The GEL-NIMBUS 28 is ASICS' cushioned shoe for runners who put softness on landing first. The cushioning is unchanged, and trimming the sole rubber made it about 20g lighter than before, at 281g. The stack is about 43.5mm and the official price JPY 22,000. It has been the "softness" model since 1999.
The Shoe Nerd's top pick
I buy the NIMBUS 28 as a generation that got lighter without touching what is under the foot. The roughly 20g came off the rubber that meets the ground. The pairing of foam and a PureGEL in the heel carries over from the 27. It is not often that a soft-shoe buyer gets only the weight handed back in a generation change.
Key points
- The outsole has 2 rubbers: ASICSGRIP in the middle, and AHARPLUS at the toe and heel, which wears about 3 times more slowly than before
- 28g heavier and 2mm thicker than the NOVABLAST 6. The official cushioning scale is one step higher, at Maximum
- Men's comes in 2 widths, standard and extra wide. Sizes 24.5–32.0cm
It got under the 300g line without reducing the cushion
Soft shoes are heavy. That is usually why people have avoided the NIMBUS. The previous NIMBUS 27 worked out to 301g.
The NIMBUS 28 is 281g. The official news release says it is about 20g lighter. What is interesting is where that 20g came from.
They did not thin the foam. What they trimmed was the sole rubber.
This article reads the NIMBUS 28 alone, by the numbers in the official announcement. Its place within ASICS as a whole is in the article on 11 recommended ASICS shoes, so here I focus on what is inside the 28.
GEL-NIMBUS 28 weight and stack? The official numbers
| Item | GEL-NIMBUS 28 |
|---|---|
| Release date | Jan 9, 2026 (early release at the official online store) / Jan 22 (directly operated stores and stores nationwide) |
| Official price | JPY 22,000 (incl. tax) |
| Weight | 281g |
| Stack height | About 43.5mm |
| Drop | 8mm |
| Width (men's) | Standard / extra wide |
| Width (women's) | Standard / wide |
| Midsole | FF BLAST PLUS plus PureGEL in the heel |
Drop is the difference between heel and forefoot stack. The 8mm is the same across ASICS' cushion and stability shoes, and it did not move in the 27-to-28 generation change.
Colors: 5 in men's standard and 2 in extra wide.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 28
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 15,015 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 25,300 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Super Sports XEBIOSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping Japanvs the NIMBUS 27: what changed from the previous generation
I put the NIMBUS 27 release (Jan 2025) next to the 28 release.
| Item | NIMBUS 27 | NIMBUS 28 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 301g (calculated) | 281g | About 20g lighter |
| Official price | JPY 20,900 | JPY 22,000 | +JPY 1,100 |
| Upper fabric | Engineered mesh | Engineered knit | Knit name changed |
| Midsole foam | FF BLAST PLUS ECO | FF BLAST PLUS | Sugarcane-based, about 24%, same |
| Men's wide colors | 1 color | 2 colors | +1 color |
Three calculations.
- Share lighter: 20 ÷ 301 = about 6.6%
- Share of price increase: 1,100 ÷ 20,900 = about 5.3%
- Extra paid per gram saved: 1,100 ÷ 20 = JPY 55
"ECO" dropped from the foam's name, but the material description is the same sentence across the 2 generations. The changes you can state in numbers are weight and price.
How they cut 20g: they narrowed where the rubber goes
What readers rarely know is that the rubber on the sole is not one kind. The NIMBUS 28's sole is called HYBRID ASICSGRIP, and it uses 2 rubbers in different places.
- Middle: ASICSGRIP. The official description says it is a rubber that gives grip on various surfaces.
- Toe and heel: AHARPLUS. It is described as wearing about 3 times more slowly than ASICS' conventional rubber.
Rubber is placed only "where needed" to save weight, and grip and durability are said to be on par with the previous model. I read it as: because a strong rubber sits where wear happens, the other area could be reduced.
So what happens? The part that makes the softness under the foot is the same as the 27. As it got lighter, there is one more reason to choose the NIMBUS and one less reason not to.
vs the NOVABLAST 6 and GEL-KAYANO 33
The shoes to weigh against are the NOVABLAST 6, on the same cushion side, and the GEL-KAYANO 33, at the same price.
| NIMBUS 28 | NOVABLAST 6 | Kayano 33 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 281g | 253g | 298g |
| Stack height | About 43.5mm | About 41.5mm | About 40mm |
| Official price | JPY 22,000 | JPY 17,600 | JPY 22,000 |
| Role | Softness | Bounce | Stability |
Gap to the NOVABLAST 6: the NIMBUS 28 is 28g heavier (281 − 253), 2mm thicker (43.5 − 41.5) and JPY 4,400 more (22,000 − 17,600). Converting 28g to full-marathon steps: at a 1m stride one foot leaves the ground about 21,098 times, so 28 × 21,098 = about 591kg.
