On Running Cloudeclipse Running Shoe Review

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The On Running Cloudeclipse are your max stacked running shoes designed for a neutral foot type - allowing you to log up longer, more comfortable kilometres, and offering the perfect partnership for feet that crave a higher dose of cushioning.

Sportitude running shoe expert Josh Willoughby shares his in-depth review of the On Running Cloudeclipse, explaining what makes it your go-to On Running shoe for everything from daily training to easy-going recovery runs.

The On Cloudeclipse wraps your feet in a soft and breathable engineered mesh upper with recycled yarns to keep your carbon footprint lighter on the environment. The star of the show is the tech-driven midsole, setting you up with a flexible speedboard and rocker feel to effortlessly flow into your next stride.

A double layer of CloudTec Phase cushioning wards off fatigue with shock-absorbing compression while Helion superfoam energises your stride. The outsole provides reliable coverage and stability, keeping the needs of heel strikers in mind with high-wear zones reinforced with durable rubber.

Offering a premium feel from your first step, it's an On Running shoe that's pitched to runners that prioritise comfort.

Check out the review with full transcript below.

Hello everybody, Josh here from Sportitude. I am super excited because today we're doing a shoe review on the On Running Cloudeclipse.

This is my long review where I go into the outsole, the midsole and the upper in as much detail as I possibly can, but I have also done a short 3 minute overview on this shoe. The On Cloudeclipse overview takes you into my subjective opinion about how this shoe performed for me on my first run out of the box.

Like I usually do, I’m going to get stuck into all the nitty-gritty details and give you all the information that you need at home to maybe make this your next running shoe selection. Without further ado, let's get stuck in.

Who Are The On Cloudeclipse Running Shoes For?

Before we go into the details, the On Cloudeclipse running shoe is targeting a neutral runner and someone who's looking for a lot of cushioning underneath their body. They’re also requiring an offloading element with the rocker through the forefoot of this running shoe.

There's the On Cloudstratus and the On Cloudmonster already from On Running that are targeting that cushioned and long daily trainer.

However, the On Cloudeclipse running shoes are slightly different. They're going to offer more cushioning and it's going to be more effortless through the release off your toe-off with that pitched rocker through the front half.

Outsole

There's a lot to get through in today's review so let's start with the outsole first. The On Cloudeclipse running shoes have a great surface area coverage. I want to talk about the entry point first and we'll go over the three different strike zones.

For heel strikers, at the back there's harder wearing carbon rubber at the lateral side of the heel. As you come through to the midfoot region, we have a little bit of exposed Helion foam, but most of the entry point will be utilising that lateral side of the forefoot rubber component.

Through the front half we have great surface area through the forefoot. There’s little bit of a vertical decoupled line through the central part of the heel before we hit the speedboard which has been executed in a different way to what On Running have used previously.

There’s also a slightly vertical decoupled line through the back part of the heel. That has been strategically placed to offer softer compression for your lateral heel strikers. It will flare out a little bit to provide more surface area and compression on entry.

The other great thing about the outsole is the rubber coverage which I touched on. You want plenty of rubber on a running shoe that's going to be spending a lot of time out on the road. If not, you want to use a rubberised EVA and On Running haven't used that technology yet in any of their running shoes. However, I like what they've done.

It's a thin rubber through the forefoot so it's not going to add a lot of weight to the shoe, but it's certainly going to offer ample protection.

In reference to the speedboard, if you're a runner that's been running for 5, 10 or 15 years, you would liken that to what trusstic systems used to do in past running shoes.

It’s a similar concept. It does stiffen up the running shoe a little bit through midstance to help your foot restabilise as you're transitioning through to your forefoot as you release out of your gait cycle.

The speedboard traditionally has been full length in On Running shoes gone by and they run close to the foot and allow the midsole underneath to do all the cushioning work and stabilising work.

However, by strategically placing it through the midfoot it’s going to offer a stable transition through midstance and give that midsole a bit of integrity as you go through that phase of your gait cycle.

Upper

Let's talk about the upper construction of the On Cloudeclipse. There’s a couple of things on offer. We have an engineered dyed construction which is 95% of the upper of this running shoe.

Where the medial and lateral sides of the upper meet the midsole, it is a tighter weave and you'd expect that with a shoe like this to offer structure and integrity around that midsole to upper attachment point.

It has a nice heel collar execution and a really great amount of memory foam on offer on the instep of the shoe, with almost a silky-soft touch which is great. It makes the running shoe so much more premium and so much more comfortable.

That heel counter has a external, almost knitted construction which offers more integrity at the lower attachment point.

The best thing about the upper though is the tongue execution. It is a knitted tongue in comparison to that engineered mesh on offer. The knitted tongue offers plenty of breathability. It has a little bit of elasticity to it, not a lot but a little bit. It's conformed in a bootie style construction so the bootie does sit on the inside of this upper and it runs right the way through to the forefoot.

