Gel Cumulus 28 vs Clifton 11

The Gel Cumulus 28 is Asics at its most dependable: a cushioned, neutral daily training shoe built to soak up easy miles without asking anything clever of your stride. It is not a max-cushion plush ride and it is not a tempo shoe, it sits in the sensible middle as a do-everything running shoe for the bulk of your week. The 13.3mm drop is high by modern standards, which makes it forgiving and natural if you land on your heel, and the gel cushioning under the rear foot takes the sting out of harder landings. At 252g it is no featherweight, but it carries that weight as stability and longevity rather than dead bulk. We rate it as one of the safest first running shoes you can buy, and a reliable second pair for more experienced runners who want a soft, no-drama trainer for recovery days. If you want more pop, look elsewhere. If you want miles, this is it.

The Clifton 11 is Hoka's everyday workhorse: a neutral, cushioned daily training shoe built to soak up easy miles and keep your legs fresh. With a tall 42mm heel and an 8mm drop it sits firmly in the plush-but-usable camp, softer underfoot than the Clifton 10 it replaces. This is a running shoe for base miles, recovery days and long steady efforts, not for chasing splits. At 283g it is not the featherweight the Clifton name once implied, so if you want pop you will look elsewhere. What you get instead is comfort and predictability. It is a sensible first proper trainer and an easy shoe to build a training week around. If your running is mostly relaxed and you want cushioning that lasts the distance, the Clifton 11 is one of the safest picks in the daily category. Just do not expect it to feel fast.