![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ASICS-GEL-Cumulus-27-men-1024x507.png\")
<\/figure>What\u2019s New: <\/strong>To be honest, not much has changed since the release of last year\u2019s Gel-Cumulus 26. It has a similar midsole (FlyteFoam BLAST+ with Pure Gel inserts in the heel), similar design specs, and a similar outsole with a slightly enhanced (more breathable, more supportive, more comfortable) engineered mesh upper. But the minor changes were all this shoe needed.<\/p> Fit\/Feel\/Ride: <\/strong>The Gel-Nimbus 27 fits true to size with a medium interior volume and a toe box with plenty of wiggle room. The step-in feel is pretty average with a little bit of softness, but it\u2019s definitely not uncomfortable. The soft gusseted tongue wraps the top of the foot to help create a locked-down fit with the upper. The ride is smooth, stable, and consistent, and it easily transitions from soft-ish shock-absorbing heel-strikes to a semi-firm feeling through the toe-off phase of a stride. It\u2019s certainly not bouncy, but it can offer a bit of snappy responsiveness at faster paces.<\/p> Why It\u2019s Great: <\/strong>It\u2019s pretty great at doing everything pretty well. While some shoe-testers have bashed this shoe as being boring, that\u2019s what makes it great for me. It\u2019s a comfortable, versatile, and durable trainer that can be a good addition to your shoe quiver if you want a break from the marshmallow feeling of high-stacked max-cushioned trainers. While it doesn\u2019t have the massive stack height of the Gel-Nimbus 27 or the bounciness of the Novablast 5, it offers a good blend of softness and stability. I liked it most because it offered a happy medium or perhaps a more balanced makeup compared to the heavier, cushier, and typically less stable shoes with super-thick midsoles. (The inherent stability of the Gel-Cumulus 27 comes from the semi-firm sensation from the midsole and a moderately wide footprint.)<\/p> Specs<\/strong><\/p> Weight: <\/strong>8.1 oz. (women\u2019s size 8), 9.2 oz. (men\u2019s size 9)<\/p> Heel-Toe Offset:<\/strong> 8mm; women: 37.5mm (heel), 29.5mm (forefoot); men: 38.5mm (heel), 30.5mm (forefoot)<\/p> Why You\u2019ll Love It:<\/strong> If you\u2019re only interested in running in very bouncy, maximally cushioned shoes, you won\u2019t think the Gel-Nimbus 27 is very special. But if you perhaps quietly crave a slightly lower-to-the-ground shoe that offers a smooth-rolling sensation and the ability to \u201cfeel\u201d the ground, you might like this shoe quite a bit. That proprioceptive connection to the ground \u2013 something that is generally muted in higher-stacked shoes \u2013 gives this shoe a bit more versatility than many daily trainers. It\u2019s not a speed demon of a shoe by any means, but I found it easy to switch gears and roll from a moderate Zone 3 pace to a spicier Zone 4 tempo pace in a pinch. On a recent 10-miler, I ran the first half at a calm, under-control pace and then ran the last half at a punchier clip that was probably 30 seconds faster per mile.<\/p> What It\u2019s Best For: <\/strong>I\u2019ve found the Gel-Cumulus 27 best for Zone 2 and Zone 3 training paces, but I\u2019ve also used it for Zone 1 (recovery runs) and Zone 4 (tempo and fartlek efforts). It\u2019s plenty comfortable for long runs and is light and lean enough to run some faster paces.<\/p> Pro:<\/strong> At $140, this shoe might not be a bargain per se, but it does pack a lot of value, most notably the comfort and durability. Plus, it is $20-$30 cheaper than most \u201cpremium\u201d daily training shoes (for example the Gel-Nimbus 27) and at least on par with similar shoes in this category, like the New Balance 880 v15, Nike Pegasus 41, and the Saucony Ride 18.<\/p> By Brian Metzler Let\u2019s face it, running shoes aren\u2019t cheap nowadays, and related to that theme, most are outrageously cushioned with new super foams. While we all love the energetic cushioning of modern midsole foams most of the time, sometimes it can be a bit much. And if you\u2019re been running for more than a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1158,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_breakdance_hide_in_design_set":false,"_breakdance_tags":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gear-reviews"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1157"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1160,"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1157\/revisions\/1160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sixminutemile.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Con:<\/strong> My biggest complaint about the Gel-Cumulus 27 is that it feels a bit flat. There is a good amount of shock-absorbing cushioning, but it doesn\u2019t have the forefoot spike of energy return of most modern trainers. While that might be a non-starter for many runners, it\u2019s not necessarily a reason to disregard the shoe entirely, given that part of that sensation is tied to this shoe\u2019s inherent stability and better-than-average feel for the ground.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"