The Gel-Cumulus 27 is a daily cushioned shoe designed for comfort over any training distance. It combines Asics’ FF Blast Plus foam in the midsole with a thick layer of Fluidride outsole foam for durability and traction. That dual layer of foams aims to provide a soft, cushioned ride that also ensures a smooth transition.
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JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:13 – Stats
00:25 – Design
01:02 – How’s The Fit?
04:25 – The First Run Test
15:19 – Early Verdict
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Hey Tommy from the Run testers in this Video we're going to be doing our first Run review of the aex gel cumulus 27 Let's see what we all [Music] Thought the aex gel cumus 27 costs £140 Or $140 it weighs 265 G or 9.4 o for men In a size 8 and the drop is 8 Mm the gel cumul 27 is a daily cushion Shoe designed for Comfort over any Training distance it combines ASX FF Blast plus foam in the midsole with a Thick layer of fluid ride outside foam For durability and traction that dual Layer of foam aims to provide a soft Cushioned ride that also ensures a Smooth transition in addition the shoe Also includes a section of pure gel Cushioning to reduce impact and protect The joints as well as an author light X30 sock liner for extra padding the Upper is made from an engineered jacked Mesh for a comfortable fit and plent of [Music] Breathability so when it comes to fit I've run in my regular aex running shoe Size which a UK 8 and A2 overall I think It's got a good fit nice disappearing Shoe on the foot I got good lock down Across the midfoot I really quite like These wrapping tongues that have a Couple of pads on them to kind of soften That kind of lace pinch the tongues are They're also padded all the way down so
When you're cinching the laces tighter Across that midfoot does take the edge Off a bit up top I've got good room Lengthwise in the toe box there's enough Wiggle room from the structure of the Uppers here means that it doesn't drop Onto the top of the toes so that's all Good plenty of room from between the toe Knuckles here as well and even though They sort of hug here I do get enough Flex so there was no pinch points and no Trouble there good hold here across the Back of the toes up into the heel collar And you've got really nice padded heel Collar that just hold really well really Firm deliver a good amount of cushioning And again it's just got this kind of Cruisery feel and fit and yeah I think I Would have no trouble recommending going True to size in this shoe so fit of the Gel cumulus 27 was all good for me my Normal running shoe size I've got the Same size here as I have across the aex Range including in shoes like the Nimbus Nova blast previous versions of the Cumulus I've tested and it fits me very Well I've got enough room in the toe box Secure hold around the heel and midf It's quite well padded there as well so It's a comfortable fit yeah I'd stick to Your normal running Sho size with the G Cumulus 27 so in terms of fit I would Say my experience so far has been very Typical my experience with other cushion
Daily trainers foras so things like jail Nimbus the Nova blast super Blast 2 Probably the Jael Kayo as well where I Think going through size an issue is Going to work for me and I think it's Going to work for most people so I've Got it in UK size a as I said the same Size I've had in other AIC shoes I Mentioned and I think that's going to Work you know well for me out of the box It does look like it's going to run a Little bit long but that hasn't been an Issue in that first run and I've been Very happy the formation and the kind of Room you're getting in and up front in The toe box and around your toes the mid Hold very good nothing major to report There lacing pretty traditional um you Got kind of a tongue that's pretty Skinny uh did stay put didn't slip Around on my first run I think the most Notable thing for me is the padding in His heel col I think it does a very Notable job of really locking things Back securely at your heel and you know Around the ankle area so if that's Something that you really kind of Appreciate then that's something I Definitely noticed in my first run so Yeah I would say going through the size In this year should be absolutely fine That's what I feel based on my first run So they fit for me in the gel cumulus 27 I'm a size 8 in the UK this is quite a
