On Cloudboom Strike LS

I got a chance to check out the On shoemaker robot while in New York. The thing really can make a shoe in 3 minutes (it sprays, paints, and cures the upper onto a pre-assembled midsole+outsole.

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On sent me home with a pair of the shoes (note: the shoes I have were not the ones that I saw being made), and I took them for a speed workout. For paces from mile to threshold, the shoe was more than up to the task. The faster you go, the smoother the ride is.

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The foam, which is 40% bio-based Helion HF, reminds me a bit of the Adios Pro 1. And the change in the clouds in the Cloudboom Strike LS. S the regular Cloudboom Strike is noticeable and welcome. Overall, it’s a bit on the firm side, it there is a really nice sense of pop and ping.

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The upper is snug, but not as snug as you’d think. There’s more room in the toes than average for a racing shoe. Instead, I’m feeling g tightness across the widest part of my feet along the base of my toes.

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Getting into the shoe takes a bit of work, but it’s easier to get into than some of my other favorite racing shoes. The lack of laces didn’t give me any issues on turns and tangents. The upper is not fragile as you might think.

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Further testing is necessary. I’d love to get in a long run with some marathon effort miles to get a better sense of what this shoe is like for its intended purpose.

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Disclosures: On provided the shoe for me to review. They are not paying me to make this video and have no editorial review or control. I was able to view the shoemaker robot at On’s New York City popup at an event that was free and open to the public.