REASONS TO BUY
Ultra-padded
Breathable
Soft upper and lace bed
REASONS TO AVOID
Spongy underfoot feel
Heavy
Lacks responsiveness
Less stable
Asics Gel-Nimbus 26 - Women's Review
While these heavily cushioned shoes provide comfort during extended runs, they fall short in terms of versatility
This super-stacked shoe might be a good choice for runners who want to go overboard on the underfoot cushion.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
RELATED: Best Running Shoes for Women of 2024
Our Verdict
The Asics Gel-Nimbus 26 rides like a personal, cushioned runway beneath your feet. These shoes boast an underfoot cushion that's so generous you might just mistake it for a marshmallow buffet. However, the Gel-Nimbus isn't exactly the queen of arch support or responsiveness. The pillowy 41 mm platform is dialed for runners looking for a max-stacked daily runner, but when it comes to agility, it's more like a dance party in moon boots — visualize it. If your running needs steer you toward ample cushion and you're willing to trade out agility, the Gel-Nimbus will keep you running comfortably. If your needs are a bit more nuanced, we recommend seeking out a more versatile pair of runners with higher scores across the board.
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 This Product
Asics Gel-Nimbus 26 - Women's | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Running Shoe for Women |  Best Value for a Women's Road Running Shoe |  Most Versatile Road Running Shoe | Best Stability-Focused Road Running Shoe | |
| Price | $119.95 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $120.93 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $89.95 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $140.00 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $99.98 at Dick's Sporting Goods Compare at 4 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | These intensely padded shoes are comfortable for long runs but lack the versatility of high-performing runners | This running shoe offers the performance technology and comfort needed to be your go-to shoe, no matter your running goals | Affordable and minimally-minded, the updated Kinvara is a great everyday shoe that is suitable for a myriad of running situations | For epic versatility in a single shoe, we recommend this lightweight superstar | The structure and comfort of this shoe make it a highly recommended option for long distance runners who want a reliable road running steed |
| Rating Categories | Asics Gel-Nimbus 26... | Asics Novablast 4 -... | Saucony Kinvara 15... | Hoka Mach 6 - Women's | Brooks Adrenaline G... |
| Landing Comfort (30%) | |||||
| Responsiveness (20%) | |||||
| Stability (15%) | |||||
| Upper Comfort (15%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Traction (5%) | |||||
| Specs | Asics Gel-Nimbus 26... | Asics Novablast 4 -... | Saucony Kinvara 15... | Hoka Mach 6 - Women's | Brooks Adrenaline G... |
| Measured Weight | 8.67 oz | 7.36 oz | 5.44 oz | 6.27 oz | 8.21 oz |
| Measured Heel Stack Height | 41 mm | 38 mm | 27 mm | 33 mm | 33 mm |
| Measured Heel-to-Toe Drop | 10 mm | 8 mm | 3 mm | 7 mm | 10 mm |
| Plate Type | None | None | None | None | None |
| Rocker Angle | 21.5 deg | 22.0 deg | 25.0 deg | 24.5 deg | 26.5 deg |
| Rocker Apex Location | 70.6% | 69.5% | 64.7% | 65.4% | 71.4% |
| Style | Daily Trainer | Daily Trainer | Daily Trainer | Daily Trainer | Daily Trainer |
| Upper | Engineered knit mesh | Engineered knit mesh | Mesh | Creel jaqquard | Engineered air mesh |
| Midsole | FF BLAST PLUS ECO | FF Blast Plus Eco | PWRRUN | Supercritical EVA | DNA Loft v2 |
| Outsole | AsicsGrip rubber | AHAR outsole | Rubber | Rubber | Rubber |
| Heel Tab Type | Finger loop | Finger loop | None | Extended heel pull | None |
| Sizes Available | 5 - 13 US, regular | 5 - 12 US, regular | 5 - 12 US, regular |
5 - 11 US, regular & wide | 5 - 13 US, narrow, medium, wide & extra wide |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
With a wide, 4.59-inch outsole, 10 mm drop profile, unrelenting cushion, and a soft and stretchy upper, the Asics Gel-Nimbus is a comfortable shoe for long, arduous road miles.
The Gel-Nimbus 26 has taken underfoot cushion and stack to entirely new heights - 41 mm in the heel, to be exact.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Landing Comfort
The Asics Gel-Nimbus takes “soft landing” to a whole new level, spoiling your soles with an overreaching cushioning extravaganza. While this pair of kicks scored well in this metric, the underfoot stack feels overdone, somewhat spongy, and, ultimately, like it is absorbing the energy of your footfalls instead of returning it. With a total rear stack of 41 mm and a forefoot stack of 31 mm, this shoe is great for slow cruising runs. If you spend a lot of time pounding pavement and specifically want a shoe with a fat stack of protection, the Gel-Nimbus might hit just right. However, some other shoes are just as cushy and score higher across the board.