Roomy shoe uh it's a shoe that's Designed for Comfort um it's a shoe a Shoe that's designed to be accessible There is loads of space before my big Toe in this shoe more than I normally Experience in shoes um there's plenty Space in the for foot it's it's fairly Um not wide but it's a pretty Comfortable fit so um it's not a Restrictive shoe in any way it's Definitely a shoe designed um to be worn By a lot of people than not have any Issues um what I would say is that it's A very comfortable shooter running off That first run uh I didn't have any Issues at all it felt like it was a nice Lock down fit um the only thing I would Say is that because of the extra space Before the big toe some people might Want to size down half a size in this Shoe most of you will be fine but um There's definitely a bit more space than I'd normally have in a shoe so take that Into account other than that though it's Um it's a pretty comfortable roomy Shoe so just heading out to first run in The aex joke cumulus 27 now this is my First run after the cevil marathon so Legs are still pretty stiff had a couple Of days off just can do a short pretty Relaxed run today just to try and flush Them out a little bit more and see how They're feeling so it'll be just yeah a Very easy run pretty slow run see how
The shoe feels as a comfortable option Compared to other atic options like the NOA blast and the Nimbus and yeah just Get a little bit of a sense of it I've Not run any cumulus for a couple of Years so this will be a little bit Interesting and yeah like I said nice Easy run today see how the legs feel So first round in the jail cumulus done Uh F say pretty short relaxed run today You know not a huge amount of insight Into the shoe here sure the other guys Have done longer runs and I'll come back With a lot more testing for the full Review but you can did feel the Difference a little bit to shoes like The nless and overlast it feels you Thinner as well as lower under the four The he is still really big and cushion I Found today as a hill Striker but does Feel a bit flatter and a bit more kind Of force under the for foot there I was Craving all out Comfort pretty much Today and I could feel yeah my for foot A bit more than you would do in the no Blast or the Nimbus so you know it's a Pretty classic traditional cushion shoe This with a pretty standard ride kind of Snapping through it's not a big rocker There it feels okay I think it's a shoe That will break in for sure I would Question whether it would be as Comfortable as other cushion shoes over Longer distances but we'll check that
For the full review so few little things Picked up today on the run but obviously A lot more testing to come and just Feels yeah quite different now to the Nim I think in the past a little bit Closer nimus and accumulus but this now Does feel like a less cushioned option For sure maybe it's like Nim one for People who don't want to go full maxda And maybe don't want that huge width on The shoe so and also a little bit Cheaper but then I think the no blast is At the same price and early Impressions Would be the no blast with the shoe I'd Rather be in so it's actually the first Time I've run and tested a cumul shoe Which seem as I'll given I've probably Tested most other shoes in this category That are available in the aex range now My first run was a 5 Mile relaxed easy Recovery run I've had a couple of harder Days of training so what I was looking From the cumulus was to be something That was going to be comfortable was Going to be protective was going to be Very stable and I think you know just Have enough in the rid a time where Maybe it's going to be a bit of a Struggle my legs are a bit tired you Know to be out and just cover that Distance kind of tick off that training For the day now I would say that the Cumus does tick a lot of those key boxes It was comfortable it was stable I think
It's relatively smooth as well pretty Balanced in terms of that level of Cushioning I think that's very much Aided by the outsole and the kind of Consistent kind of coverage of rubber You're getting here on that out sole There's a little bit of Bounce not a Huge amount I just think overall I felt Even at that kind of relaxed recur pce Which for me was 9 Minute miles just Below that just felt a little bit dull a Little bit flat you know you know Obviously it's not as stacked as some of The other kind of daily trainers in kind Of the aex range but I think I was just Hoping for a little bit more the main Thing for me is I was just hoping for a Bit more in that ride I did drop it down In places a little bit bit quicker than That pace and I think even then now While the ride and the experience of Kind of rolling through this felt good I Just felt like I wanted a little bit More and that's not really what I got Here from the C particularly on that First run now could be down to just Being running on tied legs and maybe on Fresh your legs it might feel a little Bit different but I can't say that it Made a a very strong good impression on Me in that first run even at the kind of Paces I would expect to probably use This shoe and I know there's supposed to Be a touch of volatility about the
