The On Cloudsurfer Trail is an off-road version of the Cloudsurfer road shoe, using the same CloudTec Phase rockered midsole but with an upper and outsole better-suited to the trails. Kieran and Nick have been out testing the Cloudsurfer Trail of late, here’s their verdict on the shoe.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:15 – Design & Key Stats
01:31 – How’s The Fit
02:33 – The Run Test
08:41 – Verdict & Alternatives
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Hello and welcome to run testers my name Is Nick and this is our review of the on Cloud Surfer [Music] Trail so the cloud Surfer Trail is a new Addition to the on lineup it is the Trail version of the on cloud Surfer a Road shoe that we were all quite big Fans of here at the Run testers Cloud Surfer Trail is a road to Trail shoe so It's not really built for very technical Or muddy Trails or anything like that But to be a comfortable option that will Work on light trails and Road it cost £150 or $160 it weighs at 277 G or 9.7 o In my UK size 9 and it has a 7 mm drop From Heel To Toe so some of the changes To the Cloud Road in the upper for one You have a dual layer upper with a more Open mesh on top and then a slightly Denser material underneath to stop Debris from getting into the shoe You' Also got a bit of a toe bumper at the Front of the shoe which obviously is Quite handy on the trails the tongue is A bit less padded in general it's a bit Less plush around the back of the shoe Cuz the oncloud surfer Road shoe had a Lot of padding around there you still Have the cloud Tech phas midsole that Uses On's helon foam and these Distinctive cutouts in the midsole that Almost create a domino effect to try and Rock you through your foot strike to
Create very smooth rolling ride that was Very noticeable in the road shoe and Then the outsole has obviously been Updated for the trail shoe you've got a Mission grip rubber outsole here with These shallow quite broad lugs that Indicate this is a shoe built for those Harder drier lighter Trails rather than For biting into very soft stuff or for Very technical Trails obviously this is A very different outside to what you had On the road shoe which just had very Flat sections of rubber for running on Pavements When it comes to fit I ran in my regular On size which is a uk8 and a half and in The main I found they had a good Disappearing fit there's good length in The toe box here there's decent room Into what's a decent volume toe box Actually there's ample clearance across The top of the toes too so that nasty Kind of toe bashing is limited this is a Shoe I think I trust on fit for longer Ultra distances and a decent amount of Time on feet I did have to focus a Little bit initially on the midfoot Lacing to get a more secure hold and Lock that down but once I'd found this Sweet spot with these shoes they held Well with no heel slipping good s padded Cushion heel colors here which hold the Heel well and overall I would recommend Going true to size in these shoes so
Fit's been all good for me in my normal Running shoe size got a uk9 here with on It's a US 9.5 I've got enough room in The toe box to run on the trails and go Down Hills without any fears of my feet Hitting the front of the shoe fits very Similar to the road shoe it's not the Roomiest fit I'd say if you're s like Lots and lots of room in your shoes then Maybe that would be something to look Into but I found it very comfortable fit Good hold around the heel and midfoot And no for me in my normal running shoe [Music] Size now I was a big fan of the cloud Surface 7 the First on shoe to have this Collapsing domino effect cloudtech phase Mids salt I thought it was a nice easy And pretty versatile shoe for the road So when the trail twin shoe was revealed I was really Keen to see how this would Compare and if you could take that sort Of softish comfortable easy cruising Feel from the road shoe and translate That really nicely onto the trail and I Thought it would be a winner now in Testing I've done just short of 50ks and That included a 2hour Lakeside Trail Run In the Lake District on some of the Routes of the 13 valleys Ultra that's a New Ultra by the great run team the same People who do the great North run They're moving Offroad I was lucky Enough to be hosted up there in the Lake
District to see some of the route and Run some of the miles and I can tell you This race series won't disappoint when It comes to views I also took them on a Few steeper Lake District Trails as well And did some of my usual road to Trailing on the hard packed off-road Paths along the river temps where I Normally do my miles now most of that Has been the easier end of my pace so 8 To 9 Minute miles though I have upped it At times for small sections to see how They perform when you get going now like The cloud Surfer this shoe has good Stepping Comfort it feels nice natural Unfussy on the foot I think right from The start I went fresh out the box to a Two-hour run in the shoes with no Trouble at all in terms of hot spots or Rubbing or any of that stuff just nicely Disappearing the ride is soft and Cushioned on the hard packed terrain and On the road sections it performed well With a good soft ease it's not too soft But definitely has notes of that kind of Road Cloud Surfer Vibe I wouldn't say What you're getting here is a cloud Surfer tuned for the trail though There's some similarities here in terms Of the midso geometry but it does feel Overall like a different shoe that You're running in that's not a bad thing Though and for low and slow adventuring Over less technical terrain I really
