ASICS GEL-Cumulus 18

Name: ASICS GEL-Cumulus 18
Brand: ASICS
Rating: 4.1 (8 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 10.4 oz · 30/20mm stack · 10mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The ASICS GEL-Cumulus 19 replaced it

How it ranks

The ASICS GEL-Cumulus 18 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 is based on 8 runner reviews and 13 other rated shoes in the GEL-Cumulus product line.

Bottom-tier

Overall

Bottom-tier 59

Durability

Decent 76

Cushioning

Decent 71

Comfort

Below average 62

Value

Below average 60

Appearance

Bottom-tier 57

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 is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

91 High

High 91

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“The comfort, fit and durability of the Cumulus has consistently been the best.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 17

“Both of my toes punched through within a couple of weeks.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 22

“The bottom is very rough and can cause blisters for toes with short orthotics.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

“A little heavy and this caused some calf and ankle pain.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for middle distance

“Good daily training shoe with a lot of cushion which means they're on the heavier side.”

4/5 Full review 75 mpw training for a marathon

“I get blisters on the back of my heel when first running in them.”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 17

“Every one was unpleasant due to Achilles pain.”

1/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Guide 10

“Doesn't have a ton of treadlife on gravel.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 22

“After wearing these for just half a week I felt no pain.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

“Neutral but have a good amount of cushioning.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon

“Perfect on bike paths and pavement.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 22

“They are pretty expensive.”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 17

Prefer this shoe over another

36% 5/14

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Comfort and durability both average 4.4 out of 5 across eight reviews, and the seven who rated cushioning give it 4.1.
Three reviewers who have run in ASICS for years say the fit and cushioning keep them coming back to the Cumulus.

Cons

Averaging 10.4 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is heavier than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers for sale, and two reviewers call it heavy.
Four of the eight reviewers who answered report an injury while running in it.
One reviewer gets heel blisters until it breaks in, another blisters from the rough footbed under short orthotics, and a third has the toes punch through within weeks on gravel.

GEL-Cumulus 18 rates 59. This shoe has high confidence. 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

54 2012 53 49 2014 52 59 2016 51 50 2018 61 61 2020 70 75 2022 57 73 2024 75

Release year

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

GEL-Cumulus 27

2025 · 0 reviews

75 Decent

77 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 26

2024 · 9 reviews

73 Decent

83 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 25

2023 · 16 reviews

57 Bottom-tier

91 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 24

2022 · 3 reviews

75 Decent

83 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 23

2021 · 0 reviews

70 Decent

77 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 22

2020 · 1 review

61 Below average

82 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 21

2019 · 14 reviews

61 Below average

93 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 20

2018 · 12 reviews

50 Bottom-tier

93 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 19

2017 · 7 reviews

51 Bottom-tier

91 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 18 This shoe

2016 · 8 reviews

59 Bottom-tier

91 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 17

2015 · 6 reviews

52 Bottom-tier

84 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 16

2014 · 37 reviews

49 Bottom-tier

97 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 15

2013 · 48 reviews

53 Bottom-tier

97 Confidence
GEL-Cumulus 14

2012 · 2 reviews

54 Bottom-tier

92 Confidence

Runner Ratings

8 ratings

5/5 4

4/5 3

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 1

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 10.4 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 11.1 oz · Women's 9.6 oz
Release: 2016 Q3
MSRP: $120
Stack: 30/20mm
Drop: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

My third pair and they don’t disappoint

5/5

Overall

I tried to start running again in a different brand of shoe and got injured instantly. These shoes are neutral but have a good amount of cushioning, I immediately felt the difference. I had previously run a marathon in this model, should have stuck with what I knew. These shoes are great!

Anonymous runner · Jul 24, 2019

20 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Asics Cumulus 18

5/5

Overall

I've been running in Asics for the majority of the last 25 years. I have tried other shoes with mixed results from other brands, but the comfort, fit and durability of the cumulus has consistently been the best and keep coming back to it.

Anonymous runner · Sep 30, 2018

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 17

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