Gel Cumulus 28 vs Pegasus 42

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 Pegasus 42 is Nike's do-everything daily training shoe, and the 42nd version of the longest-running name in running. It is not a racer and it is not trying to be. This is the shoe you reach for on the easy miles, the steady runs and the commute jogs, the one that just works. The big change for this version is the cushioning: a full-length Air Zoom unit paired with ReactX foam, which Nike claims gives around 15% more energy return than the Pegasus 41. In practice that means a daily running shoe that feels a touch livelier underfoot without losing the dependable, planted feel the Pegasus is known for. It sits in the busiest part of the market, up against the Brooks Ghost and Asics Cumulus, and at £130 it is priced right where most daily trainers land. If you want one road shoe to log the bulk of your weekly mileage, the Pegasus 42 is a safe, sensible pick that rarely puts a foot wrong.