The On Cloudsurfer 2 is a jogging shoe worth buying now for people who want a light, plateless daily shoe. The deciding points are the 261g lightness and a build where diagonally arranged holes (CloudTec Phase) roll you forward. 9mm drop, JPY 20,900, released Feb 13, 2025. The next generation, the Cloudsurfer 3, went on early release at specialty stores only on Oct 1, 2026.
The Shoe Nerd's top pick
If you want a light daily shoe, you can buy the Cloudsurfer 2 now without waiting for the 3. It is a shoe that fits into 261g with the plate removed and a sole where holes collapse in turn to roll you forward. The announced weight of the 3 is 25g heavier, and what waiting would get you, on the numbers, is only the softness of the new foam.
Key points
- The Cloudsurfer gets heavier with each generation. In the announcement materials, 245g → 260g → 285g
- Sole thickness is 32mm at the heel and 23mm at the forefoot. 4mm thinner at the heel and 7mm at the forefoot than the sibling Max
- Width is 1 only. The sibling Cloudsurfer Max is the one with a wide version
Is the Cloudsurfer 2 worth buying? A shoe that gets heavier with each new generation
The Cloudsurfer 2 is a buy now for people who want a light, plateless daily shoe. The deciding point is the 261g lightness, and the next 3 gets 25g heavier in the announcement materials.
Lining up 3 generations of On's announcement materials, the Cloudsurfer goes 245g, 260g, 285g, heavier with each generation. In the middle is the Cloudsurfer 2. A list of On's 12 models sorted by role is in the article on choosing On running shoes by sole shape.
Cloudsurfer 2 weight and drop? The official numbers
| Item | Official numbers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | Feb 13, 2025 | Tech sheet |
| Price | JPY 20,900 (incl. tax) | Official Japan site |
| US price | $160 | Tech sheet |
| Weight | Men's 261g / women's 225g (per foot) | Official Japan site |
| Stack height | Heel 32mm / forefoot 23mm | Tech sheet |
| Drop | 9mm | Official Japan site / tech sheet |
| Width | One (listed as “Regular”) | Official Japan site |
| Sizes | Men's 25.0 to 31.5cm / women's 22.0 to 28.0cm | Official Japan site |
| Colors | Men's 3 colors / women's 3 colors | Official Japan site |
| Plate | None (the Speedboard was deliberately removed) | Official Japan site |
This shoe is a "daily running shoe." The support field says "neutral" and the running character field says "smooth." The foam is Helion, billed as "a foam excelling in support and stability."
The subtraction of sole thickness (32 − 23 = 9mm) matches the Japan official 9mm drop. Because thickness appears on the tech sheet, it is a shoe easy to line up against other makers' shoes in numbers.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
On Cloudsurfer 2
The lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 20,900 (as of 10/13). Prices change daily. For shoes, the surest test is trying them in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the store's return and exchange terms before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Super Sports XEBIOSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanCompared with the original Cloudsurfer: what changed from the previous generation
The diagonal-hole Cloudsurfer began on Mar 23, 2023. Counting from then, the current one is generation 2, and the just-announced 3 is generation 3.
| Item | Original (2023) | 2 (2025) | 3 (announced 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (men's) | 245g | 260g | 285g |
| Drop | 10mm | 9mm | 8mm |
| Foam | Helion | Helion | Surreal |
| Price | EUR 169.95 | EUR 170 / USD 160 | EUR 170 / USD 160 |
Calculating the difference from the original to the 2: weight up 15g (260 − 245), about 6.1% (15 ÷ 245), and the drop down 1mm. The euro price rose EUR 0.05 (170 − 169.95), which you could call unchanged.
What was the 15g used for? The changes the tech sheet lists are all on the side of lasting longer and feel on the foot.
- Upper: A new mesh. Raised breathability, redid the shape of the tongue, and added embroidery to the lace holes
- Sole rubber: Like the midsole, its shape was set by computer calculation. The tech sheet writes "longer lasting"
- Sole holes: A refinement of CloudTec Phase. A plate is still not included, following the original
The Japan official feature field also lists the same places: "improved tread pattern" and "improved tongue for a better fit." It is a generation change that worked on the shoe as one you wear every day, and it did not move in the direction of cutting weight.
What did not change: how it rolls forward with no plate
What has not changed across the 3 generations is the plateless build. What I most want people to know about this shoe is that the plate was not "unable to be put in" but "made unnecessary."
