Hellen Obiri is having a great 2024, with the Kenyan elite runner winning the Boston Marathon in April before clinching a bronze medal in the marathon at the Olympics in Paris. She did both while wearing one of the most distinctive racing shoes available — the On Cloudboom Strike LS.
This is a special version of the On Cloudboom Strike that has a LightSpray upper. This laceless and seamless upper is fused onto the shoe by a robot, giving the shoe its striking appearance and making the Cloudboom Strike LS significantly lighter than the standard Cloudboom strike.
The On Cloudboom Strike LS is yet to go on sale to the public, but I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on a sample pair to test, and have used it for 80 miles of running including a variety of hard workouts and a half marathon race. I rate it as one of the best carbon plate running shoes for racing, but the upper does have some possible drawbacks, and the price is very high.
On Cloudboom Strike LS: price and availability
The On Cloudboom Strike LS is not yet available to buy, with On saying it will go on sale at some point in the autumn/winter 2024. It will cost $330, which makes it one of the most expensive carbon plate super-shoes, and $50 more expensive than the standard On Cloudboom Strike, which is available now.
Is it worth the money? Here are my thoughts on the shoe after 80 miles of running.
The LightSpray upper is incredible, but it’s a risky fit
The one piece upper on the Cloudboom Strike LS is what sets it apart from the standard Cloudboom Strike. It makes the shoe significantly lighter and I found the fit superb, offering a tight hold for fast running without causing any irritation around the heel or toes.
I also found that after 80 miles of running the material hasn’t stretched in any way, which was a concern because if it does stretch, the hold might not be secure enough and you then can’t adjust it. My most recent run in the shoe was actually my hardest effort — a half marathon race, and the upper was perfect, holding my foot in place securely and comfortably.
However, I do have quite a narrow foot and one that tends to get on well with shoes fitting in their standard size. The risk with the one-piece upper is that if you don’t get on with it, there’s nothing you can do to adjust it as you can with a shoe with laces. As a result if you do find the fit of the Cloudboom Strike LS doesn’t work for you, you might not be able to use it at all
Given how quickly the upper can be made and attached to the shoe, I wonder if On will offer some kind of personalized fitting service with the Cloudboom Strike LS when it launches, which would allay these fit fears. If buying online I think the standard Cloudboom Strike is the safer pick.
It’s an exceptionally light racing shoe
The Cloudboom Strike LS weighs just 6.8oz in my men’s US 9.5. I’ve tested a lot of carbon plate running shoes and these are among the lightest, with only the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris coming in a slightly lighter — I haven’t yet tried the super-light, and super-expensive, Adidas Pro Evo 1.
Despite being so light you get a high stack of cushioning with the Cloudboom Strike LS, which stands 39.5mm tall at the heel and 33.5mm at the forefoot to provide that bouncy, super-shoe feeling, and protect your legs deep into long events.
With it being so light I found it easier to keep my feet turning over in the shoe towards the end of hard sessions and races, and it’s a key difference to the standard Cloudboom Strike, which I think is around 0.8oz heavier in the same size.
The ride is propulsive and great for long distance events
The Helion HF foam in the midsole delivers a responsive but still comfortable ride for races of any distance. I’ve done several hard long runs in the shoe as well as a half marathon, and shorter reps on the track and road as well.
The ride is not as soft and bouncy as some super-shoes, like the Nike Alphafly 3, but the firmer feel gives the On Cloudboom Strike LS a fast turnover and it is still propulsive. I found it had a similar ride to the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris, my favorite racing shoe available at the moment.
In the half marathon I ran in the shoe I noticed the fast turnover and propulsion from the shoe in the second half and 12 miles into the race I was set to run my fastest time and my first sub-70 for the distance. Alas we were sent the wrong way at the last turn and I ended up running 68:58 on course that was 160m short as a result. So no official PR, but it did certainly still confirm that the Cloudboom Strike LS will help you perform at your best on race day.
There are better value racing options
For all of its qualities, there are two main reasons why it’s still tricky to recommend the Cloudboom Strike LS. The first is the risk you take with the fit, as mentioned above, and the second is the price.
Even in the expensive world of carbon plate running shoes it stands out as very expensive, and with exceptional competitors like the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris and Nike Alphafly 3 being available for less, it’s hard to say you should spend the extra on the On when it is available. It is one hell of a shoe though.
