Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 Review: Same, But The Same

Intro to the Asics Gel-Nimbus 27

ROBBE: I’ve been the cloud king around here for some time now. Or maybe it’s the cloud jester. In the beginning, it was all kind of a joke. When I first started at Believe in the Run, nobody at HQ wanted to run in the Nimbus. I was pulling reviewers out of the depths of the dark abyss, begging them to take on the Nimbus. You know things are bad when I’m asking the trail team and Wide Foot Jarrett to head up the review.

The Nimbus has always been the flagship shoe of the Asics running family (along with the Kayano), and it served as a premium daily trainer with all the best stuff the brand had to offer. But it had become stale and repetitive. Overweight and overbuilt, it ran much like the American government– slow and inefficient. Too much focus on Gel and sell, too little focus on innovation and performance. I’ve personally been in the Nimbus going back to version 22. It wasn’t good, but things were about to change. 

Slowly but surely, Asics started trimming the fat and tightening the sails. The Gel-Nimbus 23 felt like the brand had found a new direction, already signaled by the release of the original Novablast earlier that year.

And then came the Gel-Nimbus 24. I’ll tell you straight up– that was and still is my favorite Nimbus ever. It was the first appearance of Flytefoam Blast+ in the Nimbus, a bouncy midsole foam that just felt fantastic underfoot. It was the first appearance of the knit stretch tongue that still remains to this day, and the upper remains one of my all-time favorites to this day. I held onto that shoe for years before finally donating it last month in an end of year purge and honestly– I kind of regret it. 

That was also the last time the Nimbus had visible Gel, before disappearing it into the heel section, which was the right move. It pains me to say this after petitioning its elimination for years– but it would be kind of cool if it were brought back in the right way, especially combined with a heritage aesthetic. 

In the next version, everything changed and the crowd went wild. No visible Gel, a massive stack of cushion underneath, a simplified upper and shoe altogether. It was a huge hit. Much of that carried on to the Gel-Nimbus 26 and the trend continues with the Gel-Nimbus 27.

Make no mistake, this is a max cushion shoe with 44 mm of Flytfoam Blast+ Eco in the rear and 36 mm in the forefoot (8 mm drop), picking up an extra 2 mm on the stack height over the last version. An all-new engineered jacquard mesh upper is designed to be lighter and more breathable, while the outsole composition of hybrid ASICSGRIP and AHAR+ rubber remains the same. In terms of weight, it lost a tiny bit but remains on the slightly heavier side of things at 10.8 oz. (305 g) for a US M9. 

The field is getting crowded lately, especially with shoes like the Adidas Adizero EVO SL and Mizuno Neo Zen dropping their premium foams into daily training models. Can the Nimbus hang in there? Let’s find out in the review.

MEAGHAN: Robbe gave you a pretty good history lesson of the Gel-Nimbus. I would say my history with the shoe started with version 25, as I was one of the reviewers who raised their hands real quick to opt-out before that. 

Now we’re on version 27, and ASICS has doubled down on the cush. More stack, a new foam formulation (same name), and a new mesh upper. But like a rom-com on Netflix, not everything’s perfect. Let’s break it down.

THOMAS: Robbe is being honest: the Nimbus has never stirred my excitement. The fault doesn’t lie with the shoe—it’s me, not it. I’ve happily passed on reviewing shoes that left me uninspired.

So why take this one? Every now and then, I feel the need to check back, to see if something has changed—something I might be missing. So here we go.

What we like about the Asics Gel-Nimbus 27

ROBBE: I already teased out that my favorite Nimbus is version 24; to me it’s the Griffey, the Kobe, the say-hey Willy Mays. It just holds a special place in my heart. That said, I understood the overhaul that came with the Gel-Nimbus 25. Max cushion was the name of the game, and it still is, which is why the shoe keeps getting bigger. I think, at this point, we can stop.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t some good here. It’s a pretty straightforward daily trainer, with enough cushion and support to take you as far as you need to go. That said, it’s not as cushioned as you think, which is a continuation of the last version (even with an extra 2 mm of stack height). Despite that high stack of foam, it feels like a lot less. This is good if you were worried about having a mattress situation on your hands. It’s soft, but definitely has some road feel, especially in the forefoot. The transitions are relatively smooth, and despite it weighing in on the upper end of the scale for similar shoes in its space, it doesn’t feel too heavy on the run. 

In the upper, Asics did right by keeping the stretch knit tongue that’s been there since the Gel-Nimbus 24. I hope it doesn’t away because it really is one of the best tongues of any shoe out there. 

Asics claims the upper is more breathable, and they’re right. If there was a knock I had agains the 24 or 25, it was that the upper could get a little warm. The engineered jacquard mesh gives a higher degree of ventilation. 

The shoe is also surprisingly stable for something with 45 mm of stack height, thanks in large part to the ultra wide platform it sits on.

MEAGHAN: Asics sent over the cream/mineral beige colorway for review, which had us off to a good start. I’m a big fan of the aesthetics, which are only rivaled by the step-in feel. The new engineered jacquard mesh upper is really nice. It’s breathable, stretchy, and gives your toes room to do their thing. No rubbing, no hot spots — just pure, luxurious snugness, especially around the heel collar. It’s padded like an airplane neck pillow, except you’ll actually enjoy wearing this one. 