CloudTec Phase is a shape with the holes in the sole arranged diagonally. The holes "compress in sequence like falling dominoes." The holes collapse in turn from heel to toe, so the theory is that weight shifts smoothly from landing to push-off.
In its 2023 announcement, On writes that this shape made the plate unnecessary and cut weight and discarded material. The shape was decided by a computer calculation called finite element analysis. The Japan official page for the Cloudsurfer 2 also explains "the Speedboard was deliberately removed, and the slope angle of each cavity was subtly varied."
So it becomes a different thing from the "pushed forward" character of a shoe with a plate. The tagline is "a gentle, natural feel."
Cloudsurfer Max and Next compared
There are 3 current road shoes carrying the Cloudsurfer name. Weight and price are the Japan official numbers, and sole thickness is taken from each model's tech sheet.
Scroll the table sideways →
| Model | Weight | Heel / forefoot | Drop | Official price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudsurfer 2 | 261g | 32 / 23mm | 9mm | JPY 20,900 |
| Cloudsurfer Max | 292g | 36 / 30mm | 6mm | JPY 23,100 |
| Cloudsurfer Next | 273g | 30 / 24mm | 6mm | JPY 18,700 |
The Max is 4mm thicker at the heel (36 − 32) and 7mm at the forefoot (30 − 23). The forefoot increases more, so the drop falls from 9mm to 6mm. The Next is 2mm thinner at the heel (32 − 30) and 1mm thicker at the forefoot (24 − 23).
In other words, the 3 are not "different thicknesses." Only the Cloudsurfer 2 has a high heel and a thin front. The Max and Next have a small front-to-back gap.
Differences from the Cloudsurfer Max
The Max stacks diagonal holes in 2 tiers, top and bottom, a shoe for running long distances slowly. The weight gap is 31g (292 − 261). The wide version (Cloudsurfer Max Wide) is also the Max's.
Differences from the Cloudsurfer Next
The Next lists "tempo runs and intervals" among the tech sheet uses. It has a forefoot that rises up to help push-off. It is the cheapest of the 3 and 12g heavier than the Cloudsurfer 2 (273 − 261).
- Your current shoe's drop is 8 to 10mm, and you want 1 daily jogging pair → Cloudsurfer 2
- Many long, slow days. Wide feet → Cloudsurfer Max
- Some days you raise the pace. A smaller drop suits you → Cloudsurfer Next
- Want a plate's push → not the Cloudsurfer line but the Cloudmonster 3
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
On Cloudsurfer Max
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 18,480 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 23,100 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 JapanWhat I like
The 1st is rolling forward without a plate. The diagonal holes collapse in turn, shifting weight smoothly from landing to push-off. It is different from the feel of being pushed by a plate, and suits jogs on days you want to roll on your own legs.
The 2nd is the 261g lightness. The plated daily Cloudmonster 3 is 295g, so it is 34g lighter (295 − 261), about 12% (34 ÷ 295). The plateless build shows directly in the weight.
The 3rd is price position. Price per gram is about JPY 80 (20,900 ÷ 261), under half of the race-oriented Cloudboom Strike 2's about JPY 184 (35,200 ÷ 191).
The 4th is the fine-tuning of the feel. It fixed only what bothers you in daily use: the upper's breathability, the tongue's shape and the sole rubber. Someone the original fit can switch straight over.
The 5th is the range of sizes. Men's is 14 sizes from 25.0 to 31.5cm and women's 13 sizes from 22.0 to 28.0cm. Both in 0.5cm steps.
Things to watch
The first thing I look at is the 9mm drop. It is the largest of On's current road shoes, and differs by a third from the sibling Max and Next at 6mm (3 ÷ 9). For someone used to shoes with a small front-to-back gap, it is a high-heeled shoe.
The 2nd is the 23mm forefoot. It is 7mm thinner than the Max's 30mm. For someone who wants forefoot thickness, the Max fits better even with the same name.
The 3rd is that width is 1 only. No wide version has come out.
The 4th is that it lacks a role for people who want to cover even fast training with 1 pair. The tech sheet's use is "daily training, short to middle distances." There is no plate, and the official category is daily running.
The 5th is that the weight number differs by source. The Japan official page says 261g, the tech sheet 260g (EU 42), and a different-language version 280g (EU 44). When comparing with other makers' shoes, match which size's number you use first.
Who is it for?
