My first foray into one of ASICS’ flagship pairs wasn’t until the 25th edition; it was love at first run. At the time, I had never run in such a comfy shoe, both underfoot and with its super-cozy upper. The shoe was a pleasure to run in, and pampered my tired legs during marathon training. But the pair fell out of favor, as more and more max cushion offerings entered the fray over the past couple years. Now that it’s back on my radar—and feet—after a brief hiatus, how has the ride of this max cushion shoe aged? Let’s get into it, with this ASICS Gel-Nimbus 27 review.
Intro
Let me start off with a compliment — this shoe has no business being this good. There’s nothing flashy about the Gel-Nimbus 27. No plate. No fancy foam. And it’s heavy. Perhaps most damning, it’s not very attractive, quite frankly. Also, its name is kind of lame. Gel-Nimbus? Really? Can we drop the “Gel” already, ASICS? Gel was only cool in the 90’s and early 2000’s when male heartthrobs used it to spike their hair. God, I really miss frosted tips. What’s sexier than tips that are frosted?! And yet, despite all my bitching about the pair, I absolutely love how it feels to run in this shoe.
ASICS claims the soft cushioning properties of the Gel-Nimbus 27 help you feel like you’re landing on clouds. Spoiler: you can’t run on clouds. It’s a physical impossibility. ASICS is lying to you, and I, for one, think they ought to be fined by the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising and misleading consumers. I mean, they have the balls to name not one, but two of their shoes after clouds—the other being the Gel-Cumulus. Gel-Cumulus? Really? Can we drop the “Gel” already, ASICS?
I suppose it’s not as awful as the fraudulence On employs. The desperate Swiss company brazenly copied ASICS by hijacking “clouds” and beginning the name of every single one of their shoes with it. Like the Cloudsurfer, which is another act of physical impossibility. And the Cloudmonster. Oh, I’m so scared! A monster made of…CLOUDS?! But I digress. I’m not here to talk about On today—or any day. They don’t produce shoes in size 15, so they’re dead to me. Unlike On, ASICS is very much alive and well.
ASICS Gel-Nimbus 27 Review
| STACK HEIGHT | WEIGHT | PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| M: 43.5/35.5 mm W: 42.5/34.5 mm (8 mm drop) | M9: 10.8 oz (305 g) W8: 9.3 oz (265 g) | $165 |
Midsole
ASICS added two additional millimeters of their new, lighter formulation of FF BLAST™ PLUS ECO foam to the heel and forefoot, slightly increasing the already colossal stack height of the previous version. Apparently, ASICS isn’t concerned about being labeled sexist; just as in their underrated Glideride Max, the women’s stack height is a whopping 1 mm shorter than the men’s version. It makes sense; only men can handle that much stack.
At 43.5 mm in the heel for the men’s model, this is one of the tallest shoes towering over the roads. For comparison, ASICS’ Superblast super trainer sits at 45 mm in the heel and the Novablast 5 has 41.5 mm. ASICS, please do us math-dyslexic folks a favor: stop including decimals in your stack height measurements. All the other brands create their stack height measurements using whole numbers—much easier to follow! And, honestly, decimals look weak.
Found in the heel is ASICS well-known PureGEL™ technology, promoting soft landings, impact absorption, and smooth transitions. Similar to many plates in shoes, the PureGEL is not visible, so you’ll just have to take ASICS’ word that it’s in there. Or, I suppose you could cut open the shoe to find out, but then it might not be functional after the surgery—if that’s a risk you’re willing to take. Totally up to you. See the above photo for a visual of the PureGEL in the heel.
Ride
Super comfy, plush, and soft without feeling like running in quicksand, the Gel-Nimbus 27 is a tired runner’s dream. It’s the perfect recovery day shoe for sore legs and minimal energy when you need the pair to do a lot of heavy lifting. And that’s exactly what I’ve used it for time and again, during marathon training. I laced these up the day after running a 21-miler (please excuse the not-so-humble brag), and they pampered my tired, sore legs well for six mostly effortless miles.
