Hoka One One Skyward X Introduction
The Hoka Bondi X by no means made a lot sense. It was a shoe constructed for sluggish 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 sluggish 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 in every of my favorite plated trainers to this point; comfortable, 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 sensible 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 function the premium PEBA foam within the midsole.
The Skyward X weighs 11.3 ounces (US 9) which is absolutely heavy for a coach as of late. It has a 48 mm heel stack peak, making it unlawful in World Athletics races and it prices $225, the value 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 pleasurable trip 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 steady. The match was slender and I additionally needed to cease mid-run to regulate the lacing to enhance the heel lockdown.
What shocked me was how loud it sounded. Foot strikes had been nearly as loud because the Alphafly 3 as a result of massive 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 outstanding forefoot rockers. The Skyward was simply extra of every part: 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 suits true to dimension and it’s greatest suited to slender, low-volume ft.
It’s a really built-up, plush higher which was designed with consolation in thoughts. It’s created from flat knit which is comfortable however not very breathable. There are each inner and exterior heel counters for max help 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 extensive and calmly 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 extensive wings.
Hoka One One Skyward X Sole Unit
The Skyward performs the very best when doing the varieties of runs that Hoka designed it for: the simplest of straightforward runs. It has an excellent stiff midsole although really easy runs don’t really feel pure and it doesn’t really feel such as you’re in charge of the shoe.
While you decide up the tempo, it feels extra pure however its heavy weight makes it really feel cumbersome and sluggish so any kind of speedwork is out of the query. You are able to do brief, quick bursts but it surely’s exhausting to carry a quick tempo for prolonged intervals.
It’s not usually that you simply 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 hanging the midsole exhausting sufficient but it surely may be that the midsole foam is just too dense and it’s not compressing sufficient.
New Stability’s Vitality Arc is an analogous idea but it surely works significantly better as a result of their FuelCell foam is rather a lot softer so you’ll be able to 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 instantly beneath the foot and a firmer EVA body beneath it for stability. It’s a deeply cushioned trip but it surely’s not a squishy-feeling trip 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 high of it so all the PEBA expertise is diluted. It appears like all the midsole is supercritical EVA.
The Skyward could be very stiff and structured so it appears like a contemporary stability coach; foot strikes at all times really feel very planted in it and it dictates the best way you strike. One of many negatives is that there’s no floor really feel so it doesn’t really feel very “participating”. It feels such as you’re operating on high of a shoe and never within it.
The longest run I did within the Skyward was 27 kilometres. It’s a very good long term shoe, not an important one. The forefoot rocker is energy-saving however I want a barely softer trip and a wider final which is extra comfy for lengthy distances.
In the direction of the tip of the run, my ft had swelled up and the bucket seat began to harass me.
The Skyward has the Hoka bucket seat midsole. In case you’ve ever run within the Clifton or Bondi, you’ll have skilled the identical Hoka function. The bucket seat has raised edges designed to centre and help your ft however it may be troublesome for extensive ft 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 stop it from flexing so even with out the plate, the forefoot rocker would work. The plate makes it really feel awkward at very sluggish paces.
I feel it fits heavier runners greater than gentle runners resembling 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 can be utilizing it for.
I want 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 price its value. There are less expensive choices which really feel extra pure and extra participating: the ASICS GlideRide and Endorphin Shift 3 are examples.
The New Stability SC Coach v2 is analogous in that it additionally has a convex carbon plate but it surely has extra versatility because of its decrease weight and its extra energetic trip.