- 1 pair for daily jogs. Want a plateless, light-side shoe
- Your current shoes have an 8–10mm drop
- The 2023 Cloudsurfer fit you, and the sole is wearing down
If you are used to a drop of 6mm or less, the Max or Next fits better. There is no wide version, and tempo runs and races go to a separate pair. If you have no complaint about your current daily shoe, wearing it out first is still in time.
Price and how to buy: buy now, or wait for the Cloudsurfer 3
On announced the Cloudsurfer 3 on Sept 15, 2026. It went on early release at running specialty stores only on Oct 1, and writes that full release including on.com and directly operated stores is "early 2027."
The content is a new foam called Surreal. In the announcement, it is lighter, softer and more rebounding than Helion. Combined with the diagonal holes, the calculation results listed are compression 15.5% deeper than with the foam alone and a 9.9% lower peak braking force on landing.
| Shoe | Official price | Rakuten price range | Where to buy now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudsurfer 2 | JPY 20,900 | JPY 20,900 | Official Japan site / retailers |
| Cloudsurfer 3 | USD 160 (announcement materials) | — | Specialty stores only (announcement) |
| Cloudsurfer Max | JPY 23,100 | JPY 18,480–23,100 | Official Japan site / retailers |
Decide whether to wait using 3 numbers.
1. How long you wait. Even if the full release is placed at the earliest, Jan 1, 2027, it is 80 days from today (Oct 13) (the remaining 18 days of October + 30 days of November + 31 days of December + 1 day). If "early" means February or March, it stretches further.
2. Weight. Between announcement materials, the 3 is 285g and the 2 is 260g. 25g more, about 9.6% (25 ÷ 260). For someone who chooses the Cloudsurfer because they want a light daily shoe, the 3 is a generation change in the opposite direction.
3. Price. In dollars, the 2 and 3 are the same USD 160. The 3's price in Japan has not been published. It is not yet at the stage where you can say "if you wait you can buy the new one at the same price."
My conclusion is: buy the Cloudsurfer 2 now. Anyone who needs a daily shoe for this fall and winter's races has no reason to wait over 80 days. The lighter weight also stays in your hands.
The only people who should wait are those whose current shoes last until the new year and who prefer softness over lightness. On writes that it calls the 3 "the softest yet." The 3's numbers are collected in the Cloudsurfer 3 article.
On the Japan official page, you can return it within 30 days if unused, with no shipping charge. On Rakuten, the Next and Max line up in the same search, so read down to whether the product name has a "2."
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
On Cloudsurfer 2
The lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 20,900 (as of 10/13). Prices change daily. For shoes, the surest test is trying them in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the store's return and exchange terms before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Super Sports XEBIOSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanFAQ
How does the Cloudsurfer 2 fit?
You can choose the size as marked. The Japan official field says "Regular. True to size.", and there is 1 width. For people who want width, the Cloudsurfer Max Wide is on the official list.
How do the Cloudsurfer 2 and 3 differ?
Foam and weight. The 3 has the new Surreal foam, and its announced weight of 285g is 25g more than the 2's 260g, with an 8mm drop. For lightness, the 2; for softness on landing, the 3.
How do the Cloudsurfer 2 and the original differ?
What was fixed is the upper's breathability and the shape of the sole rubber; the running character is the same line. In the announcement materials the original is 245g, 15g lighter than the 2, with a 10mm drop, 1mm larger. The price gap is large, and for someone a 10mm drop suits, the original is enough for the role.
Can the Cloudsurfer 2 be used on full marathon race day?
For race day, by how roles are written, the Cloudboom line fits. The Cloudsurfer 2 tech sheet's use is "daily training, road, short to middle distances." If your target is around 4:30, the Cloudboom Max, billed "for those aiming for Sub-4.5"; if you chase time, the Cloudboom Strike 2.
Gear in this article
Ads and images: Rakuten IchibaSources
- On official Japan site: Cloudsurfer 2 (men's)
- On Japan official: Cloudsurfer 2 (women's)
- On tech sheet: Cloudsurfer 2 (SS25)
- On tech sheet: Cloudsurfer (SS23)
- On announcement (Mar 2, 2023): CloudTec Phase
- On announcement (Sep 15, 2026) Cloudsurfer 3
- On tech sheet: Cloudsurfer Max (FW25)
- On tech sheet: Cloudsurfer Next (FW24)
- On Japan official: Cloudsurfer Max
- On Japan official: Cloudsurfer Next
