Shoe Reviews

The On Cloudflyer is designed for runners who enjoy a decent amount of support, ON refer to it as 'supreme support'.  Without being a maximally cushioned shoe (check out the Cloudstratus or the Cloudace for a little more cushion), with stack heights of 20mm (forefoot) and 27mm (heel), it packs enough cushioning for most runners, but is still ways off the max cushioned shoes such as the HOKA Bondi or Asics Glideride. Runner’s Tribe were lucky enough to put a pair of Cloudflyers through their paces. Below is our review.

Another year, another Hoka Clifton, perhaps Hoka’s most popular shoe. A highly cushioned, neutral high mileage trainer. A workhorse for endless miles.  HOKA called it their ‘Ultra comfortable go to daily runner’ – it’s hard to argue with that Not designed for speed, but for long distances or easy runs. The Clifton 7 is very similar to the Clifton 6 – a nice, soft, lightweight, cushioned ride. The only significant changes are a new upper (mesh) and various minor changes to it’s last/upper/heel counter. The differences between the 6 and 7 are pretty much negligible, some minor tweaks, but hardly noticeable. Runner’s Tribe took these shoes through 110km of mostly road and light trail running, and below is our unpaid for analysis.

If a higher stack height, coupled with a carbon fibre plate and the correct foam, is correlated to more speed, then Asics must have another theory in mind. The Asics is more of a traditional racing flat, but with an extra springy ride thanks to the carbon fibre. There is ample ground feel, and the cushioning feels mild. A vastly different feeling to the Vaporfly road racing shoes so many are used to. Horses for courses.

If a higher stack height is correlated to more speed, then ON must have another theory in mind. The Cloudboom is more of a traditional racing flat. There is ample ground feel, and the cushioning feels mild. A vastly different feeling to the Vaporfly road racing shoes so many are used to. Horses for courses.

The Hoka One One Torrent 2 is a neutral, lightweight trail shoe with aggressive outsole lugs. It is designed for trail runners who want to run fast on varied terrain. It’s a shoe with a modest amount of underfoot cushion,  no where near as much as say the Hoka Speedgoat or EVO Mafaete shoes.  The Torrent 2 is much more like a ‘traditional’ shoe that one of the ‘old school’ brands would release, but with the unique Hoka touches like a 5mm drop, soft foam, and a rocker bottom.

Nike are the kings at marketing, among other things. And few shoes exemplify this more than the Infinity React. Nike’s marketing machine had people spinning with talk about injury risk reduction. They cited an external study by the British Columbia Sports Medicine Research Foundation (BCSMRF) on 226 runners using the Nike React Infinity Run as well as the Nike Structure 22. It indicated that runners using the former had a 52% lower injury rate. It’s an area in which more research is required. So, is this all complete BS, or are the shoes legit? Runner’s Tribe took them through 310kms and below is our unpaid for review.

The oldest running shoe company of them all, Saucony, have landed their latest high mileage trainer, and it does not, repeat, does not, disappoint. Saucony states the following about the Triumph 17: ‘First-class long runs are lighter than ever. For those who crave the ultimate in protective cushioning, the Triumph 17 is our most cushioned shoe, giving you everything you need to cruise through the longest of runs. Make running hangovers a thing of the past.’ So, are Saucony’s claims accurate, is this shoe worth the $250 investment? Runner’s Tribe took the Triumph through the paces, and below is our unpaid for review.