Cumulus And that's something I'll have to look To see whether it really kind of offers That but at the moment I'm feeling you Know that is you know where does this Kind of sit in terms of the other kind Of daily trainer kind of cushion daily Trainer shoes that aex offers I think Right now that first run felt a little Bit underwhelming for me so I'm trading For Manchester Marathon at the moment Not very well but I am trading for it to An extent uh and I use this for a 25k Long run uh about 5 minute kilom which For me is is an easy Pace not my easiest Pace um s in the middle between a a Competent marathon pace and an easy run For me um and I found it was fine um I Think the gel cumulus line I haven't Used one for a couple of versions since The old style of the gel cumulus shoe um It's it's a shoe that is basically ticks A lot boxes for a lot of people that's What the shoe's designed for it's like The gel nimus it's a shoe that most People will get on with it's comfortable It's got a nice balanced midell home It's not too soft it's not aggressive in Any way way if you're a beginner you can Pick up the shoe and you find it very Very comfortable um it has a slightly Lower stack than the Nimbus and that is Noticeable especially in the 4 foot what I found over the course of that 25k is
That the percussion in the front of the Shoe I did feel like it was lacking a Bit for that distance uh run I'm used to Running in quite bigger stack shoes I Mean this is a relatively big stack but It's not as big as things like the Nimbus um and I did notice that in the Foref foot I did feel like my foot was Just hitting the ground a lot more than I'd normally notice from a shoe and by The end of the run I did did feel a Little bit like the front um pads of my Foot were a little bit more uh a little Bit tired than they would normally be so I probably would use this for a run that Long at that pace but that's just me I'm Just used to using um more heavy stacked Cushion shoes when I'm going out for an Easy easy R run or a long run um but it Was very solid shoe it's a very stable Shoe it's a very comfortable shoe uh It's definitely it doesn't feel too Heavy on the feet you don't think about It it's a that just sort of disappears On your feet um the GEL Nimbus I don't Feel like that shoe disappears on the Feet I think it you can feel it it's got A big clunky shoe and I don't think There's a really smooth Heel To Toe Transition in that shoe I think this is Much better uh definitely feels like a Nice smooth ride when you're out in it Um and I'd probably say a bit more Versatile than something like the Gel
Nimbus which is a bit a bigger shoe um So it's probably a good option I think I See this shoe fitting into um a daily Shoe for people that are really just Going out and ticking off miles I Wouldn't say it's the most versatile Shoe in the world um but I can Definitely see a lot of beginner runners Or general Runners enjoying this shoe Especially if you don't want maximum Stack like you're getting a lot of shoes At the moment it feels a lot more Conventional um and does a good job with That um it's definitely not the most Inspiring ml so it's a Mido that firmly Sits in that middle um world where you You sort of want a nice balance not too Firm not too soft um and just sort of Disappears on the feet you don't really Think about it so if you're getting this And you're thinking it's going to be Great for running fast it's going to be Bouny it's not that sort of shoe it's a Very reliable shoe um that's really Designed just to tick the boxes for most People that would wear it I don't think Anyone would dislike this shoe um but Equally I think there's much better Shoes if you're if you want something That does something if you want a faster Shoe for faster training if you want a More cushion shoe for lots and lots of Easy runs there are better shoes for That whereas this is a shoe that sort of
Sits in that middle middle and just Ticks all the boxes really um the Outsole very good so I was out running On um lots of terrain actually it's very Muddy it's very wet at the moment I've Been running on public foot paths I've Been running up and down Hills Rocky Sections um not Trail but it's not easy To find roads to run on where I live um So absolutely fine for that it's got This sort of um uh duwal layer uh this Second layer at the bottom is um very Very sturdy it's got a good level of Grip it doesn't feel like it would grip Well but I think it was absolutely fine On that run um so no's at all with the Out soole although if you're uh in Really slippy conditions I think this Outside might struggle a bit because It's not very um grippy um when it it's Not as grippy as the sort of standard Rubber that you would get so I've just Finished what is my second run in the Asex Joel cumulus 27 I'm about 4 days After the 50 km in the mountain so I am On very tired legs very tired body both Those runs one of them was actually a 9 M that I did yesterday so three or 4 Days after the race 5 days after the Race I think we are now so body's highly Fatigued didn't have any quads yesterday Really what I wanted from a shoe when I Went out and did those runs was Something was going to be kind of super