What you get in return is the PureGEL in the heel and the official cushioning scale one step higher, at Maximum. The NOVABLAST 6 puts the rebound material FF TURBO SQUARED in the forefoot, so it points in a different direction.
- Softness on landing comes first → NIMBUS 28.
- Want lightness, price and a forward feel → NOVABLAST 6. Skip the NIMBUS 28.
- You know your foot rolls inward on landing → the Kayano 33 at the same price.
Gap to the Kayano 33: same price, and the NIMBUS 28 is 17g lighter (298 − 281) and 3.5mm thicker (43.5 − 40). The Kayano 33's contents are covered in the GEL-KAYANO 33 review.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS NOVABLAST 6
The lowest price on Rakuten was JPY 13,200 (as of 10/13). It ranges up to JPY 22,000 depending on the shop. Prices move daily. Try shoes on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit differs by brand, so read the shop's return and exchange terms before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Super Sports XEBIOSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanWhat I like
It chose well where to cut. The shortcut to lightening a cushioned shoe is reducing foam. The NIMBUS 28 skipped that and found the 20g in rubber area. As a number for the softness model, 281g is a weight to be proud of.
Thick, yet the price matches the contents. Divided by weight, it is about JPY 78 per gram (22,000 ÷ 281). Compared with the SUPERBLAST 3, which uses FF LEAP, at about JPY 110 (26,400 ÷ 239), that is about 30% lower.
Protection where wear happens stays. The toe and heel are still AHARPLUS, which wears about 3 times more slowly. Not cutting here in a generation that got lighter is a design I can trust.
Wide range of widths and sizes. Men's goes up to 32.0cm, and extra wide is available. Even wide feet can wear the same softness.
Things to watch
- The price went up. It is JPY 1,100 more than the 27, and the premium for 20g is JPY 55 per gram. If the 27 is left cheap, the gap widens further.
- Heavy among the 4 cushion shoes. It is 28g heavier than the NOVABLAST 6 and 42g heavier than the SUPERBLAST 3 (281 − 239).
- No regular wide in men's. The release's men's widths are 2: standard and extra wide.
Who is it for?
It suits: runners who like soft shoes and were held back only by the NIMBUS's weight. People starting to run, and people aiming to finish a full marathon. Men who need extra wide.
If you have no complaints about the NIMBUS 27, you have time to wear it out first (what changes is weight). For lightness, there are 2 lighter shoes on the same cushion side. For short runs once or twice a week, the NOVABLAST 6, JPY 4,400 cheaper, also fits (the stack differs by 2mm).
Price and where to buy
| Model | Official price | Rakuten price range |
|---|---|---|
| GEL-NIMBUS 28 | JPY 22,000 | JPY 15,015–25,300 |
| GEL-NIMBUS 27 (previous generation) | JPY 20,900 (at release) | JPY 16,390–30,400 |
| NOVABLAST 6 | JPY 17,600 | JPY 13,200–22,000 |
There are 2 ways to buy. If you are willing to pay for the 20g, the 28. If softness is all you want, the 27 is enough while it is in stock. On Rakuten, read the "28" or "27" in the product name so you don't mix up generations.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 28
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 15,015 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 25,300 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Super Sports XEBIOSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping Japan
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 27 (previous generation)
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 16,390 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 30,400 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanFAQ
How does the GEL-NIMBUS 28 fit, and what about width?
Per the official release, men's run 24.5–29.0cm (0.5cm steps) plus 30.0, 31.0 and 32.0cm; women's run 22.5–26.5cm (0.5cm steps). Men's come in standard and extra wide, women's in standard and wide. The upper is a knit whose weave changes by area, with stretch knit on the tongue and collar.
How does the NIMBUS 28 differ from the 27?
The differences are about 20g of weight and the name of the upper fabric; the foam under the foot and PureGEL are the same. If the 27 is left cheap, it comes down to whether to pay the price gap for 20g.
Can the NIMBUS 28 be used on full marathon race day?
Yes, for races where the aim is to finish. The NIMBUS 28 is positioned for "runners aiming to finish a full marathon." The stack is about 43.5mm and there is no plate. How shoes divide by target time is laid out in the pace-based shoe article.
