Topo Athletic Cyclone 3 Introduction

Topo Athletic was founded in Framingham Massachusetts in 2013 by Tony Post. Fun fact: the company is named after him, by using the first 2 letters of his first name and his last name. He was also the CEO of Vibram USA and he helped launch the FiveFingers shoes which you rarely see these days, even in densely populated running spots.

Topo Athletic’s design philosophy prioritises three key characteristics:

• a spacious toe box that allows the toes to splay naturally,
• a secure fit through the midfoot and heel to prevent slippage,
• and a minimal heel-to-toe drop that encourages a more natural gait.

This design approach aims to blend the benefits of natural foot mechanics with contemporary shoe technology. This is largely influenced by Tony Post’s background and relationship with Vibram, a company known for its emphasis on natural foot movement.

Consequently, Topo Athletic shoes often feature flexible midsoles and outsoles that promote ground feel and encourage the foot to function as it was intended, while still providing the cushioning and responsiveness needed for running and other athletic activities.

In 2022, Topo Athletic was acquired by Designer Brands Inc (DBI), who also own Le Tigre, Keds and Hush Puppies. Since then, Topo has seen an upward sales trajectory. In 2024, the brand grew 70% and accounted for more than 10% of DBI’s brand portfolio sales.

The Cyclone 3 is Topo’s lightweight, unplated speed trainer for workouts and races. You can view it as Topo’s version of the HOKA Mach 6, New Balance Rebel v4 or Adidas Adios 9. It has a 28 mm/23 mm stack height and it costs $150. Its main selling point is that its midsole is 100% Pebax.

Topo Athletic Cyclone 3 First Impressions

The first time I ran in the Cyclone 3, it was a barefoot-like experience: completely different to the maximalist trainers I’ve been testing recently.

It reminded me of the Nike Free RN 5.0 that I tested 5 years ago. It had a very flexible forefoot with a ton of ground feel. It had very little support and stability.

I found the ride of the Cyclone 3 much slower than plated speed trainers. I also found the ride much slower than higher stacked non-plated trainers like the ASICS Superblast.

Topo Athletic Cyclone 3 Upper

The Cyclone 3 has a really comfortable upper with the highlight being its spacious forefoot and toe-box. This is the widest forefoot and toe-box I’ve ever experienced and it’s a nice change from the normal, snug, speed training uppers that I’m used to. It fits true to size and it’s more suited to wide feet than narrow or normal ones.

The upper material is really thin and porous so breathability is excellent. The tongue is lightly padded and so is the collar, so there are no pressure points or sharp edges that irritate your ankle. Unfortunately, there are no reflective elements.

Topo Athletic Cyclone 3 Sole Unit

If you’ve been running for a while you might have run in traditional speed trainers or racers like the Adidas Boston (version 9 and earlier), Adidas Adios and the Nike Streak. These minimal flats were designed to be light, agile and nimble. They didn’t have much cushioning because their main objective was to be as light as possible. The Cyclone 3 falls into the same category as these speed shoes of yesteryear.

Whenever I run in the Cyclone 3, I feel like my feet aren’t getting enough protection. My legs are too used to being pampered by 40+mm stack height midsoles so the Cyclone 3 feels like a really harsh ride for any distance longer than 10 kilometres. The Cyclone has 28 mm in the heel but because the foam is so soft, it doesn’t offer much shock absorption.

The longest run I did in it was 15 kilometres and I couldn’t wait for the run to be over. Apart from there being a lot of ground feel, it doesn’t feel like a very efficient shoe because there’s no rocker (even though Topo advertises it as one of the Cyclone 3’s features). There also isn’t much support or structure to make medium or long runs pleasant.

Short, fast sprints are what the Cyclone 3 does best. My favourite run was a hill sprints session consisting of 15 x 100 m intervals up a steep hill. That’s when the Cyclone’s light build and minimal ride shone. You need to be going fast, below 4:30 per kilometre to feel the Cyclone 3 come alive but it takes a lot of effort to hold it at that pace.

The Pebax midsole is a beaded one, similar to Saucony’s PWRRUN PB. It offers a lighter, more responsive ride than EVA/TPU midsoles but in the Cyclone 3, the low stack height is not thick enough to feel the bounce and energy return of the foam. It feels much less energetic than any of Saucony’s PWRRUN PB trainers and racers.

With such a soft midsole, I think the Cyclone needs some kind of a shank or flexible plate to provide stability and forefoot rigidity. Some kind of stiffener would make the ride more versatile because it would offer more support. It would also offer more resistance to bending so it would make it feel faster.

It has a low, 5 mm drop which feels even lower if you’re a heel striker because the foam compresses so much. This makes the Cyclone more suitable for mid or forefoot strikers than heels strikers.

The Cyclone 3 has a full ground contact outsole with very thin, flat rubber- this makes transitions very smooth and also very flexible. The rubber sits flush against the midsole, so the exposed foam on the high-wear areas like the outer heel show signs of wear early on.

This isn’t a trainer that you can get tons of mileage out of. There are no protruding lugs on the outsole rubber so the Cyclone doesn’t grip surfaces well in wet conditions.

Topo Athletic Cyclone 3 Conclusions

The Topo Cyclone 3 has a great upper and a good midsole foam but it still feels outdated. Very few runners would prefer the Cyclone over a modern day speed trainer with a tall stack height and a plate in its midsole.

It requires excellent running form and very strong ankles/calves/feet to be able to effectively use the Cyclone 3. It also doesn’t provide speed assistance like modern speed trainers do so if you race in it, you’ll be at a disadvantage.

I think $150 is too much to pay for a niche tool like the Cyclone 3. While it does feel premium and well-built, you can’t use it for long runs or everyday, easy miles. For the same price, you can get the excellent Adidas EVO SL which is a lot faster, more engaging and more versatile.

I won’t be using the Cyclone 3 in my rotation because it doesn’t offer enough protection from pounding. When I’m in a marathon training block (which is most of the year), I want to use trainers that won’t beat my legs up. I want my legs to feel fresh for my next run a couple hours later.

If you crave a flexible ride with minimal cushioning and a spacious forefoot, the Cyclone 3 ticks those boxes. You could also use it as a tool to strengthen your legs if you have the patience and the resilience.