Cushion super protective super easy to Run in just wanted Comfort I wanted Someone or I wanted a pair of shoes to Basically just give me a little cuddle Say it's going to be all right and help Me to get my legs moving again so you Might have to take these early test runs For me with a little bit of a caveat Where I really wanted like a full-on Recovery shoe that's not necessarily What you might be looking for in the Cumulus 27 so bear that in mind but on Those early miles there's a few things That really stood out for me one super Comfortable good heel collars good Uppers that wrap the foot bed feels nice And soft and kind of cocooning there is A nice kind of soft Edge to it when you First put them on and everything feels Kind of cruy and happy when you there's Good room in the toe box all of those Kind of things feel good when I first Put them on I was like okay this is this Is okay I can I can run in these shoes Then when you get moving I think there's A sensation here of a shoe that runs a Little bit flatter than some of the Shoes that I've been used to recently And some of the shoes that we're using It's a bit more direct there's a bit More kind of ground feel coming up a Little bit less cushioning than Something you'll get like the from the Nimbus the latest Nimbus or the Nova
Blast or you know other bigger cushion Shoes that you're getting ghost Max from Brooks those kind of higher stack Cushion shoes this one feels a little Bit more traditional it's sort of Harking back to me it feels like a last Generation ghost maybe uh it's Definitely a bit more direct and there's A bit more ground f a little bit less Cushion so I really noticed that on Yesterday's run where I wanted a bit More cushion I wanted a bit more bounce A bit more energy or at least a little Bit more help from a rocker and a bit of A snappier transition that I wasn't Getting everything felt a little bit Flat there's a sort of slight disconnect Between the um forefoot and the heel Heels nicely cushioned the forefoot a Little bit less so I just wasn't getting That kind of smoothness in the toe off That I get from some of the other kind Of more rocket shoes what you do have Here that is a shoe that is narrower in The platform than something like a Nimbus and an overlast so it does feel a Bit more precise and I have to say on The second run that I've done in them Today where I've come out and I've just Done two miles where I was my quads Returned and I was able to run with a Bit more energy then they felt a bit More natural then I felt a bit more Coming back from the shoe I was able to
Run better in the shoe and it started to Give me back more on tired legs it Wasn't the shoe that I would necessarily Want to pick I think what you're Definitely getting here is a shoe that Is a bit more traditional than some of The bigger Stacks soft of to sort of Condense and release kind of shoes that We've seen recently and if you were Looking for that that might fit your Bill I don't think there're maybe as Poppy and racy as a convir there's a bit Too much cushion for that but there's Sort of a similarity here I think in Terms of the way that the geometry works On the Foot so some initial thoughts on the ASX Gel cumus 27 I can't help but being a Little bit underwhelmed by this shoe so Far I think you know particularly when You think about what else aex has in This category in its range and whether You would choose this over those shoes Or at least that's how I'm feeling about It right now now know things like the GEL Nimbus things like the gel Kayo the Super Blast 2 which are shoes I would Probably use in the same way they are More expensive so I can appreciate from That point of view they're in a Different price point to the gel cumus 27 it is much closer to the asex N blast 5 which I think feels like the nicer Shoe the more enjoyable shoe more
Comfortable shoe a shoe that in that Particular run I know I would get a nice Experience from and you know I'd be Paying a similar amount of money so it's Really whether you know is there a place For the cumulus 27 there's elements of This shoe in other shoes that I talked About that I think work really well here Right now I don't know if this is going To better those shoes I said it's just One run but what I'm feeling so far is That there are better shoes in you know Asex own range and I think there's a Shoe very close to it in pricing with The Nova blast 5 which I think is Probably going to be a nicer option but You know Reserve full judgment once I've Done more testing but that's kind of What I'm feeling about it little bit Underwhelmed by the G Kus 27 so far Maybe that will change with further Testing but right now I'm not too sure About this one okay so my early verdict On the aex gel cumulus 27 solid all Round uh shoe uh designed for pretty Much anyone anyone can get on with this Shoe I think it's fine um definitely Fits more into that realm of more Conventional feeling shoes it's if you Took this shoe into the '90s or the Early 2000s it would be a very high Stack shoe nowadays you've got things Like the the GEL Nimbus and stuff like That which is just a bit bigger bit you