Enjoyed the protective ride that you're Going to get here the cushioning does Dull some of the ground feel and this Isn't as connected as some of those sort Of firmer sort of more direct shoes like The innovate Trail fly that I've tested Recently there's a video on the channel But it's got good stability plus it's Kind of narrow and compact enough to let You pick your way through rocks and Routs with decent Precision one thing I Wasn't 100% sold on was the grip at Times I found even on flat wet ground I Felt my feet spin on the ground on toe Off you know like a wheel spin that big Old rocker does help with the clip along Here and there's nice lightweight feel On the foot but the lugs do lack a Little bit of traction I found and on The Steep and more technical descents I Found those shallow lugs were a bit Wanting as well when you really needed That kind of reliable grip I wasn't Really sure of it I also wanted a little Less Cush and a little more certainty When you're hitting lumps and bumps That's where the cloudtech phase setup Maybe for me isn't quite as effective When you're doing really technical stuff Yes it can smooth out those lumps and Bumps but I wanted the midsole to engage With more ground much quicker I sort of Found myself waiting to feel what the Ground was going to be under foot the
Other thing to say I think like pretty Much every on shoe this shoe squeaks When it gets wet and if you're walking Home after a run or you're running in The wet for long periods of time that is Quite annoying yeah it's just it's just There it's just one of those things it's It's not ideal so I've run just shy of 50 km in the oncloud surfer Trail I've Been using it mostly in my local Forest As it's transitioned away from the very Muddy winter path I've had in there to Slightly more hard- packed mud so most Of the time I've been running on pretty Well- groomed Forest paths that like I Say are pretty hard packed mud there has Been some boggy stuff along the way a Bit of grass running some looser stuff On single track trails and Roads to and From the forest as well and did one run Where I did about half of it on the road For a longer section on the road to see How that felt as well so I'm a big fan Of the on the Cloud serfer Road shoe as A quite a lightweight and comfortable Shoe that really has a very nice soft Smooth rolling ride that worked very Well for me for kind of relaxed daily Training more over shorter distances I Felt it wasn't so great over the longer Stuff but really enjoyed using it as Quite a good-looking shoe as well that You could rock around in and do quite a Nice range of Paces in because it was a
Very light shoe even if it wasn't the Most propulsive underfoot so the cloud Ser Trail has a bit of that going on but It is quite a different ride I've done a Ride actually with Boi on at the same Time to test the feeling it's it's got a Firmer feel to it and you get a kind of Slapp contact with the ground because of The rubber out sole you have here it's Got a firmer feel as a result of that as Well and obviously a lot less plush up Top as well the upper doesn't cradle the Foot in such a padded manner but on the Right to rain it does still roll through Very nicely I think that's quite a key Thing with the shoe if you want to Engage that rocker and the way this Cloudtech Mido works it needs to be on The slightly more even harder ground so Actually it runs very well on the road As a result as a comfortable shoe that The outside doesn't really interfere With in any way it does roll through Very smoothly and I was doing that Longer section on the road I was doing At decent pace kind of moving down Towards kind of 340 330 PK and it felt Okay for that it's not like a big bounce Issue but the rocker works very well and In the forest I was on pretty well groom Trails again that are quite hard packed Fairly even you get that rocker but the Moment it gets slightly rough or uneven Underfur and or looser you lose that
Kind of rocker feeling as you'd expect It's still quite a nice feeling Trail Shoe but you lose that rolling motion That the shoe is designed for because Doesn't really work on that kind of Narrow or technical or you know broken Up ground so as I mentioned the phone's Not particularly bouncy or all that Cushy it is soft and it is comfortable But I think under the for foot in Particular you lose a little bit of Protection you don't get that much Bounce from it over time it was the same I found actually with the on cloud Surfer Road shoe something I'd look out For if you're going to go and run on Rocky trails and like Jagged rocks you Wouldn't get enough protection I don't Think here I think your bottom of your Foot would get quite beaten up but on The Tamer staff you know that kind of Like I say mud and gravel it does work Quite nicely and it does roll you Through quite nicely can go quite long On that but I don't think the for of the Shoe is necessarily going to be as Comfortable as some trail shoes maybe With a slightly lower drop so you don't Get quite so much of a snap through onto The 4 foot section and you don't really Get much Bounce from it like a say the Helon foam is nice it's comfortable but It's not particularly springy grip has Been okay for me this is very much a
Road to Trail shoot a road to light Trail shoe I would say it really isn't Built for anything even slightly muddy Like I've had some muddy sections in the Run you can see on one of my shoes is Half C coated in mud and you will slip Around in that quite quickly I wouldn't Go on anything too tricky and Technical As well myself in this shoe it feels More like a road kind of Park Cruiser Almost or like I said those wellgreen Forest Trails I've been using it mostly On it works very well for those the grip Is you know fine it doesn't come un Stock on the road at all as well so even Running on kind of wet Pavements you're Not going to get that loose skiddy Feeling you can get with trail shoes With slightly more substantial lugs so Yeah it's pitched very much much in that Road Trail category and I'd say even in That category it's at the lighter end of It with things like the Nike Pegasus Trail whereas there are some Road trail Shoes like the innovate Park claw which Have a bit more bite if you are heading For trickier [Music] Trails so I enjoyed running in the on Cloud Surfer trailer I think it's a good Shoe I think it's a shoe you can end up Using quite a lot in life because it is A pretty comfy shoe for easy runs on the Road or the trail it's quite a good
