Discontinued · road · Race day / Tempo · $180
On's first true racer, with a firm pod-based ride and a stiff Speedboard.
Built for race day, tempo, at a target pace of 5:45–7:45 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is On Cloudboom Strike.
On tuned this midsole firm (2/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is moderate — comfortable and predictable rather than bouncy. 28 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as lively at 3/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is moderate — enough curve to smooth the roll-through without dictating your footstrike. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is narrow and performance-oriented; wide-footed runners should try before buying. It runs small; most runners size up a half. Expect roughly 250 miles from the outsole, about $0.72 per mile at $180.
For the foams and plates On uses across its line, read the On brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
210 g / 7.4 oz
65 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
28 mm
8 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$180
20 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
2 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~250 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the On line it is lighter than the brand's median (270 g / 9.5 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (34 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Adidas Adizero RC 5
210 g / 7.4 oz · 28 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $90
Lightweight, firm budget racer for track work and 5Ks.
Saucony Kinvara 16
198 g / 7.0 oz · 29 mm · 4 mm drop · — · $140
Saucony Kinvara 16: 29 mm heel stack, 4 mm drop, 207 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Hoka Solimar 2
227 g / 8.0 oz · 29 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $110
Simple, light and affordable — a lower-stack entry point to Hoka.
New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4(2024)
218 g / 7.7 oz · 30 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $140
Featherweight, plateless and playful — an uptempo trainer that never feels heavy.