Can really tell that those shoes have Got a lot more cushioning in so this is Quite nice for people who maybe don't Want all that cushioning um as a result It's slightly more stable you're a bit Closer to the ground um and it's Absolutely fine for those sorts of runs I think if you're a beginner it would be A good option um I think think it's Quite versatile for for a beginner um Because you can go a little bit faster In this it does feel a little bit Smoother and a bit lighter on the feet Than something like the Nimbus um for a A seasoned Runner um it probably just Sits into that realm of maybe easy runs And when you don't want a Max stack shoe I think it's very very much a Comfortable cushioned Cruiser for a lot Of people um who don't want all that That mids cuz it does feel like you're a Bit close to the ground in this Especially in the for foot so solid run For me on that first run not a wow shoe By any stretch of the imination more of A Workhorse shoe that is just designed For Comfort um but definitely a shoe That I think a lot of people will like First Impressions then and as always These come with a big caveat I've only Done 11 miles on some very very very Very very tired legs in the cumulus 27 So there's much more testing needed Before I give the final verdict on these
Shoes but on those early miles I think What I'm getting is a shoe that kind of Bucks the trend that we're seeing for The big stacks and wide platforms of Sort of super cushion super squishy Returning foam and it keeps things a Little bit more balanced and a bit more Traditional it's got good Comfort though Good reliability a good stable platform It's maybe lacking some punch when you Compare it to things like the Nova blast Uh but you know where you're at with This shoe the ride just feels a little Bit more old schol getting a bit more Ground feel there's a bit more cushion In the heel there is up the 4 foot but If that's what you like if that's what You're after there are less and less Shoes that are going to offer this ride Now and so it does hold quite an Important place I think I think that's Also why they reminded me of the sakon Canar 15 which sort of holds that line As well a bit now I think many Runners Might be getting used to the sort of Morush and more energy combinations that We're getting and that may well limit How far they would want to run in these Shoes but that is definitely something I Want to test myself is there enough Underfoot from this to tack all those 90 Minute plus runs we will find out ahead Of the main review on the whole though It's definitely cutting a different path
To the Nova Blast from aex or the Gel Nimbus 27 And it's good to have options I think in The aex lineup that do that I like that It hasn't jumped on the bandwagon and Decided to go big big stack you know we Need these kind of options still in the Mix looking forward to doing some faster Bits in the shoe as well and some longer Miles to really see if it's got range I Have to say I didn't love it for those Slowest recovery miles that I was doing On the most battered of legs but we will Do all those other tests and see what Else this shoe has to offer so very very Initial verdict for me is that this Feels like a slightly different option To the aex cushion range compared to the No blast and the Nimbus you you have got A l cushion shoe here which some people Might like it feels a bit closer to the Ground the foam's not quite as soft it's Got more of a traditional feel it feels A lot like shoes in the Brooks range Like the ghost or a shoe like that Obviously it's a bit cheaper than the Imbus as well but for me I think it's Not quite as comfortable and bouncy as Something like the no blast which is the Same price I think the extra 4 foot Cushion you get on that shoe and the Nimbus would come into play in terms of Adding a bit more comfort for someone Like myself like I say snapping through
From the heel but overall it seems like A pretty solid shoe nothing really Against it it just feels like in that Aex range there seems to be shoes that Maybe do a bit more at the same price Mainly in the shape of the NOA blast but Yeah like I said it's a really initial Take here do some longer runs in it and See how I feel for our full review That's it from us on this first run Review of the aex gel cumulus 27 thanks A lot for watching don't forget to like Subscribe and click that little bell and If you going to catch below you can find A link to our podcast which comes out a Couple of times each month thanks lot For watching catch you next time [Music]
