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Our verdict
- Top pick in best walking shoes for Europe
- Top pick in best travel shoes
Pros
- Perfect for all-day wear
- Great travel shoe
- Attractive design
- Comfortable in-shoe feel
- Fits well straight from the box
- High quality
- 10% recycled materials
Cons
- Pricey
- Sole catches debris
- Mid-cut is not for everyone
Audience verdict
Comparison
The most similar walking shoes compared
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audience score | 89 Good! | 89 Good! | 93 Superb! | 78 Decent! | |
| Price | £150 | £140 | £160 | £150 | |
| Arch support | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Condition | Heavy person | Heavy personPlantar fasciitis | - | - | |
| Orthotic friendly | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Weight lab Weight brand | 10.7 oz / 303g 10.7 oz / 303g | 10.3 oz / 292g 10.3 oz / 292g | 11.3 oz / 320g 11.1 oz / 315g | 8.7 oz / 247g 9.4 oz / 266g | |
| Lightweight | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Breathability | Moderate | Breathable | Breathable | Breathable | |
| Use | For standing all dayCityDisneyEurope | For standing all dayTravelWorkCityDisneyEuropeFitnessFor nursesTreadmill | For standing all dayCityDisneyEuropeFor nurses | TravelFitnessTreadmill | |
| Size | True to size | True to size | True to size | True to size | |
| Midsole softness | Balanced | Firm | Balanced | Firm | |
| Difference in midsole softness in cold | Big | Small | Normal | Small | |
| Insole thickness | Average | Average | Average | Thin | |
| Removable insole | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Stiffness | Moderate | Flexible | Moderate | Flexible | |
| Difference in stiffness in cold | Big | Big | Normal | Big | |
| Torsional rigidity | Flexible | Moderate | Moderate | Flexible | |
| Heel counter stiffness | Flexible | Moderate | Flexible | Flexible | |
| Heel tab | None | None | None | None | |
| Drop lab | 15.5 mm | 13.1 mm | 12.4 mm | 9.9 mm | |
| Heel stack lab | 33.3 mm | 32.9 mm | 33.1 mm | 28.7 mm | |
| Forefoot | 17.8 mm | 19.8 mm | 20.7 mm | 18.8 mm | |
| Width / fit | Narrow | Medium | Medium | Narrow | |
| Toebox width | - | Medium | Medium | Medium | |
| Closure | Laces | Laces | Laces | Laces | |
| Toebox durability | - | Decent | Decent | Bad | |
| Heel padding durability | - | Decent | Decent | Bad | |
| Outsole durability | - | Good | Decent | Decent | |
| Midsole width - forefoot | Average | Wide | Wide | Narrow | |
| Midsole width - heel | Average | Wide | Wide | Average | |
| Outsole hardness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
| Outsole thickness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
| Tongue padding | Thin | Thin | Average | Very thin | |
| Tongue: gusset type | None | Both sides (full) | None | None | |
| Material | Mesh | Mesh | Mesh | - | |
| Ranking | #19 Top 50% | #18 Bottom 47% | #2 Top 6% | #33 Bottom 2% | |
| Popularity | #13 Top 35% | #15 Top 45% | #7 Top 21% | #27 Bottom 20% |
Size and fit
Size
On Cloudnova is true to size (116 votes).
Traction / Grip
Heel traction
NewNo matter the weather, it's nice to have a walking shoe that can keep you surefooted on both dry and wet pavements. But does the Cloudnova qualify for that? Well, almost.
The shoe returned a decent coefficient of friction in our SATRA TM144 grip test where we stomped its heel against wet concrete at a 7-degree angle. Even though we got a below-average reading of 0.37, the shoe's rubber proved to be grippy enough for dry surfaces but only decent for wet ones.
So be cautious on particularly slippery surfaces like wet stones, cobblestones, and tiles.
| Cloudnova | 0.37 |
| Average | 0.45 |
Outsole design
NewIt's a bit hard to see the shoe's rubber patches because of the colorway (white-on-white) but small areas of the Cloudnova's heel and forefoot are covered with rubber for added grip and protection. But as our ab tests showed, you can only expect those at a basic level in this On shoe.
Who should buy the On Cloudnova
The Cloudnova excels in its primary design purpose - daily wear on the city streets. We consider it one of the best everyday trainers out there. We even liken it to that cosy hoodie you wear all week long. Its practicality also makes the Cloudnova a perfect pair for travelling.
If you are not willing to sacrifice style for comfort, you can get both with the Cloudnova. We felt like there was an exclusivity to the trainer, as on-lookers didn't fail to make us feel seen and noticed wearing this shoe.
Who should not buy the shoe
Some of the main reasons we thought why people might turn away from the shoe are its high asking price and a bit fiddly bootie design.
- If you want just as good-looking and comfortable lifestyle shoes but for a lower price, try the original On Cloud (£20 less) or expand your options to other brands from our best all-day wear shoes.
- If you want an On Cloud shoe that is much easier to put on, go for the On Cloud 5.
