the Cloudracer is really what sets this shoe apart from others in its class. Those that have had any exposure to the ON product, or not, will notice that the elements have a much lower profile than any others in the product line particularly in the forefoot. The cushioning and responsiveness that ON promises still exists, but the lower profile coupled with the 5mm drop gives the shoe a uniquely fast and clean transition.

ON Cloudracer Opinion

The Thing that I appreciate about the Cloudracer is what it is not. The Cloudracer is not flashy and inordinately enhanced with overlays and plastic inserts. I wish that I could attest to all the benefits and gains that CloudTec technology offers but I cannot, perhaps after many more miles and a marathon or two then we’ll see. What I can testify to with certainty is that the Cloudracer offers a comfortable, lightweight, clean quick transitioning ride that is unique unto itself. So, aside from its slightly elevated price tag, the Cloudracer definitely deserves its place alongside other great lightweight racing shoes.

We thank the nice people at ON for sending us a pair of Cloudracer to test. This did not influence the outcome of the review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.