On Cloudmonster Running Shoe Review

Josh reviews the On Running Cloudmonster, a neutral high mileage running shoe that has earned extraordinary hype in the max cushioned market. Sportitude Running's testing on both the road and in our RunDNA lab at Sportitude Running@Hindmarsh lives up to the feedback we've heard from real-world runners – and it's positive from heel-to-toe.

Thicker rubber beneath the rearfoot reinforces this high-wear zone against the increased stress of heel striking. This extends the running shoe's lifespan and creates a design that's compatible with both heel strikers and midfoot strikers.

True to the On Running family, a lightweight and breathable upper complements the midsole, wrapping your feet in supportive comfort while providing a higher toe box for wiggle room.

On Running have injected the On Cloudmonster with their proprietary CloudTec pods and reconfigured this technology for a purer sensation underfoot. By purer, we're referring to the fact that you don't actually feel these enlarged CloudTec pods working underfoot - only the feel-good sensation of flying into your next stride, paired with the propulsive feel of the Speedboard.

As the softest running shoe from On Running yet, the On Cloudmonster offers max cushioning in a lightweight package to spring into your runs with monster-sized comfort.

Check out the review with full transcript below.

Hey guys, Josh here from Sportitude Running and I'm in one of our RunDNA studios here at Sportitude Running@Hindmarsh. In front of me I have the new On Running Cloudmonster running shoe. This is a very exciting shoe. You would have seen a lot of reviews out there by now. This has been on market for four weeks and we were one of the lucky handful of people globally to get an On Running Cloudmonster delivered to us around 10 months ago.

We were trusted with On Running to do some testing on this shoe. We did it here in a RunDNA room and also got some clicks out the road, and compared it to where it sits in other shoes on the market.

With all of that information that we gathered 10 months ago, there’s no surprises that we were extremely excited about what this shoe was going to do for the market and where it was going to be positioned.

The reason I've held off for roughly four weeks to do my review is just to see if everyone was on the same page as us, and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive for this shoe and this brand.

In today's review we're going to dive into all the reasons why. We'll talk about the outsole, midsole, and the upper and give you all the information you need at home to potentially make this your next shoe purchase. Without further ado let's get stuck in.

On Cloudmonster Overview

The On Running Cloudmonster is a max cushioned neutral shoe. It sits on a generous stack height of 30mm in the heel and 24mm in the forefoot for that offset of 6mm.

No new technology is on play here. The CloudTec technology from On Running has been rolled out for a number of seasons now and they've also used Helion foam. However, the compound of Helion foam and how they've positioned the CloudTec is the reason why this shoe is so unique and why it's so popular.

It's a really cushioned shoe on entry for heel strikers and midfoot strikers, offering an incredibly stable transition through the entire gait cycle due to those CloudTec pods and the Speedboard which comes into play to restabilise that high-performing midsole.

This running shoe has a relatively generous upper regarding the breathability and the lockdown is nice and solid across the top of the navicular. With a breathable upper and great toe box, the On Running Cloudmonster is going to be extremely comfortable for plenty of clicks out the road.

Outsole

Starting off with the outsole first, let's take a look at what On Running have done with this shoe. Like all their other running shoes obviously, the unique part of difference is the Cloud technology which we'll get to in the midsole part of this review.

Protecting the midsole is what the outsole is all about. You can see the strategically placed harder wearing rubber on three of the pods at the back of shoe. That's going to give an element of protection for that heel striker coming down on that first entry point of their gait cycle.

As you transition through to the midfoot and forefoot regions of this running shoe, you can see that there's a generous width in terms of the overall stability for that midfoot transition. However, there is a little bit of exposed Helion foam underneath the midfoot.

I have done around 50km in my pair and one of our staff members Oscar put in around 200km in his On Running Cloudmonster prior to them coming to market. We didn't see any unusual or unwanted wear in the whole outsole, it was really durable.

As we're coming through to the forefoot, it's a little bit like the rear of the shoe. You can see that On Running place that rubber on top of those CloudTec pods to protect the asset, being the midsole.

One thing to note that is clear or evident to the naked eye is that the rubber on the back of the shoe is marginally thicker than the rubber on the forefoot. There's no surprises there. The main reason is for heel strikers that come down you want a little bit more protection, because generally speaking they hit the ground with more force. Hence, there's a slightly thicker rubber through the rear of the shoe versus the forefoot.

Upper

We're going to go skip the midsole and go straight to the upper. The reason being is this shoe has a relatively unique construction up top and that's nothing new for On Running. For On Running lovers out there or those who are new to the On Running franchise, they offer quite a lot regarding how they execute their uppers.

I’m going to talk about the fit of the forefoot first. Generally speaking, what I find with On Running shoes is they have a slightly higher toe box than what you would probably experience in some other running shoes. Nothing has changed with the On Running Cloudmonster. When I step into the On Running Cloudmonster I tend to find I have a little bit more wiggle room. I really like what that does for me regarding my running and running comfort.

As you come through to the lacing structure, it starts further up the shoe. It’s almost like the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v12. The lacing system doesn't come as far down the foot where it sits on top of your metatarsals, it actually comes a little bit further up. That allows more breathability but also gives you a more dialled in lockdown on top of your arch and the actual eyelets that are on use are a bit broader both on the medial and lateral side.

Therefore, the tension is more evenly spread across the top of your arch. That improves the overall comfort and feel. You have that extra eyelet at the back so if you're a runner that likes to do a runners' lock lace you can do that with this shoe.