You get a really comfortable, great lockdown and a very breathable upper which is what you would want and expect from a shoe like this which is designed to spend plenty of time out on the road.

You want to minimise the risk of a lot of swelling and to do that you need to keep your foot cool. To keep your foot cool, you have to make the shoe breathable and that's exactly what they've done with the On Cloudeclipse.

Midsole

Let’s get talking all things midsole. No surprises, with On Running shoes that is pretty much the talking point of their technology. To kick things off we have the Helion superfoam which is an EVA and polyolefin elastomer technology. It’s used in the On Cloudstratus 3, it's used in the bottom half of the On Cloudflow 4 and it's also on offer in their On Cloudsurfer.

If you're looking at the On Cloudeclipse you would not be incorrect in saying it looks very similar to the current On Cloudsurfer. However, the execution of the midsole and that speedboard execution which is to complement the midsole technology is significantly different.

The CloudTec foam in the On Cloudeclipse is a double CloudTec Phase foam. On Running have strategically placed CloudTec pods that run throughout the whole midsole and they're hollow from the lateral to the medial side.

With the double CloudTec Phase, every second pod is higher or on the flip side, every second pod is lower to the ground.

In reference to ground reaction force, the pods that are closer to the ground will offer the cushioning and the pods that are higher or closer to your foot will provide that comfort and cushion feel underfoot experience.

It's a great execution on technology in my opinion. I didn't mind the On Cloudsurfer, but I really like this running shoe because it has that advanced rocker, higher stack and a more compliant feel regarding the overall role of the midsole.

It’s on a high stack with 37mm in the heel and 31mm in the forefoot for that offset of 6mm. That rocker has been strategically placed through the forefoot to offer that really nice effortless release out your gait cycle. It feels relatively stiff through the front half and that's no different than any other shoe that has a rocker through the forefoot.

That speedboard trusstic for want of a better term, is closer to the ground in comparison to a lot of On Running shoes that have the speedboard that sits closer to the foot. This execution of speedboard in the On Cloudeclipse allows the foot to feel and experience this cushioning, and that double CloudTec Phase is going to provide that with Helion superfoam.

Through the midstance phase of your gait cycle which is where that speedboard has been strategically placed, it’s going to offer the torsional stability that you require and allow the foot to be in a great position to then execute the release on that rocker out of your gait cycle.

I really like what this midsole is representing. I like how cushioned it feels without being overly marshmallow-soft, so you get a really good balanced feel. You get the cushioning, you get the stability and you get that nice release. It is a very well executed midsole.

Similar Running Shoes To The On Cloudeclipse

What comes close to the On Cloudeclipse? The Hoka Bondi 8 (above), although it's quite different regarding its execution of engineering, does talk to the same consumer - a runner looking for that late stage rocker.

Going back a couple of seasons, the Asics GlideRide v2 had a really snappy feel through that release regarding the execution of that plastic plate that ran through the shoe. I'd say that runs very similar to what I found in my first initial jog in the On Cloudeclipse.

The final shoe that I feel that the rocker is sitting in the same position is the Saucony Endorphin Shift. That running shoe is a little bit narrower than the On Cloudeclipse, but that rocker positioning is very similar. However, it’s a completely different execution regarding the cushioning and overall stability, but that rocker is certainly placed in the same spot.

The Wrap Up

To give you some context, I've only been for one run in the On Cloudeclipse, but I was super excited to do this review. I usually do a few more runs but I was so confident and comfortable with this shoe and how it performs straight out of the box, I just wanted to do this review.

I'm going to regurgitate some of the information I've gone over today. The On Cloudeclipse is for someone who's looking for a lot of cushioning, has a neutral to mildly overpronated foot type and is searching for that effortless roll through toe-off with regard to the execution of where that rocker has been placed through the forefoot.

I like what the On Cloudeclipse represents. I think it's going to talk to a few more allied health professionals looking for a shoe for their patients and clients seeking an element of an off-loader for any forefoot pathology issues they want to address.

Talking pure running, it's going to be great for lots of mileage. It's going to be great for a recovery day shoe for people who are looking to put something on their foot for 20 minutes or half an hour for an easy jog out the door. This running shoe is going to talk exactly to you.

If you like this running shoe or if you have any questions about it, contact our Sportitude shoe experts. If you'd like us to give you some more feedback you can email us at [email protected]. One of our fitting specialists will get straight to helping you out regarding what this shoe offers.

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We'll see you out the road, take care.

For a more in-depth shoe fitting experience, you can book a free 15 minute video chat in a Live Fit session or make an appointment to discover your RunDNA at Sportitude Running@Hindmarsh.

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