We measured the thickness of the heel and forefoot to ensure the manufacturer's claims were correct. They were, with the heel standing at a chunky 41 mm and the forefoot at a still-chunky 31 mm.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Responsiveness
While the Gel-Nimbus 26 has certainly mastered the art of cushioning, its responsiveness is quite lacking. The underfoot sponge that makes each step a soft delight also means that the nimbleness takes a backseat. If you're looking for shoes that can keep up with sudden bursts of speed or quick maneuvers around corners, the Nimbus will likely seem too cushy for the job. While we enjoyed the sensation of walking and executing meandering runs in these kicks, we struggled to truly get moving in them. Speeding up felt like trying to do a sprint on a memory foam mattress — comfortable, yet not especially effective.
The forefoot is designed for strong energy return, but when married to the spongy stack, we found it lacking responsiveness.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Stability
The Nimbus is a neutral runner that lacks some of the built-ins that create a super stable shoe. It holds its own in the stability metric because it has a wide base of support, but its structure doesn't necessarily hold up to the demands that many runners need, especially because of how high it sits above the ground. The Gel-Nimbus does come prepared with a secret weapon — plump heel collars. These substantial heel collars provide a reliable anchor for your rear foot, locking it in for a little less squirminess. Even though the inner tube-like heel collar liner is supportive, when coupled with the silky and flexible upper, the shoe feels imbalanced. Runners who overpronate and know they need extra support should avoid the Nimbus for this reason.
With so much stack below the platform, it is no wonder the Nimbus is one of the heavier shoes in our lineup.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Upper Comfort
The upper of the Nimbus has a luxurious feel that starkly contrasts the less comfortable demands of running. The upper comfort of this shoe is a highlight, with a pillowy heel collar, silky-smooth laces, and a plump lace bed. The abundance of padding in the heel collar almost feels too thick. The upper textile is soft and stretchy, a sensation that some runners love but we don't. This iteration's upper is more breathable than many of the current shoes in our lineup, but not so much that it negates the otherwise basicness of this well-padded plodder.
The soft and stretchy upper of the Nimbus is one of the more breathable uppers we've tested this season.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Weight
It's no surprise that the Nimbus is a hefty shoe. Each women's size 6.5 shoe weighs 8.67 ounces. This isn't outside of the realm of normal when it comes to maximalist shoes, but two of them add up to a significant amount of extra weight to be lugging around on your long runs. However, the weight is well-distributed, so if you like the other attributes of the Nimbus, its weight shouldn't be a dealbreaker.
The Nimbus weighs more than others because it has so many more comfort-related features than many popular running shoes.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Traction
Though this shoe falls short when compared to some of the tech-heavy kicks that are on the market today, it's not bad when it comes to traction. Ready for inclement weather, the Nimbus and its reconfigured traction pattern do well on rainy roads. Since the weight and mushiness of the shoe prevent you from reaching top speeds, the risk of skidding across gravel around hairpins is simply taken out of the equation.
The updates outsole pattern helps this shoe stay solid on damp roads.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Should You Buy the Asics Gel Nimbus 26?
The Nimbus is a shoe worth considering for long plodding runs, but who wants their long runs to feel plodding? While Asics has made huge strides in the world of maximalist shoes, the Nimbus lacks some of the high-tech thoughtfulness that its higher-scoring counterparts contain. If you want a road running shoe to add to your rotation, consider the Nimbus. If you are looking to purchase only one pair of running shoes, we have plenty of more versatile recommendations for you to choose from.
The Nimbus is chock-full of padding for comfort, but its design lacks some of the basic functionality that many runners prefer.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
What Other Running Shoes Should You Consider?
Asics hit the nail on the head with the release of the updated Novablast 4. This high-class cousin of the Nimbus is responsive, stable, supremely comfortable, and significantly lighter than the plush Nimbus. It does not ride in quite the same way as the stacked Nimbus but offers a better comfort-to-function ratio. The Novablast is one of the top running shoe choices of the GearLab running team. Another Asics-made shoe, the Gel-Kayano 31, earned high marks for its comfort and versatility. For a bouncy squish with a bit of responsiveness, the Mizuno Neo Vista is a plated daily runner that is light and spry.
—
Ally Arcuri
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