When stepping back to the heel counter of this shoe, there is a structural internal heel counter that’s not overly intrusive. It's not extremely stiff and rigid, however that works perfectly well with the amount of foam that they have around the internal collar.

We have a bit of memory foam that sits on the medial and lateral side of the inside of this collar. It kicks out a little bit with a small Achilles flare at the back, but you get the right amount of grab around the base of your Achilles and heel in this running shoe.

Overall, the upper offers a decent lockdown. I don't think it's the best lockdown out there but in saying that, the upper in this shoe is all about complementing what's happening underneath the foot with this midsole.

Regarding its breathability, support and construction, the depth and width through the forefoot works perfectly well for heel strikers, midfoot runners and people who are looking to experience what this midsole is all about.

Midsole

Let's talk about the fun part of the shoe review and it is all about the midsole. On Running have produced their softest running shoe yet. How they've done that is really nothing new and I mean that in all due respect to On Running. They are still using their Cloud technology and their Helion foam. However, they've increased the stack height from what we have traditionally seen with On Running shoes.

This running shoe sits on a 30mm heel and 24mm forefoot for that offset of 6mm. However, the CloudTec pods are relatively large on that lateral and the medial side, a little bit like what we've seen with the On Running Cloudstratus v2. That was a dual layered Cloud technology to get the pods to work together on that vertical compression line.

However, we're not seeing that dual layering with the CloudTec in the On Running Cloudmonster. We're actually seeing an increased pod and that has been executed with the stack height being a little bit more generous than what we're used to.

Cloud technology for those of you that may not be aware works on a unique form. What we tend to find with most running shoes with traditional foams is they have a compression rate regarding that lateral entry point. If you're a heel striker, a midfoot runner or a forefoot runner there is an element of compression.

The great thing about the On CloudTec pods is they compress a little bit more and then they also work on a horizontal plane to not only absorb that cushioning, but to encapsulate that energy and then help with your energy return through your toe-off phase of your gait cycle.

The other reason why CloudTec works well is due to the Speedboard. The Speedboard sits basically between your foot and this midsole. The Speedboard is a plastic or a nylon board that essentially gives the running shoe some torsional stability. It also allows the midsole to do what it needs to do regarding compression, absorbing that vertical force and turning it into a really snappy feel through your toe-off phase, almost like what we see with carbon-plated running shoes. Your carbon plates or your plastic plates have that same sort of construction to help restabilse the midsole and exit out of your gait cycle.

As I touched on in the intro, the On Running Cloudmonster is a neutral shoe. There's nothing on the medial side that's going to suggest I would put a severe overpronator inside this shoe. I would be quite cautious of doing that, mainly due to the fact it's on a higher stack and the CloudTec just wouldn't hold up.

On the lateral side the Cloud technology is on offer to help that first entry point of compression and there’s no surprises there. Technically speaking all On Running shoes are neutral and the only real change in the past has been the density of foam that they've used in its larger CloudTec pods.

The On Running Cloudflyer for example that had softer foam at the back and softer CloudTec underneath that first metatarsal. That was to encourage restabilisation for runners that were looking for some cushioning underneath their first metatarsal.

The great thing about the On Running Cloudmonster is it's lightweight and it offers a really cushioned feel under the body. For most people who have used an On Running shoe previously and we're referencing the midsole, the feedback is "I can feel the CloudTec underneath my foot," and for some that's a good thing. Some people don't like it because it's a bit different.

However, how they've executed the midsole in the On Running Cloudmonster, you hardly feel what is happening underneath your body. All you feel is the experience you get when you come into your gait and out of your gait cycle which is exactly what you want from a running shoe.

The Wrap Up

In summary, the On Running Cloudmonster is a max cushioned but lightweight shoe. At 275 grams for a men's size US 9 and around 230 grams in a women’s size US 8, it comes in relatively light for all things considered when you're talking mileage shoes.

If you're a runner that's looking at a mileage running shoe and have had the conversation around a Hoka One One Clifton 8 or a New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v12, I would certainly throw the On Running Cloudmonster into that mix.

As I said, it's a versatile shoe. If you're a runner that's had the conversation around the Asics NovoBlast as a versatile everyday shoe, or are seeking a running shoe that could double up as a tempo shoe, I would also have a conversation in and around the On Running Cloudmonster.

It’s incredibly versatile and the On Running Cloudmonster is in my running shoe rotation. I'm doing everything from longer runs to shorter tempo runs in it and I am absolutely loving it. I'm not even going to hide that fact, I really like what On Running do as a brand and I love what they've done with the On Running Cloudmonster.

I'm super excited to hear the feedback from all of you, the running community out there. If you have any questions about this shoe or On Running in general please contact our Sportitude shoe experts.

If you haven't subscribed to the Sportitude YouTube channel hit the red button, stay notified and we'll keep pumping out the shoe reviews for you the running community.

Until next time stay safe, be kind to one another and we’ll see you on the road. Take care.

FEATURES

• Support: Neutral
• Upper: Mesh
• Midsole: On CloudTec, On Helion
• Heel Height: 30mm
• Forefoot Height: 24mm
• Offset / Drop: 6mm

Men

• Weight: 275g / 9.7oz (US 9)
• Width: D (standard)

Women

• Weight: 230g / 8.1oz (US 8)
• Width: B (standard)

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On Running Cloudstratus v2 vs 1 Comparison Shoe Review

New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v12 vs 1080v11 Comparison Shoe Review

Hoka One One Clifton 8 vs 7 Comparison Shoe Review