But it’d be a mistake to think this pair can only tackle easy days. Don’t let its hefty appearance fool you; I’m pleasantly surprised at how responsive the ride is for a max cushion cruiser. Relatively speaking, I can’t believe a shoe of this nature has this much “zing” to it. While it’s no tempo shoe, it’s actually not that difficult to pick up the pace slightly and sustain it for several miles. I often found myself going a bit faster than intended on runs. Honestly, compared to other shoes, I was expecting the ride of the shoe to be rather ordinary and outdated.
Made with 24% bio-based content, the latest formulation of FF BLAST PLUS ECO is a winner, and, somehow, feels much livelier than the mushy PWRRUN PB midsole in Saucony’s max cushioned Triumph 22.
Despite its great amount of comfort, I prefer lighter, bouncier, and more responsive shoes for long runs. For me, this shoe shines brightest for distances of 10 miles and under.
Upper
A soft engineered jacquard mesh upper comfortably wraps the feet for all-day comfort. This is truly one of the most luxurious uppers I’ve ever worn, and it reminds me of the Saucony Hurricane 24 upper. The amazing flexible knit tongue and heel collar do a great job of securing my feet in the shoe. There’s an OrthoLite™ X-55 sockliner, providing additional support. For some godforsaken reason, there’s a godforsaken pull tab on the tongue, in addition to the godforsaken gargantuan one on the heel.
Outsole
The same, familiar HYBRID ASICSGRIP™ outsole, consisting of ASICSGRIP™ rubber and AHARPLUS™ materials, provides great traction and top-tier durability, for a pair you can easily get at least 500 miles out of. I exceeded 400 miles in the Gel-Nimbus 25 and there was minimal visible wear and tear.
Weight
We’ve got a bit of a good news-bad news situation here. Good news: Despite the increase in midsole foam, the weight remains unchanged from the previous model. Great! Bad news: The weight remains quite high at 10.8 ounces for a men’s size 9. Not great! At nearly 11 ounces, it’s one of the heaviest trainers on the market, sharing the identical weight of the Brooks Ghost Max 2. However, the higher weight fits the beefier Gel-Nimbus more appropriately than the Ghost Max, which is marketed more as a versatile daily trainer.
But when you factor in the shoe’s construction and its intended use, it’s not too egregious. The Gel-Nimbus is a shoe that prides itself on its uber-soft landings, high level of comfort, and impact absorption using PureGel technology; it’s not a shoe for speed work. Still, it’s 2025: surely ASICS can get this shoe to 10.5 ounces or under. They can start by chopping off that gigantic heel pull tab.
Aesthetics
Its looks won’t blow you away, or even move you in the slightest. This shoe’s got no “rizz,” as the kids say. But what it lacks in the looks department, it makes up for with its personality on the roads. The Wave Teal/Saxon Green colorway is nothing spectacular, but at least it doesn’t resemble every other colorway currently on the roads.
Price
Given there are no special components to the Gel-Nimbus beyond the PureGEL, like a plate, super foam, or even sex appeal, this shoe should be priced at $160 instead of $165. While still pricey, you’ll get your money’s worth with the abundance of FF BLAST™ PLUS ECO foam and the shoe’s excellent durability. I’d choose this shoe over the aforementioned $160 Saucony Triumph 22. They offer the same level of comfort, but the ride of the Gel-Nimbus has more pop to it.
Conclusion
As shoe technology continues to evolve each year, and the overcrowded max cushion shoe market gets even more crowded, I wondered whether this pair might feel rather ordinary. I’m happy to report, the Gel-Nimbus 27 is still one of the comfiest, most luxurious running experiences currently available.
Despite the tired and cliched “cloud” comparisons, the Gel-Nimbus is perhaps the closest you can get to the sensation of running on—not clouds, that’s impossible—rather, what they represent—a fluffy, pillowy surface, for better or worse. The ultra soft, ultra stacked ride suits me very well, but won’t be for everyone — no shoe is.
The Gel-Nimbus 27 is available on the ASICS website, or wherever you prefer to empty your wallet on shoes.
ASICS graciously provided this shoe to me at no cost for wear testing. I was not compensated for this ASICS Gel-Nimbus 27 Review and ASICS did not get an opportunity to see this ASICS Gel-Nimbus 27 review before I published.