While the midsole foam remains the same in terms of its name: Flytefoam Blast+ Eco, the foam itself is designed with a new formulation that’s lighter than the previous iteration. You also get a couple more mm of it underfoot, and you all know I love more stack. The underfoot feel is very similar to the previous versions. It’s soft. You’re not sinking into quicksand, but you’re also not bouncing like a kid on a trampoline – maybe something in between. 

I found myself lacing these up for several 6-8 mile runs and enjoying them throughout. I don’t think I would use this shoe for my long runs, and certainly not for uptempo days, but it’s the perfect cruising companion. 

THOMAS: I appreciate that the Nimbus doesn’t try to surprise you. If you’ve enjoyed the past few versions, the 27 will keep that streak alive.

The upper feels like sinking into an overstuffed couch—plush and comfortable—and the midsole provides stable cushioning that keeps your feet happy all day. The build quality of the Gel Nimbus 27 is solid and dependable.

What we don’t like about the Asics Gel-Nimbus 27

ROBBE: I’ll be honest, I liked the Gel-Nimbus 25, but I certainly didn’t love it. I know a lot of people did, and I get it. But it just wasn’t for me. The Gel-Nimbus 26 was just very okay. And now, I just think I’m done with it. The Superblast 2 is one of my all-time favorite shoes and I can just be content with that. Crazy how things come full circle.

Asics says there’s no difference, but I swear the Eco part of the midsole, made from 24% bio based content, makes a difference in feel. Maybe I’m wrong, because the Superblast 2 also has Flytefoam Blast Eco and I still love that shoe. Whatever the case, I just don’t like the feel of this foam. It’s okay, don’t get me wrong. You can run miles in it. But it’s neither bouncy nor dead, neither soft nor firm, neither max cushion or minimal. It’s just kinda there. But it’s still a lot of foam. A huge block, in fact. 

And if you put a huge block of something under your foot it’s gonna feel– get this– blocky. The base of this shoe is so wide, you could house an entire fleet of aircraft carriers underfoot. I mean, you need a wide base for a high stack of soft foam, but what if we just did away with both and made a normal shoe? Speaking of wide, the upper didn’t sit well with me. It felt roomy, and the new jacquard mesh feels stiff and cheap. Aside from the excellent tongue, it’s very basic, which it shouldn’t be, considering the Nimbus is the premium trainer in the lineup. It feels like it belongs on a Gel-Cumulus.

When it comes to actually running in the shoe, there’s just nothing exciting about it. I tried looking for something, from shorter 6-mile runs to a 15-mile long run, but came up empty. Now you may say: “Hey, it’s a daily trainer, it’s not supposed to be exciting.” Forgive me for my forwardness, but it’s 2025– every shoe can have a little bit of something to be excited about. Adidas is absolutely crushing it in that department by spiking Lightstrike Pro into everything and making it stick, from the Adizero SL 2 ($130) to the Adizero EVO SL ($150) to the newest version of the foam in the Adios Pro 4. For chrissakes, even Brooks has figured it out, using DNA Tuned to create different densities of foam for separate zones in the midsole geometry, which is why the Glycerin Max is so good (and honestly– the Glycerin 22). Asics is just sitting on the Turbo and relegating it to two models in the Superblast 2 and Metaspeed series.

Asking $165 for this shoe is wild. I beg you to pay the extra $35 and get the Superblast. Or save yourself money and get the Mizuno Neo Zen or Adidas EVO SL. Or the Puma Deviate Nitro 3. Or the Topo Athletic Specter 2. I mean, honestly, just get the Asics Novablast 5, because at least it’s more versatile. Every one of these shoes is better and cheaper.

MEAGHAN: I’m all for not ruining a good thing, but this is not much of an update to be excited about. Unlike Robbe, though, I’m not telling you to totally change gears here, just save yourself some money by picking up a previous iteration. I’m sure you can snag v25 or v26 for a bargain.   

THOMAS: There’s not enough distinction between the Nimbus and the Kayano. The wide midsole on the Nimbus 27 provides plenty of stability but gives it a slightly blocky feel. This isn’t the shoe that’s going to make your runs exciting. It’s reliable, yes, but it lacks the spark we’re seeing in other daily trainers.

Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 Conclusion

ROBBE (6 out of 15): Things move fast and the industry is moving faster. Asics had dropped to the back of the pack, then moved to pacing the whole dang thing, and now it’s somewhere in the middle. There are absolute gems in the Superblast and Metaspeed, and there is some very exciting stuff coming in 2025 that we’ve seen. I also was a fan of the Magic Speed 4, which felt like a pretty pure tempo shoe. The Novablast remains solid. But the Gel-Nimbus? It’s just too much and too little, all in the same package. I’m out, for now, but I’m sure I’ll be back when things balance out.

MEAGHAN (12 out of 15): The Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 doesn’t feel like a big departure from the previous two versions. It’s still great for recovery runs, easy days, or even just making your errands feel athletic. Sure, it’s not the fastest shoe in the lineup, but it doesn’t need to be. If you’re looking for a plush ride and you’re okay with carrying a little extra weight, the Gel-Nimbus 27 is a solid pick. 

THOMAS (10 out of 15): The Nimbus 27 does exactly what it sets out to do. It’s the Pepperidge Farm white bread of running shoes—slightly more interesting than Wonder Bread, but still white bread. It’s hard for me to feel enthusiastic about this shoe, but it delivers on its promises: a well-made daily trainer with a premium upper and a smooth ride.

You can pick up the Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 for $165 at Running Warehouse (featuring free 2-day shipping and 90-day returns) using the links below.