The Cloudsurfer 2 is On’s entry-level daily trainer, designed to be versatile, light, and durable. Priced at $160, it competes with shoes like the Saucony Ride 18 ($140) and the Nike Pegasus 41 ($140). The Cloudsurfer 2 uses a full layer of "Helion superfoam," which, in this iteration, might as well be Latin for lifeless, tired, uninspiring, and far behind the entry-level foams of other brands—like Nike ReactX, Saucony PWRRUN, and ASICS FlyteFoam. The tuning of this Helion foam is incredibly firm, offering no real bounce or meaningful underfoot protection. As for the CloudTec Phase design, sculpted using computerized "Finite Element Analysis"—it’s really just a fancy, gimmicky marketing platitude, devoid of any real meaning. The only redeeming qualities of the Cloudsurfer 2 are its smooth rocker and a closer-to-the-ground, more connected ride—if that’s something you’re into. If you're looking for an On shoe, we recommend picking up the Cloudmonster Hyper on sale (sometimes as low as $165) or checking out the new On CloudZone.

Category

Daily Trainer

Release Date

February 2025

Plated?

No

Foam

Helion

Foam Compound

EVA

Ride

Firm, Stable, Ground Feel

Heel Stack (mm)

37.0

Forefoot Stack (mm)

28.0

Drop (mm)

9

Weight (mens size 9)

9.0

Support

Neutral

Fit

True to size