On Cloudflow 5 Multi Tester Review: Master of Fartleks? 6 Comparisons

Article by Peter Stuart and Courtney Kelly 

On Cloudflow 5 ($180)

Introduction

Peter: The Cloudflow 5 is, you guessed it, the fifth iteration of the Cloudflow collection. A couple of years in the past On advanced from being actually good trying trainers that weren’t that nice to run in to being actually nice trying trainers which can be actually nice to run in. For me the CloudMonster was the primary actually fulfilling On after which got here the wonderful Cloudeclipse. 

The Cloudflow 5 is the most recent wonderful providing from On. It’s a extra uptempo  every day coach that comes with a number of the tech from On racing sneakers. 

The Cloudflow 5 has a prime layer of Helion HF supercritical foam (additionally used of their race sneakers), a glass fiber-nylon mix Speedboard plate in addition to an “excessive” rocker. It’s not the lightest shoe, however will get fairly darn propulsive if you step on the gasoline. 

Professionals:

Glorious design and higher: Peter

Nice power return, particularly at pace: Peter, 

Glorious uptempo coach: Courtney

Breathable: Peter, Courtney

Nice traction at toe off: Peter

Cons:

A bit heavy for a ‘pace’ shoe: Peter, Courtney

Rides slightly agency at slower paces: Peter, Courtney

Hurts at a slower tempo! Courtney

Tester profiles are on the finish of the article however in short: 

Peter has been a sub 3 hour marathoner in addition to a 1:21 half marathoner in recent times. 

Courtney not too long ago ran her first marathon in 3:04:27. As well as, she holds a half marathon PR of 1:25, a 5 mile PR 30:17, and a 5k PR of 18:20. 

Stats

Approx. Weight:  males’s 9.8 oz/ 278 g US9  (prior model  8.6 oz/ 245 g US9)

  Pattern Weights: 

     males’s 10.59 oz / 299.8 grams US 11

     ladies’s 8.75 oz / 248 g US 9

Stack Peak: 36 mm heel / 28  mm forefoot, 8mm drop

Prior Model males’s 31mm heel / 23mm forefoot,  8 mm drop 

Platform Width  

80mm heel /  70mm midfoot  / 110mm forefoot US W9

80mm heel/ 75mm midfoot / 110mm forefoot US M11

First Impressions, Match and Higher

Courtney: The Cloudflow 5 instantly catches your eye with its contrasting citrus inexperienced, black and white colorway. Model is certainly considered one of On’s strengths and Cloudflow isn’t any exception. The “On Working” brand overlay covers the medial  facet of the shoe.

The twin layer mesh higher is mild and ethereal, skipping the additional padding in favor of weight discount. The gusseted tongue is definitely a part of this building and does effectively to maintain the skinny tongue in place. 

The skinny laces interlock by means of the tongue for additional lockdown (See photograph). 

The laces are immediately on the foot right here. On my first run, I needed to modify the tightness mid run as I felt some slipping round particularly on the heel. As quickly as I made the adjustment I turned fairly conscious of the tightness on my foot and apprehensive that there may be some lace chunk however fortunately I used to be spared. 

One might additionally retie the laces exterior of the tongue if there’s sensitivity there. On really encourages the customizing of the lacing with a second row of lace eyelets as proven above. The second eyelets supply extra help by means of the arch and ankle which I fairly want. Lace size is ideal for the additional lockdown.

Match at midfoot is comfortable as an uptempo shoe ought to match. The toe field is considerably slender, however with sufficient stretch and area to splay the  toes comfortably. The heel counter is agency with minimal padding on the collar, additional confirming focus of the shoe and match for shorter to medium distances.

Peter: The Cloudflow 5 is, unsurprisingly, one other nice trying shoe from ON. The shoe runs true-to-size and has a really comfy and really breathable higher. Lacing is straightforward and the general match and end are terrific. The Cloudflow will not be a light-weight shoe–coming in at 10.6 oz for a US males’s 11, growing in weight 30g over the Cloudflow 4 however now with 5mm extra stack peak. The tongue is an efficient thickness and stays in place due to the thru-lacing. It’s not an excellent tall shoe, however it feels on the narrower facet. It’s steady sufficient, however my first impression is that it’s fairly agency. 

Midsole & Platform

Courtney: Helion EVA mix  foam and Cloudtec know-how make up the underside a part of the midsole. Model 5 has 7 pods the place we noticed 8 pods in V4. The stack is now 5mm greater sporting tremendous shoe standing supercritical Helion HF immediately underfoot. 

However not so quick…Though it seems the HF foam is about 16mm thick, it’s extra like 7mm as the surface of the froth wraps up across the higher as facet partitions, and actually, will not be below your foot for what appears to be like like extra stack. 

It is a little deceptive and explains the very agency really feel underfoot regardless of with the ability to declare they use the identical foam as used of their prime tier Cloudboom Strike LS. Positive, it gives tender but steady information rails, however this shoe might use some softening on prime of the agency decrease common Helion foam and plate. 