Walk 500 miles (and 500 more) with the Cloudnova
The comfort of this On Cloud shoe reveals itself on daily walks of any distance, whether we take it on a short stroll or 10+ miles of a walking trip.
It felt comfortable all throughout our extended walks and it never hurt our feet. Even after 20km, we hardly felt tired nor even wearing something on my feet.
We also tried Cloudnova for long shifts of work (8-12 hours). We have nothing but praise for this shoe for keeping our feet and legs pain-free. Even 8-10 hours a day on concrete and a thin rug, we felt a big difference with the Cloudnova compared to Skechers.
Breathable, but not for hot summer days
As you can see from our breathability test below, the Cloudnova has a moderate amount of ventilation in the upper. The smoke is coming out rather slowly.
You can also see the most breathable parts of the shoe's upper in our transparency test.
Comfy cushioning
Overall, we are delighted with the well-cushioned ride of this On Cloud shoe. We find it very satisfying to walk in for extended periods.
To check how well-cushioned the Cloudnova is on paper, we measured the softness of its foam with a durometer. It turns out to be 4% firmer than walking shoes on average, striking a fine balance between plush and firm. It is also about the same as the On Cloud 5.
Keep in mind though that the foam is also prone to firming up in cold temperatures. After being exposed to cold for 20 minutes in the freezer, the Cloudnova's cushioning got 47.6% denser. So, if you take the shoe out on a chilly day, it will take some time to break in.
Where the Cloudnova does exceed the average considerably is in its heel-to-toe drop. According to On, the shoe's drop is 14 mm.
Using a pair of callipers, we found the drop to be 15.5 mm, which is not too big of a deviation. However, compared to the average 10 mm of our lab-tested walking shoes, the Cloudnova should feel generously cushioned under the heel.
The shoe has an ample level of flexibility
The On Cloudnova cannot be described as a stiff shoe and yet, it cannot be rolled up like a minimalist shoe either. We can tell that it is moderately flexible based on our acquired measurements.
The shoe is also quite pliable when it comes to longitudinal and torsional flexibility. In our subjective assessment, we gave the shoe 2 out of 5 (where 5 is the stiffest) on this aspect.
On Cloudnova feels stable for a neutral shoe
Despite not offering any additional arch support, the Cloudnova shows up as a stable neutral running shoe.
The contributing factors seem to be the shoe's moderately firm and wide sole.
The shoe is nice and wide in both the forefoot and the heel. In the forefoot, it is 116.9 mm wide (5.1 mm wider than average) and in the heel, it is 91.1 mm (2.3 mm wider).
Reflective elements
We are also in favour of the shoe's reflective logo as it is perfect when we walk in the darker hours.
Fits nice and snug but bootie is not for everyone
Cloudnova feels comfortable out of the box and the fit is only getting better with use. We found it snug-fitting without feeling suffocating.
The toebox on the Cloudnova is not necessarily wide but it is quite roomy (in a good way) for an average-sized foot. We measured its widest part at 97.1 mm.
We also found it handy that the laces can be conveniently tucked under the tongue.
It is also important to mention that the shoe has an unconventional mid-cut bootie. We thought of two reasons why some people might consider this an issue:
- it rubs the ankle if ankle socks are not worn,
- it takes a bit more effort than usual to put on the shoe.
However, we want to note that we personally didn't find these to be deal-breakers.
Although the shoe's tongue is much thinner than average, we encountered no problem with lace bites. At 2.9 mm, it is 2.9 mm thinner than average.
The shoe has a flexible heel counter (we assessed it as 2 out of 5) but it seems to lock the foot down securely. No heel slips!
Swiss quality of the On Cloudnova
Wearing the shoes for a very long time helped us conclude that they hold up very well and don't easily wear out.
We owe it to the shoe’s well-made construction and quality materials.
Like any other On Cloud shoe, it catches every pebble
Unfortunately, this is a flaw that comes in every On shoe due to their unique midsole design with large flex grooves. It’s not a big issue if you stick to paved roads or hard-packed trails. But if you do walk over some small rocks, there is a high chance of one getting stuck in the gap, forcing you to stop and knock it out.
A little heavier than average
On Cloud shoes, in general, keep their footwear in the lightweight category. And while the Cloudnova doesn't feel heavy, the scales tell the opposite.
According to the brand's official product page, the Cloudnova weighs 269g per shoe. We are not sure what size On used to weigh their pair because we found it to be 303g in a men's US 9! This is heavier than the average 270g of our lab-tested walking shoes and is surely heavier than the Cloud 5 (225g).
Style is an eye-catcher
This shoe looks cool as hell. Even before trying the shoe on, we were sold on its visuals. It’s got a unique street/athleisure appeal which we found sleek and minimal yet cute.
The wide range of colour selection is also something we deeply appreciate.
A touch of sustainability
On is gradually becoming one of the brands that introduce a sustainable approach to its footwear. The percentage varies depending on the model but in the Cloudnova recycled content makes up 10% of the shoe.
