I ran 35 miles in the Asics Gel-Cumulus 27 — here’s my verdict

The Asics Gel-Cumulus 27 is a comfortable daily trainer with a balanced ride that will work for a wide variety of runners. It sits below the Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 in the Asics range as a cheaper cushioned shoe with a lower stack and also has a firmer ride.

I enjoyed my easy runs in the Gel-Cumulus 27, but it’s not a versatile shoe and lacks punch for faster efforts. It isn’t as bouncy as comfortable as the Gel-Nimbus 27 or the Asics Novablast 5, which is the same price.

Along with the two Asics alternatives, the best running shoes from other brands also offer more enjoyable rides for daily training, with the Hoka Clifton 10 and Puma Velocity Nitro 3 being better daily trainers in my view. The Gel-Cumulus 27 is a reliable workhorse, but it wouldn’t be my top pick from a crowded area of the market.

Asics Gel-Cumulus 27 review: price and availability

The Asics Gel-Cumulus 27 launched in March 2025 and costs $140 in the U.S. and £140 in the U.K., which is the same price as the Asics Novablast 5 and cheaper than the Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 ($165 / £180). It’s around the same price as other mid-range cushioned shoes like the Nike Pegasus 41, Brooks Ghost 16, and Hoka Clifton 10.

Asics Gel-Cumulus 27 review: design and fit

The Asics Gel-Cumulus 27 is currently available in nine colors and three widths, with wide and extra wide options along with the standard shoe. I found that it fit me well in my normal running shoe size with no hotspots or looseness around the heel and midfoot.

Although it is a highly-cushioned shoe, standing 38.5mm tall at the heel and 30.5mm at the forefoot in the men’s shoe (37.5mm/29.5mm in the women’s), the Gel-Cumulus 27 is not as maxed out on this front as the Gel-Nimbus 27 and Novablast 5, both of which are over 40mm at the heel. All three shoes have the same 8mm drop.

The lower stack does mean the Gel-Cumulus 27 is lighter than the Gel-Nimbus 27 though. It’s 9.7oz in my US men’s size 10, exactly the same weight as the Novablast 5, whereas the Nimbus is 11oz.

Upper

Asics didn’t make many changes to the Gel-Cumulus 27 compared with the 26, but the upper is a newly engineered mesh, and there’s now a heel tab on the shoe to make it easier to pull on and off.

It’s not the most breathable upper, but I found it comfortable, especially at the back of the shoe thanks to the padded heel collar.

Midsole

The midsole on the Gel-Cumulus 27 is made from FF Blast+ foam, with a small PureGel insert at the heel of the shoe as well. It’s a balanced foam that provides protection without being soft or squishy, but lacks much in the way of bounce and doesn’t feel very responsive at faster paces.

Outsole

The FluidRide outsole on the Gel-Cumulus 27 is made from a blend of rubber and EVA, with grooves carved in to improve traction. The grip has been fine on my runs, and I’ve not seen any major signs of wear and tear yet, though I always worry about the durability of rubberized foam outsoles like this compared to rubber.

Asics Gel-Cumulus 27 review: running performance

I used the Gel-Nimbus 27 for a variety of training runs, mostly at an easy pace which is where the shoe felt best. It doesn’t give a lot back when running faster I found, and even though it’s not particularly heavy I didn’t find it a versatile option because of the dull foam.

At easy paces, the Gel-Cumulus 27 feels comfortable and rolls through smoothly. Although it’s not a max-stack shoe like the Gel-Nimbus 27 it still certainly has enough foam underfoot to provide a protective ride.

The foam isn’t soft and springy, and the other cushioned shoes in Asics’s range have livelier rides. The Gel-Cumulus 27 is more stable though, thanks to its wide base, firmer foam, and lower stack height.

While it’s unlikely to wow you with how it feels on the run, the Gel-Cumulus 27 is also unlikely to offend. The ride is balanced and will suit runners of all levels, but it’s not a great all-rounder because of its lack of speed, and there are plenty of shoes I find more enjoyable for easy runs.

Should you buy the Asics Gel-Cumulus 27?

The Asics Gel-Cumulus 27 is a good running shoe available at a reasonable price but doesn’t do enough to stand out from the crowd within Asics’ own range, let alone on the market at large.

It does provide a good alternative to the Gel-Nimbus 27, being lighter, cheaper, and lower in stack height, but the Asics Novablast 5 is the same price and has a more energetic and fun ride for any kind of run.

Even if you don’t want to go for a max-stack shoe like the two Asics alternatives, the Brooks Glycerin 22 and Puma Velocity Nitro 2 have a similar setup to the Gel-Cumulus 27 but with better midsole foams that deliver more energy return for fast runs in particular.

If you do pick up the Gel-Cumulus 27 I don’t doubt it will carry you through a lot of happy miles, but I’d opt for several other shoes ahead of it at the moment.