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ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 25 Performance Review

Highlight:

  1. Following GEL-NIMBUS , GEL-CUMULUS 25 also upgrade the insole technology.
  2. GEL-CUMULUS 25 has several colorways for your choice.

The famous ASICS running shoes series are GEL-NIMBUS and GEL-CUMULUS.

The designer of GEL-CUMULUS 25 Robert Fay aka Bob Fay “Re-engineer form the ground up and get bold with Cumulus”. ASICS brought the lessons learned from NIMBUS to CUMULUS development. GEL-CUMULUS 24 uses the FF Blast technology. Then the GEL-CUMULUS 25 uses the lighter and more resilient FF BLAST PLUS technology and brand-new PureGEL to meet the current trends in the running shoes’ market. The appearance is also different with previous series.

The distribution of outsole wear-resistant rubber is more streamlined for light weight. It also emphasis on the area where is easy to be abraded.

The configuration of GEL-NIMBUS 25 is similar with GEL-CUMULUS 25. Both of them uses FF BLAST PLUS material with PureGEL on the important area to improve the cushion. The drop height is also about 8mm. But the insole thickness of GEL-CUMULUS 25 is about 4mm thinner.

GEL-CUMULUS 25 emphasis on feedback and the propulsive feedback. And GEL-NIMBUS 25 emphasis on resilience.

The characteristics of GEL-CUMULUS 25:

*The insole uses full-length FF BLAST PLUS technology

*The shoe heel has built-in PureGEL. Comparing with traditional GEL, it’s about 65% softer.

*The outsole uses AHAR with wear-resisting rubber

*The drop height is about 8mm (the height of half sole is 18mm and the height of shoe heel is 26mm)

*The unit weight of women’s size US8 is about 231g.

The unit weight of men’s size US9 is about 263g.

*There are several colorways for your choice.

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Asics GEL-NIMBUS17 Performance Review

Ever since I fell in love with running I’ve been keeping a close eye on Asics. After all, having good equipment is one of the keys to success. Just a few days ago, the NIMBUS 24 has become available in China while the NIMBUS 17 has become some kind of historical collection. Being my fifth Asics shoes, NIMBUS 17 has witnessed many great moments of my life and I felt it necessary to memorize the classical work of Asics.

I got NIMBUS 17 by chance for it was sent to me as a present from my friends. However, I had only a nodding acquaintance with NIMBUS at the time and had little awareness that the shoe’ cushion would be that wonderful. The first impression it gave me when I put it on was that it was so comfortable and elastic that I thought no CUMULUS was better than it.

The colorway of this NIMBUS 17 is gray and blue, making it more than suitable for both running and daily wearing. The vamp is made of engineering cloth and the surface is decorated with a logo and some decorative patterns, which has played its maximum function in offering support. Besides that, the patterns are reflective and the overall texture of the vamp is good, worthy of its title of being a top running shoe.

The midsole adopts the widely enjoyed FLUIDRIDE and GEL, aiming to offer the state-of-the-art comfort. However, it is a pity that the later works of NIMBUS series cannot be compared with NIMBUS 17 in this respect, whose midsoles have become harder and harder. It was not until in NIMBUS 23 that I found the similar comfort given by its midsole. NIMBUS 17 is also equipped with a counter at the heel with reflective material, which is hard enough to support its wearer. However, when it comes to the GEl, I’ve seen many complaints from buyers online that said they were displeased with its heavy weight. From my perspective, however, good cushioning is much more important than being lightweight for a pair of running shoes.

If you happen to have some NIMBUS shoes, you’ll feel that the setups in the outsole are quite familiar. In the fore part, it is the AHAR rubber that is soft, lightweight and offers good grip even if on wet roads. As for the rear part, it is the AHAR+ rubber which is surprisingly durable and suitable to most joggers who are used to landing on their heels. According to many reviewers, it is only the rubber of mizuno X10 that is comparable with AHAR+ rubber.

For a runner like me who weighs 90kg, a pair of shoes with nice cushion is a must and this NIMBUS17 appeared just in time. Last year when the shoes finally worn out, it dawned on me that it has accompanied me along the running “journey” of 1364 km. However, by around the 800-km mark, the shoe’s initial excellent rebound had all but disappeared. And by the 1000-km, the rubber of the fore part of the outsole had become as smooth as silk.

The super thick insoles have also done a great job. They contribute quite a lot to improving the comfortness of the shoes, which are barely seen in the market nowadays.

The shoes have also their disadvantages, not least the inner materials that wear out easily, which has little bearing on me though. Besides, the glue in the toe fails relatively easily, but this can also be fixed with glue, causing no inconvenience to running.

Overall:

As a pair of running shoes with top cushion , NIMBUS17 is a good choice for heavy runners for their daily training, jogging or daily wearing. In recent years, I have successively purchased some more works of NIMBUS series, but I must own that N17 is the best among them and deserves all the praise it has earned.