Hoka was one of many first manufacturers to launch a carbon plate working shoe designed for simple day by day coaching runs, with the Hoka Bondi X popping out in 2022. That was not an excellent shoe. It was agency, missing in bounce, and customarily not enjoyable to run in.
The Hoka Skyward X is a special beast. It’s bouncy, comfy, and nice enjoyable to make use of for simple and lengthy runs. It’s too large and heavy for my style, and I didn’t get pleasure from it as a lot for quick runs, but when the worth isn’t too off-putting the Skyward X is a springy choice for day by day coaching.
Hoka Skyward X: Worth And Availability
The Skyward X launched in April 2024 and prices $225 within the US and £185 within the UK. That stunning disparity in costs means it’s a little bit cheaper than comparable super-trainers just like the Asics Superblast and New Stability SC Coach v2 within the UK, however costlier than those self same footwear within the US. Wherever you’re on the earth, nonetheless, it’s not an inexpensive shoe.
How I Examined This Working Shoe
I ran simply shy of 40 miles within the Skyward X, utilizing it for a variety of marathon coaching runs together with a 15-mile long term. I’ve additionally examined Hoka’s different carbon plate footwear, together with the Mach X and Bondi X, and a variety of super-trainers from different manufacturers.
Design And Match
There’s quite a bit occurring within the midsole of the Skyward X, which accommodates two foams and a convex carbon plate. The primary foam is a bouncy Peba-based materials, with a supercritical EVA foam used to create a body that makes the Skyward X extra secure. Your foot additionally sits inside the foam in the back of the shoe, and there’s a big plastic heel counter, each of which improve stability.
The stack top is excessive—48mm on the heel and 43mm on the forefoot within the males’s shoe, and 46mm on the heel and 41mm on the forefoot within the girls’s—with a 5mm drop, and the trip is clean because of the rocker design. All that stack provides as much as a heavy shoe: the Skyward X is 11.3oz/320g in my UK measurement 9, which is heftier than most different super-trainers, with the equally excessive Asics Superblast being 8.8oz/251g.
Hoka says the convex carbon plate, which bows upwards within the middle, creates a extra cushioned and “suspended” really feel to the trip. It’s not a full plate, with the gaps in it being seen within the massive cutout on the underside of the shoe.
The Skyward X has a knit higher with a whole lot of padding on the tongue and collar for added consolation. I discovered it fitted nicely in my regular working shoe measurement and it’s not as slender as another Hoka footwear, such because the Mach 6. There may be good rubber protection on the forefoot and heel, with a thick outsole that needs to be sturdy—and gripped nicely in moist situations. I’ve taken the shoe on some gentle trails, too, with no indicators of damage and tear from that rougher floor.
Working Efficiency
The Skyward X is an enormous shoe, however a deceptively clean and fast one. My first run in it was 15 miles the place many of the first half was downhill and the second half uphill. It protected my legs nicely when pounding down hills; even when going uphill I used to be stunned by how clean and straightforward to choose up it was for such an enormous shoe.
All through my runs, I’ve constantly discovered myself shifting sooner than I anticipated for the hassle stage put in. That’s partly as a result of it’s more durable to guage velocity when you will have such little really feel for the bottom as a result of it’s such a cushioned and tall shoe, but in addition as a result of the froth and plate mixture does an excellent job of propelling you in your approach effectively.
There’s a restrict to how briskly you may run comfortably within the shoe. I did a few progressions runs, together with one the place I completed at round my marathon tempo of 3min 30sec/km and it felt a bit cumbersome for that type of tempo. It’s not as versatile as different super-trainers just like the Saucony Endorphin Velocity 4 or Asics Superblast, however the Skyward X is extra cushioned and cozy than these. Cruising by means of straightforward runs within the shoe felt nice.
But, even with all its positives, it will likely be too large a shoe for some. I desire the lighter, nimbler really feel of different super-trainers or extra common footwear, just like the Hoka Mach 6 and New Stability Insurgent v4, for many runs, together with straightforward plods, however when you love a cushioned trip the Skyward X delivers.
Is The Hoka Skyward X Value It?
You don’t must spend such a lot of cash to get an awesome day by day coach, with the Hoka Mach 6 or plated footwear just like the Saucony Endorphin Velocity 4 providing extra versatility at a lower cost than the Hoka Skyward X. Should you’re planning to only use it for simple and lengthy runs then a extra regular cushioned shoe just like the Brooks Glycerin 21 will do a superb job at a a lot lower cost.
The Hoka Skyward X is one thing a little bit totally different to most footwear, nonetheless, which can make its excessive worth extra palatable to some. It’s extra cushioned than different super-trainers, whereas nonetheless being fairly versatile and secure sufficient for day by day coaching. I desire a lighter and smaller shoe, even for simple runs, and even when you love a max-cushioned shoe the Asics Superblast is one other cushioned (and costly) choice that’s lighter and extra versatile than the Skyward X. The Hoka is bouncier and extra comfy, and it received me over greater than I anticipated throughout my testing.