Looking shoe as well if you don't cover It in mud and as a result you know Something you just have and it can do Quite a lot of jobs for you it's a good Holiday shoe that's the kind of category I put this in you can wear this it's Quite a nice looking shoe you can run on Most terrains you're likely to come Across unless you're going on holidays And some very treacherous mountain Ranges in which case you want a more Substantial Trail shoe but it does work At a decent range of Paces as well cuz It is fairly lightweight for a trail Shoe you're not getting a load of Bounce Or propulsion from that midsole at all But the rocker works very nicely in Rolling you through easy runs or even Runs at steadier Paces so yeah it's good All round shoe I think so for sure if You are going to head to tricky and more Technical Trails you're going to want a More substantial Trail shoe with you Know a better out sole probably a Slightly more dialed in Upper as well Like even the midsole platform here is Really gear to working on relaxed even Trails where you do get that rocker Effect and it works quite nicely like Not really feeling that and maybe it Could be a little bit you know wobbly or Uneven if you are going to head to very Technical stuff so this is very much a Road to Trail shoe like I say and within
That category as I mentioned in review I' it's comparable to something like the Nike Pegasus Trail which is a Comfortable shoe that is very good on The road like some of the road to trail Shoes aren't as comfortable on the road As the cloud Surfer and the Pegasus this Is a really good shoe so if you are Almost going to mix your runs up 50/50 Between Road and light Trails does do That really well if you are going to Veer more towards the Trail end of Things but you do want to Sho that can Handle Road as well I think things like The Hoka Challenger 7 and the innovate Park laaw are better for that they've Got really good outsoles generally just A slightly more Trail appropriate design I think means you can take them on most Kinds of trails quite comfortably I Think so I think those probably sit at The end there if you can do more trail Running and then Cloud Surfer is one That is very comfortable on the road so Much so that I do wonder if there is too Much cross over there and actually there Are some Road shoes out there that I Think will offer you just as much grip And protection on the trails things like The pum velocity Nitro line with its Very good out soers I think a more Enjoyable running shoe for the road with A better mids slight more bouncy midso Very comfortable shoe but has equally
Good grip if not better grip than the Oncloud server Trail if you're heading For those light Trails so you could just Look at some Road shoes that have decent Outsoles like it's it's not that much of A step up and grip on you know quite a Lot of Road shoes overall I did enjoy Running in the shoe I probably wouldn't Say it's a shoe I'd rush out and buy to Add to a rotation but actually as a General shoe to have in your house as a Nice looking shoe you can walk around in Running in lots of situations it's not a Bad shoe to have to hand it's quite Expensive for that purpose though so Looking at it P from a pure running Perspective it's hard to justify that Cost but like I said a good shoe to have Around good holiday shoe for sure so Overall I like the shoe I think it's got A good balance certainly for taking on Lighter Trails it really handled the Kind of less technical rolling flat Trail terrain well and I think it'd be a Contender for something like the temp Centurion 100 m where you're mainly Running on flat hard Pat Trails a bit Onto the roads they can sometimes get a Bit sloppy and a bit muddy there's lots Of Road sections thrown in but it can Kind of handle all of that stuff quite Well it offers a decent cushion Protection in Rel L lightweight and Agile package got the combination of The
Rocker and that cushion stack definitely Puts this for me as an ultra run Contender an easy long hauler that won't Weigh you down over longer miles and Longer time on feet I also think it's a Nicely accessible Trail shoe because It's got some of that road shoe DNA Road Shoe kind of comfort in it that'll also Suit people taking on their first Trail Miles or who occasionally go on the Trails off the road and of course it Does a good job on that road to Trail Stuff too so if you're doing mixed Terrain runs I also think this would be An interesting option to look at however I think there are shoes i' probably Choose ahead of this I think the meral Agility Peak five is cheaper has a bit More about it I prefer the reliability Of the ride the speed goat 5 is a long Haul favorite of mine which I think is Better than this shoe it's also cheaper If I'm going faster I think I'd probably Reach for something like a new balanced SC Trail another Trail shoe with Road Shoe DNA but it's just got a bit more Snap and pop it's a bit more light and Agile a bit more Nimble and a bit more Kind of reliable underf foot you're not Relying so much on the cushioning or Maybe even hoker tekan X2 the other Thing I wanted to say on this the last Word on that is the durability I'm not 100% convinced this midsole out so combo
Looks quite soft you know you can see it And I'm not sure you know 50ks is hard To judge it there's no signs of s of Terrible wear here but I think that Softness could get chewed up Particularly if you're running on like Kind of Rocky you know terrain that's Basically going to grind it up I'm not Sure that Midol is going to last That's our review of the oncloud surfer Trail let us know what you think in the Comments below please do like and Subscribe ring the little bell and we'll See you next time