Talking of plates, the spoon-shaped fiber glass infused Speedboard sits within the center between the 2 foams, providing a barely extra compliant really feel than carbon fiber (in addition to being more economical). There may be definitely a hazard in making a shoe that’s too compliant, however I feel a softer foam might be helpful right here. 

The aggressive toe spring right here might result in some undesirable stress because it retains your toes in a flexed place. That spring additionally turns into one thing you need to stand up and over as you undergo the gait cycle. You are feeling this particularly at slower paces because it simply appears to tug.The shoe can be simply too agency for gradual paces. 

Peter: Courtney has you coated above on the technical stuff.. What seems to be a pleasant large slab of Helion HF supercritical foam is definitely an optical phantasm. There may be really a reasonably skinny layer of Helion HF separating the underside of your foot from the highest of the outsole pods and its Helion foam and rubber. It appears to be like like there’s extra Helion HF (the white foam as pictured above) as a result of it comes up over the sidewalls of the shoe. Underfoot, there’s a a lot thinner layer of Helion HF sitting proper over the Speedboard glass fiber plate. 

This all combines to make the Cloudflow 5 fairly agency. The general firmness of the foams and the plate work collectively to create a propulsive and enjoyable journey—at greater speeds. Issues get markedly much less enjoyable at slower speeds as you actually really feel the rigidity and must push by means of the plate a bit. There may be rather more of the yellow Helion foam with the cutaway clouds than there’s Helion HF foam. It looks like within the subsequent iteration they might put some extra Helion HF underfoot and issues would get a bit softer. 

Outsole

Additionally please remark how or if outsole impacts journey 

Courtney: The outsole on the Cloudflow is fabricated from patches of  CloudTec rubber on the heel with extra protection on the lateral facet. The segmented pods present some flex each laterally and lengthwise however the foam and Speedboard maintain the shoe fairly agency total. The CloudTec is grippy and gives loads of traction.  

Peter: There’s black grippy rubber in all the proper locations, together with fairly far up on the toe. 

Grip is superb and you may really feel the additional grip on toe-off. Sturdiness is nice to this point and traction is nice. Cornering at excessive pace can be no drawback. 

Journey, Conclusions and Suggestions

The context needs to be a mixture of your preferences and total shoe design and efficiency. Some sneakers usually are not the perfect for you however could also be nice for others and each points must be thought-about in 

Your Rating out of 10 with factors off and feedback for what might use enhancements. The scoring context needs to be a mixture of your preferences and total shoe design and efficiency. 

In the event you select to make use of the weighted by class scoring rubrics they’re right here:

Path Scoring Rubric

Highway Scoring Rubric

Highway: Journey (50%): Match (30%): Worth (15%): Model (5%): 

Path: Journey (30%): Match (30%): Worth (10%): Model (5%) Traction (15%):  Rock Safety (10%): 

New Smiles Enjoyable  Rating!  Out of 5 This rating is about how pleasing/enjoyable the expertise is on the run, or within the case of race sort sneakers how efficient it’s to race.

😊😊😊😊😊(copy paste as many smiles as you want)

Courtney: I initially introduced the Cloudflow 5 out for a complete of 9 miles consisting of 1ks and 6 x 800s at my 3K-5K tempo. Wanting over my splits I used to be disillusioned and barely stunned to see I missed my 3K pace by about 15-20 secs per mile coming in at 6:05 minute/mile tempo. It definitely felt like a 3K effort. 

I then thought the shoe may  be higher fitted to uptempo work based mostly on the quantity of superfoam within the shoe. Positive sufficient, I took them out for my Sunday run (usually a speedier quick distance run with strides on the finish). That is the place I discovered the shoe coming into its personal. These 7:15 tempo miles felt proper, however it’s additionally not essentially a shoe I’d wish to take longer than 10 miles due its heavier weight and stiffness. 

So long as you might be accustomed to a firmer using shoe, I feel the Cloudflow can swimsuit these quicker paced runs. It might even swimsuit for intervals for these (who may be heavier than me at 110 lbs) who can compress the CloudTec pods sufficient to get helpful rebound from them. 

Total Rating: 8.02/10

Journey (50%): 8 one-dimensional in its goal. A bit too agency, lacks responsiveness 

Match (30%): 8.5 very accommodating to many various foot varieties. 

Worth (15%): 8  I suppose the going worth for an excellent coach, however lacks “tremendous”

Model (5%): 9 lovely aesthetics as typical from On.

😊😊😊

Peter: The Cloudflow 5 is slightly little bit of a paradox. It’s a shoe that feels significantly better at quicker tempos, however is a bit too heavy to wish to put on for quicker tempo exercises. 

The CloudFlow 5 shines after I’m at MGP or HMGP. It’s a bit clunky at slower paces and slightly tougher to show over for 5k tempo work. 

