ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28 — Spec Analysis (Not Yet Tested)
Spec analysis — not yet tested
What this page is. A podiatrist’s reading of the manufacturer’s published specifications for the ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28. Nothing on this page has been measured, worn or scored by us yet. There is no score and no seal here on purpose: under our standard, a number only appears once a pair has been on the bench and on the road. When this shoe is tested, this page is replaced by the full review and the change is logged.
The Cumulus is the Nimbus’s lighter, cheaper sibling — the ASICS neutral shoe for people who want gel under the heel without the Nimbus’s stack or price. The 28 launched in February 2026 on the newer FF BLAST MAX foam. Here is what ASICS publishes, what it leaves to retailers, and what a foot and ankle surgeon reads into the figures.
On this page
- What ASICS says the GEL-CUMULUS 28 is
- ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28 specifications: heel-to-toe drop, stack height and weight
- What the spec sheet suggests — and what only a test can answer
- Who the ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28 is probably for
- ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28: what changed from the previous version
- Questions people ask about the GEL-CUMULUS 28
What ASICS says the GEL-CUMULUS 28 is
ASICS lists the GEL-CUMULUS 28 as a neutral daily trainer built on “FF BLAST™ MAX foam” with “PureGEL™ technology in the rearfoot” and a “FLUIDRIDE™ outsole”. ASICS’s own launch blog says the 28 is approximately 6 g lighter than the 27, swaps FF BLAST+ for FF BLAST MAX, adds new heel outsole rubber for durability and keeps the 8 mm drop. ASICS publishes the weight (9.1 oz men’s, 7.9 oz women’s) and drop; stack comes from a retailer. It is sold in standard, 2E and 4E widths at $145.
ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28 specifications: heel-to-toe drop, stack height and weight
Source column tells you where each figure comes from. “ASICS” means the brand’s own US product page. A retailer name means the brand does not publish that figure and a retailer does. “Not published” means nobody reliable does — those are the figures our bench measures first.
| Specification | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Neutral, daily trainer | ASICS |
| Weight, men's | 9.1 oz / 259 g (size not stated) | ASICS |
| Weight, women's | 7.9 oz (size not stated) | ASICS |
| Heel stack | Not published by ASICS. 38.5 mm men’s / 37.5 mm women’s | Marathon Sports (retailer) |
| Forefoot stack | Not published by ASICS. 30.5 mm men’s / 29.5 mm women’s | Marathon Sports (retailer) |
| Drop | 8 mm | ASICS |
| Midsole | FF BLAST™ MAX foam with PureGEL™ rearfoot | ASICS |
| Outsole | FLUIDRIDE™ with new heel rubber | ASICS |
| Upper | Engineered mesh | Marathon Sports (retailer) |
| Widths | Standard, 2E (wide), 4E (extra wide) — men’s and women’s | ASICS extended-widths page; Fleet Feet |
| Removable insole | Not published | — |
| APMA Seal of Acceptance | ASICS keeps an APMA-accepted collection; the Cumulus 28 was not confirmed on it | ASICS — not confirmed |
| List price | $145 | ASICS |
Figures checked September 7, 2026. Manufacturer pages: men’s · women’s.
What the spec sheet suggests — and what only a test can answer
The Cumulus and the Nimbus 28 now share the same geometry story, and the difference is 2 mm and $25. Both sit at 8 mm drop with gel in the rearfoot; the Nimbus has a few millimetres more stack and a knit upper, the Cumulus a lighter build and a mesh upper. For a heel-pain patient the 8 mm drop is the number that matters and both have it. The Cumulus is the one we would suggest to a lighter runner or walker who does not need the Nimbus’s height.
Gel under the heel, foam under the forefoot. As with the Nimbus, PureGEL is placed in the rearfoot. Forefoot-pain patients should look at the forefoot stack (30.5 mm per Marathon Sports), which is respectable but not the reason to buy this shoe.
Three widths including 4E at $145 is unusual. A 4E neutral shoe at this price is one of the cheaper routes to a genuinely wide daily trainer, if the toe box is actually wider and not just deeper — which is what our caliper measurement checks.
What only the test can answer: the true stack (retailer-sourced), toe-box width and depth in the 2E and 4E, insole removability and orthotic volume, heel-counter stiffness, and whether the softer FF BLAST MAX packs down.
Who the ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28 is probably for
Read from the published specification, not from wear. Treat these as hypotheses the test will confirm or overturn.
- Heel-pain patients who want gel and 8 mm of drop without the Nimbus’s stack or price.
- Lighter runners and walkers for whom the Nimbus is more shoe than they need.
- Wide feet on a budget — 2E and 4E at $145.
- You pronate — the GT-2000 15 is the stability sibling.
- Forefoot pain is the main complaint — the cushioning story is rearfoot-first.
- You run custom orthotics — insole removability and volume are unpublished.
ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28: what changed from the previous version
Per ASICS’s own launch blog (February 1, 2026): the Cumulus 28 is approximately 6 g lighter than the 27, moves from FF BLAST+ to FF BLAST MAX foam, adds new heel outsole rubber for durability, and keeps the 8 mm drop and the PureGEL rearfoot. Those are ASICS’s claims; the weight is the one a scale checks.
Where to buy
Disclosure: the links below are paid links. If you buy through them Amazon pays us a commission at no cost to you. Commissions never influence a score, a ranking or the seal, and this page carries no score because the shoe has not been tested — see our independence policy.
Amazon listings are colourway-specific; the button opens one common colourway and you can switch colour and width there. Manufacturer list price $145 on September 7, 2026; prices move, check the listing. Also sold directly by ASICS.
Questions people ask about the GEL-CUMULUS 28
Cumulus 28 or Nimbus 28?
Same 8 mm drop and gel heel; the Nimbus has more stack, a knit upper and costs $25 more. Lighter runners and walkers usually do not need the extra height.
Is the ASICS Gel-Cumulus 28 a stability shoe?
No. It is ASICS’s neutral daily trainer; the GT-2000 15 and Kayano 32 are the stability options.
What is the drop of the Gel-Cumulus 28?
8 mm, per ASICS — unchanged from the 27.
Does the Cumulus 28 come in wide?
Yes — standard, 2E and 4E for men and women, per ASICS’s extended-widths listing and Fleet Feet.
Do podiatrists recommend the ASICS Gel-Cumulus 28?
ASICS is one of the three brands named most often in clinic, and the Cumulus is the model in the line a podiatrist reaches for when the answer is “a normal, cushioned, neutral trainer” rather than anything corrective. Its 8 mm drop is the conventional middle ground for a sore heel or a grumbling Achilles, the PureGEL sits under the rearfoot where heel pain lives, and it comes in 4E at $145, which is a genuinely useful combination for a wide foot on a budget. Two limits are worth stating. It is a neutral shoe — if your foot rolls inward, nothing here corrects it. And ASICS does not publish stack heights for it, so the figures in the table above are attributed to an independent source rather than the brand. Podiatrist Tested has not worn or measured this pair, so it carries no score and no seal yet.
What happens next
This page currently compares attributed published specifications. No original measurements or wear-test records are documented. Any future first-hand report would require retained photographs, measurement methods and wear notes. Our scoring and award programme remains an unvalidated proposal; no score or Seal follows automatically from a test. The Orthotic Volume Rating is also a proposed notation, not a recorded measurement for this shoe. Corrections to source information can be reported through the published contact route.
Page type: spec analysis. Acquisition: not yet purchased. Last verified: September 7, 2026. Author: Tom Biernacki, DPM, FACFAS — board-certified foot and ankle surgeon, about.
Other shoes we have looked at
Drop is the figure that decides how load splits between your heel and your forefoot, so it is the fastest way to tell these apart. Where a figure was independently measured rather than taken from the brand, it says so — and on several of these the two disagree.
HOKA Bondi 9
Max cushion, 41.3 mm heel, and 94.1 mm across the widest point of the toe box.
HOKA Clifton 10
Taller heel than the Bondi at 44.4 mm and a softer midsole, in a lighter shoe.
Brooks Ghost 17
The lowest stack of the neutral group at 36.2 mm, and the most honest spec sheet.
Where this shoe fits
Guides on this site that weigh the ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28 — Spec Analysis (Not Yet Tested) against the problem you are actually trying to solve:
- Best walking shoes — why a cushioned running shoe usually beats a walking-specific one.
- Best shoes for plantar fasciitis — what a shoe actually has to do for heel pain.
- Best shoes for standing all day — what changes when you stand still rather than walk.
- Best running shoes for plantar fasciitis — what changes when the heel has to survive a run.
- Best walking shoes for plantar fasciitis — the same problem at walking speed, where the rocker matters more.
- Best tennis shoes for plantar fasciitis — lateral load, and why a running shoe is the wrong court shoe.
- Best running shoes for wide feet — the only shoe there offering 4E to women as well as men.
Browse every shoe on file or read how we test.
Compared head-to-head: Saucony Ride 19 vs ASICS Gel-Cumulus 28 — why the spec sheet cannot separate two near-identical daily trainers.
Compare it with the rest: every ASICS review · the shoes for plantar fasciitis · the shoes for wide feet · everything for running · everything for walking · the extra-wide fittings · the wide fittings. Every list shows the published drop, stack, weight, widths and price side by side.
This page is a spec analysis, not a test report: the figures are the manufacturer’s or a named third party’s, each printed beside its source, and nothing here carries a score or the Seal until the shoe has been worn and measured on our bench. Quote any figure you like — keep the source attached to it, and link the page rather than the number. How to cite or link to an analysis.