Hoka One One Skyward X Introduction
The Hoka Bondi X by no means made a lot sense. It was a shoe constructed for gradual runs but it surely had a stiff carbon plate in its midsole- a operating shoe paradox.
After I reviewed it, I didn’t use it once more. For gradual runs, I don’t want a carbon plate. There have been higher choices which had been lighter and extra environment friendly than the Bondi X.
Since then, Hoka has improved by leaps and bounds within the tremendous coach class. Final yr’s Hoka Mach X was one among my favorite plated trainers up to now; tender, versatile and snappy.
The Skyward X is a model new tremendous coach that replaces the Bondi X. The Bondi X was a flop so it is smart to rebrand it the Skyward X. It’s marketed as a really plush, smooth-riding coach for simple miles, based on the Hoka web site. It’s a part of the brand new technology of Hokas that characteristic the premium PEBA foam within the midsole.
The Skyward X weighs 11.3 ounces (US 9) which is de facto heavy for a coach nowadays. It has a 48 mm heel stack peak, making it unlawful in World Athletics races and it prices $225, the worth of a (cheaper) long-distance tremendous shoe.
Hoka One One Skyward X First Impressions
My first run was a straightforward 10K. It was a way more gratifying experience than the Bondi X. The Skyward midsole had extra power return and it felt much less blocky.
It was fairly agency for a PEBA midsole however the EVA body made it really feel actually secure. The match was slender and I additionally needed to cease mid-run to regulate the lacing to enhance the heel lockdown.
What stunned me was how loud it sounded. Foot strikes had been virtually as loud because the Alphafly 3 as a result of giant cavity beneath it.
The shoe it jogged my memory of most was the Saucony Endorphin Shift (which has been discontinued). Each of them have firmish rides, tall midsoles and distinguished forefoot rockers. The Skyward was simply extra of every thing: extra cushioned, extra energetic and stiffer.
Hoka One One Skyward X Higher
The Skyward X has a very slender match which is typical of Hokas and it doesn’t are available in a large model sadly. It matches true to measurement and it’s finest suited to slender, low-volume toes.
It’s a really built-up, plush higher which was designed with consolation in thoughts. It’s constituted of flat knit which is tender however not very breathable. There are each inside and exterior heel counters for max assist and the heel counter flares away out of your leg in order to not irritate it. Heel lockdown is nice however I’ve to make use of a runner’s knot.
The tongue is large and flippantly padded. It jogs my memory of the Nike Pegasus 38 tongue but it surely’s not gusseted. It doesn’t slide round in any respect throughout runs due to its large wings.
Hoka One One Skyward X Sole Unit
The Skyward performs the very best when doing the kinds of runs that Hoka designed it for: the simplest of simple runs. It has a brilliant stiff midsole although really easy runs don’t really feel pure and it doesn’t really feel such as you’re answerable for the shoe.
Once you choose up the tempo, it feels extra pure however its heavy weight makes it really feel cumbersome and sluggish so any sort of speedwork is out of the query. You are able to do brief, quick bursts but it surely’s laborious to carry a quick tempo for prolonged durations.
It’s not usually that you just discover new carbon plate “innovation” in trainers. The Skyward X has a plate which has a bump in the midst of it, located within the midfoot.
The thought is that when the midfoot is loaded, the plate flattens and when launched, it propels you ahead. Hoka calls it a suspension system.
In actuality, I don’t really feel it. It might be that I’m not heavy sufficient (60 kg) so I’m not putting the midsole laborious sufficient but it surely is also that the midsole foam is just too dense and it’s not compressing sufficient.
New Steadiness’s Vitality Arc is the same idea but it surely works a lot better as a result of their FuelCell foam is quite a bit softer so you may really feel the carbon plate flatten and spring again when loaded.
The Skyward’s midsole is dual-density. It has a layer of medium-soft PEBA foam immediately underneath the foot and a firmer EVA body beneath it for stability. It’s a deeply cushioned experience but it surely’s not a squishy-feeling experience such as you get within the Hoka Mach X and the Hoka Rocket X 2 which even have PEBA of their midsoles.
The issue with having an EVA body beneath is that it mutes the sensation of the PEBA on prime of it so your entire PEBA expertise is diluted. It appears like your entire midsole is supercritical EVA.
The Skyward may be very stiff and structured so it appears like a contemporary stability coach; foot strikes all the time really feel very planted in it and it dictates the way in which you strike. One of many negatives is that there’s no floor really feel so it doesn’t really feel very “partaking”. It feels such as you’re operating on prime of a shoe and never inside it.
The longest run I did within the Skyward was 27 kilometres. It’s an excellent future shoe, not an excellent one. The forefoot rocker is energy-saving however I choose a barely softer experience and a wider final which is extra comfy for lengthy distances.
In direction of the tip of the run, my toes had swelled up and the bucket seat began to harass me.
The Skyward has the Hoka bucket seat midsole. For those who’ve ever run within the Clifton or Bondi, you’ll have skilled the identical Hoka characteristic. The bucket seat has raised edges designed to centre and assist your toes however it may be troublesome for large toes or flat arches. Within the Skyward, it solely annoys me throughout lengthy runs.
The outsole takes inspiration from the Bondi 8 but it surely has much more rubber protection on the outer lateral heel and the medial facet of the forefoot.
Outsole sturdiness is average- on my pair, the piece of rubber on the lateral heel (the place I heel strike) is {smooth} however that’s regular for me. Grip is nice even on moist surfaces.
Hoka One One Skyward X Conclusions
The Skyward X doesn’t really feel as polished because the Cielo X1 or the Mach X.
I don’t assume that it wants a carbon plate. Its midsole is thick sufficient to forestall it from flexing so even with out the plate, the forefoot rocker would work. The plate makes it really feel awkward at very gradual paces.
I feel it fits heavier runners greater than gentle runners similar to myself. I don’t really feel the convex plate at work after I load the midsole and the midsole feels a bit too agency for me for simple runs, which is what I will likely be utilizing it for.
I choose the Skyward X to the Bondi X as a result of it’s softer and has extra bounce however the negatives are that it’s heavier and it additionally prices much more than its predecessor.
At $225, I don’t assume the Skyward is value its value. There are less expensive choices which really feel extra pure and extra partaking: the ASICS GlideRide and Endorphin Shift 3 are examples.
The New Steadiness SC Coach v2 is analogous in that it additionally has a convex carbon plate but it surely has extra versatility as a result of its decrease weight and its extra energetic experience.