Total it’s an honest journey, however on account of rigidity and firmness it may be a bit punishing. I’ve completed longer runs, monitor exercises and progressive runs within the Cloudlflow 5. Finally it feels finest at tempo within the midst of a progressive run. There are particular speeds at which you’ll really feel them pop off of the street. The higher is pleasant and the journey at slower speeds is nice however not nice. 

Total Rating: 8.00/10

😊😊😊 ½ 

6 Comparisons

Brooks Hyperion Max 2: (RTR Evaluate)

Courtney: 36mm/30mm (6mm drop) Hyperion Max 3 vs 36mm/28mm (8mm drop) for the Cloudflow 5

I instantly considered this shoe after I tried on the Cloudflow. The latest Hyperion Max 3 doesn’t actually examine because it actually turns into an extended distance max cushioned coach. 

The Max 2 is lighter than the Move 5, however with an analogous agency journey that encourages these quicker toe offs. The froth is bouncier within the Max and total extra cushioned within the forefoot because the stack is 2mm greater and the froth is barely extra compliant. The toe spring is a little more aggressive within the Move 5 making a roll ahead. The Speedvault nylon plate works equally to the Brooks Speedboard offering rigidity however with extra flexibility than a carbon plate. 

Each sneakers do finest at an uptempo tempo however have bother supporting an excellent quick interval tempo. The Max has much less help by means of the arch as I are inclined to collapse inward, however it was a shoe I’d deliver out for my uptempo lengthy runs (though I used to be a bit sore afterwards).  

Brooks Hyperion Max 3 (RTR Evaluate)

Peter: The Hyperion is a bit heavier and, whereas on the firmer facet of super-shoes, continues to be softer than the Cloudflow 5. The Cloudflow is a greater guess for tempo work, however the Hyperion Max is constructed for the lengthy haul. One can exit and simply eat miles within the Hyperion Max. 

adidas Adizero Boston 13: (RTR Evaluate)

Courtney The twin layered Lightstrike Professional/Lightstrike 2.0 foam on the Boston is a a lot softer and responsive mixture aiding in these fast and easy transitions. Adidas designed the Boston 13 with deeper supercritcal  Professional  foam upfront for essentially the most energetic toe off. Conversely, the forefoot of the Cloudflow 5 is much less cushioned and responsive. The Boston can be a extra versatile coach offering a cushty journey at slower paces which the Cloudflow struggles to do. 

Nike Zoom Fly 6 (RTR Evaluate)

Peter: Equally stiff, however the Zoom is lighter. I really may want the CloudFlow 5 because it actually jumps for me at pace. 

Saucony Endorphin Velocity 5  (RTR Evaluate)

The Endorphin Velocity 5 is available in at 226oz for Womens Measurement 9. It is a lighter weight shoe regardless of its visible dimension being bigger than the Cloudflow 5. With extra cushion from heel to forefoot, the Velocity 5 has a bouncier and extra comfy really feel underfoot. Each sneakers are on the firmer facet to permit for an brisk toe off, however the Cloudflow is certainly the firmer of the 2. The Velocity’s responsive PWRRUN PB foam and nylon plate work collectively to roll you ahead whereas additionally offering additional help on the medial facet with a wider platform and winged plate.  

There may be minimal outsole on the Velocity 5 with numerous uncovered foam and it appears much less sturdy than Move. On’s CloudTec rubber outsole has extra traction total and appears to vow extra miles. 

Hoka Mach X (RTR Evaluate)

Peter: The Mach X is equally agency, however is extra enjoyable at tempo for me. It’s lighter and in the end extra versatile. 

Tester Profiles

Peter lives in California and has been a sub 3 hour marathoner in addition to a 1:21 half marathoner in recent times.

Courtney, age 37 is a school lacrosse participant turned avid runner. She lives in Manchester, MA together with her husband and two daughters ages 4 and eight. Courtney signed up for her first 1/2 marathon the morning of the race in 2022, successful second place in a time of 1:26. She determined to take operating a bit extra severely, becoming a member of Depraved Working Membership and making an attempt some coaching plans. She ran her first marathon this fall in 3:04:27. As well as, she holds a half marathon PR of 1:25, a 5 mile PR 30:17, and a 5k PR of 18:20. She appears to be like ahead to getting some extra energy and pace below her belt this subsequent season, earlier than taking a crack on the marathon once more. She is 5’4”, 110 lbs.Off the roads, Courtney is a painter and loving mom to her women. 

Samples had been supplied at no cost for overview functions. No compensation was supplied by manufacturers for writing this text. RoadTrail Run does have affiliate partnerships and will earn fee on merchandise bought through procuring hyperlinks on this article. These partnerships don’t affect our editorial content material. The opinions herein are solely the authors’.

RoadTrailRun Official Retailer Customized Fractel Caps and Bucket Hats

Cap:$35                                                            Bucket:$39

Free US Financial system Transport!

Please Like and Observe RoadTrailRun

WATCH OUR YOUTUBE REVIEWS ON THE ROADTRAILRUN CHANNEL