I run in them exclusively. I do all my miles in the "old" orange and white On cloud racer (when I heard this model was being discontinued I stockpiled my size) and now transitioning to the "green" ones which are a bit lighter. I also am now running in their newer ones, the zero gravity, and like them quite a bit. I noticed despite what kind of sessions I do my legs are not sore nor do I get any impact fatigue, etc. I'm totally sold on them and don't think the "clouds" on the bottom are a gimmick in the least. You really do get a nice landing and racing flat type push-off. Very seldom do I find a shoe that feels and does what it is supposed to do. They also last quite a while but I weigh 117 at the most. I do not switch to another brand for racing or speedwork as they have the racers or the cloud zero gravity which I did not think that I'd like as much as I do. Either one of those will fit for racing or speedwork. The cloudsurfer will be a bit heavier than the models above but personally I never saw a need to train in one shoe and race in another. Hope I was able to answer some of your questions.

I run in the surfer from time to time. i love how the shoe feels and its responsiveness one big flaw with them is when it gets rainy and the oil starts coming out of the pavement or in the winter they have a tendency to slip a lot. (they are less grippy than normal shoes) ive also done speed work and faster runs in the racer and love it just as equally. :)

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I have the green Cloudracers and they are great, so I'm also considering the Cloudsurfers for long runs. I split my weekly mileage between the racers and NB 790, and normally use NB 870 for long runs but they are nearing end of life so I'm considering the surfers. Even as a lightweight shoe, I've comfortably run 13-14 miles in the racers so I'm thinking the surfers might be the sweet spot for long runs.

Only problem is that runners world just gave the surfers the 'Best debut' award, so now everyone is going to want them.

I had the Cloudsurfers and opposite of you went to Saucony's. Could not get comfortable on long runs around my ankle area. The Saucony's are not as restrictive and joints don't seem to notice a difference.

I have been using the Cloudracers & are very happy with them. I came from Avia Bolts, which I consider another lightweight "race" shoe. I found that the Avia had a more pronounced arch, and felt heavier (but not that its a heavy shoe). For pavement & packed trails, they are very "invisible", for the lack of a better word. I don't notice them at all; I have been using them on ~longer runs (10m+) and have not had any issues whatsoever. I keep checking to see the wear & tear on the clouds on the soles, but after 300miles or so, nothing yet. Time will tell...
The only issues I have, albeit small ones, are as follows: in the rain or wet, they may squeak a little; also I once had a small pebble get lodged in one of those clouds, and that accentuated the noise.
I find that you can't run well on sand with them. Because of the design of the shoe, your foot will always sink a little deeper into the sand due to the coulds than a regular treaded shoe might. On the plus side, its a lot harder workout, like running on soft sand...Not sure I'd use them for a race where there's a fair amount of beach running (Alcatraz, etc), but otherwise I love the shoe..and this is coming from someone who was side-lined for 1 year because of PF....
my $0.02...

I love my cloudsurfers. I run in them all the time, only occasionally swapping with newton gravity or MV2 for a bit of variation.

my only problem is that they seem to be wearing out pretty quickly. Some of the front lugs have started to tear on the front edge

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