It’s not new-PA11 was introduced in the 1950s-but On figured out a way to turn PA11 into a yarn and make the Cloudneo’s knit upper exclusively from the substance. First is a polyamide called PA11, a recyclable material made from castor bean oil. The Cloudneo achieves such a high level of sustainability thanks to some high-performance materials and innovative manufacturing. (On estimates the shoes will last about six months or 600 kilometers before they need to be replaced.) Subscribers will get a pair, run in them until they wear out, and then return them to On for recycling and get a new pair in exchange. The idea is to create a shoe that’s manufactured, used, and then remade into a new product, with nothing going to waste. This new shoe is completely recyclable, made partially from castor beans, and it’s available only through a subscription service called Cyclon. Its flagship shoe in that department is the eco-friendly Cloudneo, which is slated to launch this summer. On is also a big innovator in sustainability. Together, the compound and outsole textures provide excellent bite in muck and on hard-packed terrain. It’s a sticky rubber formulation molded into diamond grooves and thin lines. To balance that cushioning on its trail shoes, On released a new outsole compound, Missiongrip, on the Cloudventure in fall 2018. The resulting cushion is lighter, increases energy return, and is more temperature-resistant so it performs better year-round. It’s made from a blend of EVA and OBC (olefin block copolymer) foams-essentially a mixture of stiffer and softer materials in one compound. On’s latest proprietary cushioning material is called Helion. On’s Speedboard helps deliver a quick, propulsive feeling on toe off. In the midsole, On uses its patented Speedboard, a thin and snappy (typically) thermoplastic layer designed to support and direct the motion of your feet. The open construction also saves weight, so you get plenty of cushion without a clunky feel. They’re designed to compress with each stride and absorb vertical and horizontal impact forces and then lock in place to create a firm platform for an explosive takeoff. Open tubes of rubber or foam form the lower part of the sole. First, there’s CloudTec, which is the company’s patented cushioning construction. The secret to On’s success lies in the unique technologies it builds into its shoes. More recently, On has announced several new models, including the ultra-cushioned Cloudmonster and the Cloudvista trail shoe. The more cushioned Cloudsurfer is the favorite training shoe of underdog Jake Riley, who snagged 2nd place at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials and now is an On-sponsored athlete. Designed for competitive running, it’s been on the feet of Swiss Olympic runners like Nicola Spirig and 2014 Ironman World Champion Frederik Van Lierde. In 2012, On released its flagship shoe, the Cloudracer. With direction from RW editors, I combine all that info to choose what shoes make it onto this page. To write articles like this, I talk with brand reps about the company’s latest shoes and tech, consult RW tester feedback, and draw on my own experience with the running shoe industry. Running shoes is the category of gear I’ve written about the most, and I have firsthand experience with models from a range of brands.
The Expert: I became a runner in middle school and have covered running and outdoor gear for years, both on-staff at Runner’s World and as a freelance journalist.
Just a month after they founded the company, their prototype won an ISPO Brandnew Award for innovation among athletic startups, and later that year, On shoes were in running stores.
The Swiss company began in Zürich when Ironman champion Olivier Bernhard teamed up with his friends David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti to engineer a better running shoe. Founded in 2010, On was born out of a desire to create a shoe that would deliver the perfect Goldilocks running sensation with every step: a soft landing followed by a firm toe-off.