Review: On Cloudultra

On Running is known for having lightweight running shoes that a lot of people love. They are good-looking, but every time I’ve tried one, I have just not fallen in love with them. But this might be a different story! Here is the On Cloudultra!

Video Review

Are these just fancy looks? During the last two weeks, I have tried my best to test the On Cloudultra in the hardest, most cruel way possible, and even though I have found some bad stuff, I am completely amazed that this shoe can do as much as it can!

One of the best fits this year 

Let’s start with how the shoe fits. The upper is divided into two layers with one thin mesh over a sock-like inner. I had issues on the first three runs with getting the shoe to fit in the heel, but after having used thicker socks for a couple of runs I found out that the shoe had adapted and was fitting a lot better. I had no slippage in the ankle anymore and it conformed so much better to the foot than in the beginning.

There is a minimal amount of fabric in the heel, and for those who like more softness around the ankle, you might not like this fit as much.

On Cloud Ultra

But this overall fit really works well for me, especially on the runs where I had to wade across rivers. The shoe doesn’t feel any different in my opinion after a trip through a river, and I went through a lot of them!

There is one special feature in this shoe , one feature is made made specifically for ultra – runner that need more space in the forefoot throughout the run . This FlipRelease system is is is smart , but maybe not only for ultra runner .

Lars Ivar Henriksen

I am not an ultra-runner, and I have had massive benefits using this shoe in the steep mountains that I call home because I used it in the opposite way than intended. Using the widest setting to tighten the shoe and for the uphill running, and the narrowest setting for the steep downhills makes it much easier to get a very tight fit in technical terrain and a nice comfortable fit on the way up.

This makes the fit very versatile for people who want a shoe that can do it all.

Fun times on the trails 

I have without a doubt had a lot of fun with this shoe. It is made in a way that it can easily be used on asphalt as well as on trails in the forest. It’s not the softest shoe on the market, and most of the soft feeling is from the holes between the two layers of Helion foam. 

Lars Ivar Henriksen

Those who know me know that I’m not sold on the soft shoe trend. The On Cloudultra has settled in an awesome place if you want a shoe that both has cushion and versatility. I’ve tried it on asphalt, gravel, forest trails, in the bush, on both dry and wet rocks and in wet mud and the midsole handles all surfaces extremely well.

It’s just a blast to run in, if you want to go a bit faster or if you want to go long.

Lars Ivar Henriksen

The only setback 

The only setback I have with this shoe is the grip. The Cloudultra is really good in almost all conditions, but on the harder rockier terrains I never really got to grips with the shoe. Both dry and wet rocks were a bit too sketchy for me, but it wasn’t often that I ventured onto these types of surfaces.
Don’t get me wrong, the grip is one of the main reasons I like the Cloudultra. There were several times I stopped and looked back at what I had sprinted down, and I was amazed how well it performed, but the harder rubber underneath the shoe seemed to me to like softer ground better than the hard and wet rocks.
The lugs aren’t that deep either, so I would choose a different pair if I was going out in very deep mud. But if you have one pair, then these will work well for almost everything you want it to.

Trail running in a good shoe always makes me smile. And believe me, when I say, I smiled a lot these last three weeks!!