ASICS GEL-Cumulus 21

Name: ASICS GEL-Cumulus 21
Brand: ASICS
Rating: 4.6 (14 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 10.1 oz · 10mm drop · 29/19mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The ASICS GELCumulus 21 Winterized replaced it

How it ranks

The ASICS GEL-Cumulus 21 trails most daily trainers in our data. Durability and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 14 runner reviews and 12 other rated shoes in the GEL-Cumulus product line.

Bottom-tier

56/100

Overall

Bottom-tier 56

Durability

Decent 80

Cushioning

Decent 77

Comfort

Decent 71

Value

Below average 64

Appearance

Bottom-tier 50

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

90/100

High 90

What runners say

“Not as durable as some other shoes; will struggle to get to 500 miles but can most likely get a quality 400 miles out of them”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a marathon

“I felt like sinking at every step due to the softness of the sole”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 22

“The bottom tread has lasted much longer than many of my other shoes”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw came from the Skechers GOrun 7+

“Very comfortable, with a lot of padding around the foot, front to back”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 22

“It seems like the Cumulus often has a little too much room in the toe-box”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GT-1000 8

“Very difficult to pick up speed and keep a faster pace”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 22

“The rubber outsole wears to the plastic midsole a little quicker than I would like”

4/5 Full review 10 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 32

“I have ran over 300 miles in it and it has held up so well”

5/5 Full review 32 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas AlphaBounce RC 2

“Its weight more on the heavy side and its lack of responsiveness”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 22

“I'm pulling 50 miles a week on the Asics and I am injury free”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

24% 5/21

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Comfort averages 4.6 out of 5 across fourteen reviews, with cushioning and value both at 4.4.
Two reviewers report 300 to 400 miles from a pair, one of them saying the tread lasts longer than their other shoes.
One reviewer with wide feet praises the fit.

Cons

Appearance averages 3.9 out of 5, the lowest of its dimensions, and one reviewer calls the colorways ugly.
Three reviewers say the outsole wears through or that it does not last as long as they would like.
One reviewer finds it soft and heavy and hard to pick up pace in until about 100km, and another finds the toe box too roomy.

GEL-Cumulus 21 rates 56. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the ASICS GEL-Cumulus

Each dot is one version of the GEL-Cumulus, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

51 2012 51 48 2014 49 57 2016 49 47 56 2019 51 68 49 2023 63 57 2025

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

GEL-Cumulus 27

2025 · 0 reviews

57 Bottom-tier

66 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 26

2024 · 9 reviews

63 Below average

80 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 25

2023 · 16 reviews

49 Bottom-tier

94 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 24

2022 · 3 reviews

68 Below average

52 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 22

2020 · 1 review

51 Bottom-tier

74 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 21 This shoe

2019 · 14 reviews

56 Bottom-tier

90 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 20

2018 · 12 reviews

47 Bottom-tier

95 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 19

2017 · 7 reviews

49 Bottom-tier

92 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 18

2016 · 8 reviews

57 Bottom-tier

87 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 17

2015 · 6 reviews

49 Bottom-tier

87 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 16

2014 · 37 reviews

48 Bottom-tier

98 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 15

2013 · 48 reviews

51 Bottom-tier

97 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 14

2012 · 2 reviews

51 Bottom-tier

91 Confidence

Reader Ratings

14 ratings

5/5 9

4/5 5

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 10.1 oz
Release: 2019 Q2
MSRP: $120
Stack Height: 29mm heel - 19mm toe
Drop Height: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Great but not Amazing Shoe

5/5

Overall

I've worn through this shoe a couple times... great shoe. I prefer a more basic, durable shoe such as the GT-1000, but the cushioning on the Cumulus is great! My only complaint is that it seems like the Cumulus often has a little too much room in the toe-box.

Anonymous runner · Jul 10, 2019

45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GT-1000 8

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 4/5

I've Run in the Same Shoe for 20 years

5/5

Overall

This shoe has worked for me for ever so I don't change it. The only time I wear different shoes is to race - I've been using the Nike 4% for racing. Otherwise - I'm pulling 50 miles a week on the Asics and I am injury free.

Anonymous runner · Jul 9, 2019

50 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 9, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Asics review

4/5

Overall

Good running shoe with sufficient cusioning but doesnt have a long lifespan

Anonymous runner · Jul 8, 2019

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Took my shoe to the dogs

5/5

Overall

I recently adopted 2 Maltipoos. They are 11 and 13 pints and about 12 inches long. They may be small by they are mighty and fast. I had been walking them but as they grew I realizes I needed to walk faster. My feet started Blisters and callous so bad I was referred to podiatrist. He give me some pads and told me to get new shoes. So I started walking with my little puppies. Now we are going 3 miles a day. And no new blisters!!!!!

Anonymous runner · Jul 5, 2019

20 mpw