On developed the super-soft Surreal foam in-house to give the new Cloudsurfer 3 running shoe a plush ride
Popular Science...
The new On’s Cloudsurfer 3 feels soft the second you step into it. Massive cushioning has been the trend in running shoes for some time now, but even in a sea of massive midsoles, On’s new shoe feels very cushiony. Despite all that squish, it’s still supportive, which doesn’t always come with a midsole this plush. The $160 daily trainer is where On introduces Surreal, a foam the company formulated in-house, and On lists it at specialist running retailers starting October 1.
On’s headline-grabbing shoes have leaned on manufacturing and race-day tech, from the robot-sprayed upper on the LightSpray CloudMonster 3 Hyper to the Cloudboom Strike 2 marathon racer. The Cloudsurfer 3 goes after easy, recovery, and long runs instead. It’s the third generation of On’s cushioned everyday shoe, following the Cloudsurfer 2 from February 2025.
What Surreal changes about the foam
On says Surreal is 15.5 percent softer and 23.3 percent more responsive than Helion, its previous everyday running foam. Softness and responsiveness matter as a pair in a daily trainer, since foam that compresses easily doesn’t always give energy back when you push off.
On formulated Surreal at its Foam Competency Center in Zurich. The percentages, along with a 15 percent weight savings over Helion, come from internal Finite Element Analysis simulations of virtual prototypes. That makes them On’s modeling, not independent test data, and a finished shoe on a runner may behave differently. In the real world, however, my son has been running in them (while I rehab a demolished achilles tendon) and he corroborates that report. After two weeks of regular training runs, he has appreciated the cushioning and responsiveness for everyday miles.
CloudTec Phase gets reoriented
CloudTec Phase is the set of holes On calls Clouds, built into the foam so the midsole compresses in sequence as your foot moves. On’s simulations show the redesigned geometry allows 15.5 percent deeper compression than Surreal alone and a 9.9 percent drop in peak braking force, the maximum resistance to forward motion, versus un-engineered superfoam. You can see the structures compressing with every step, even when walking, but it doesn’t harmfully affect the geometry or the fit.
The shoe has an 8mm drop, 1mm lower than the Cloudsurfer 2’s 9mm, and On lists the weight at 285 grams in a men’s size 8.5. The upper is an evolved warp knit mesh that On says adapts to your foot while holding it in place.
$160 and a specialist-store start
At $160, the Cloudsurfer 3 costs what the Cloudsurfer 2 did when it launched, so the new foam doesn’t come with a price increase. On pre-launched the shoe exclusively at specialist running retailers on October 1, and it reaches on.com and On’s own retail stores in early 2027.
It’s a road shoe, so look elsewhere in On’s lineup for trails. The standard width fits true to size, according to On, and a wide-fit version follows in early 2027. If you need extra room, On suggests trying a pair on in a store first.
On Cloudsurfer 3 $160
On Cloudsurfer 3 $160
On calls the Cloudsurfer 3 its softest run yet. It weighs 285 grams in a men’s size 8.5 on an 8mm drop, and it’s built around Surreal foam and the reoriented CloudTec Phase layout. It pre-launched at specialist running retailers October 1, with a wide-fit version and on.com sales due in early 2027.
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