Hoka OneOne (Read 590 times)

I haven't tried Hoka's myself, but want to as soon as I deplete the current closet stockpile.

Easily half of the trail runners in our group have Hoka's in their rotation.  Most will say that ankle tweaks happen maybe due to stack height, but they happen in all shoes and there's really no difference.  Once it gets stuck in your head though, its bound to happen again.  Durability of the mid-sole is something I've heard.  Some folks feel that they only get 250-300 miles on theirs.  Others get a lot more. YMMV.  Uppers get dinged up on the rocky technical stuff, but mostly cosmetic holes.  Adds character.

The one big thing that I notice, is the guys & gals in Hoka's can absolutely bomb down hills in those things.  Its exasperating having summited a solid hill feeling good only to get dropped on way down and have to play catch up on the flats.  I'm jealous.

I've tried multiple Hoka models hoping to like them, but none have worked for me.  My Saucony Triumphs, however, have me running without pain for the first time in 2 years.  I need to stockpile 20-30 pairs of them.

I do like my Triumphs, altho I'm running almost exclusively in Zealots now, much lighter and still plenty of cushion for me.

 

In the grand scheme of things, yeah. I suspect less than 1/10th of 1 percent of people run that much. Probably less than 2% of people who consider themselves runners even run that much. We tend to have a warped sense of these things since we surround ourselves with weirdos.

 

I find that it helps me to feel less crazy if I surround myself with other crazy people.  

 

The one big thing that I notice, is the guys & gals in Hoka's can absolutely bomb down hills in those things.  Its exasperating having summited a solid hill feeling good only to get dropped on way down and have to play catch up on the flats.  I'm jealous.

I've heard this a few times now, and it intrigues me, because I already do pretty well on the downhills.

>>  Most will say that ankle tweaks happen maybe due to stack height, but they happen in all shoes and there's really no difference.

Gonna disagree with you here, kind of strongly.  I tweak my ankles all the time in regular shoes.  Most are no biggie.  But when I did it in the Stinsons, it was a lot more traumatic... like the kind that ends your run and you ponder whether you should go to the ER - I'm pretty sure specifically because of the stack height. 

It makes sense that the severity of the trauma would be worse.  Ouch.  While running injuries are no joke, your color commentary make me chuckle (and then grimace), SRL.

This was a great thread I thought worthy of being resurrected.

I am very pleased with my Hoka Bondi 6 shoes.  I’ve got about 300 miles on them and it feels like they have a lot left.  Almost all those miles have been on a dirt rail trail so perhaps that will increase the life of the shoe.  It really seems that these shoes have played a big factor in my not having any major injury issues.

I was a bit conflicted when I first bought the Bondi 6 as the Clifton model also felt good.  (I’m assuming it was Clifton 6 but it might have been the 5)  The Clifton model felt a bit lighter on my feet giving me a slightly more nimble feel.  This was only from doing a few paces in the store so it’s hard to really tell.  I also tried the trail version of the Clifton, the Challenger I think it was called.  Given that I don’t run on a real trail with rocks and roots, I don’t know if I’d really have any advantage getting this model.

It’s starting to get near the time for me to buy my second pair.  I’d like to break in a new pair gradually while still using my first pair for a while. So, I’m wondering if I should take a leap of faith and get the Clifton model.  I raced in my Bondi 6 shoes.  Would the Clifton’s shave a few seconds from a race time?  Is the difference in cushioning with the Bondi model significant enough to prevent injury?  I would gladly give up a few seconds to remain injury-free but if the Clifton model would still protect me, the more nimble feel would be nice.

Has anyone had experience with shifting to a slightly less cushioned model after using Bondi’s?  Any thoughts on the more recent iterations of all the models since this thread was last commented on?

Thanks.

JasonB176 - Your best bet is to have a few different pairs of shoes on rotation. Keep the Bondi for long runs and start using the Clifton for tempos....the Clifton will be fine on the terrain you describe. I would also suggest buying another pair for speedwork/racing. I used to race in Hoka Tracers (from 5k to marathon distance) and they’re very light and would definitely shave a few seconds off a 5k compared to the Bondi’s!

You probably already know that Hoka are expensive, so keep an eye out for bargains and buy a couple of pairs on sale if you know and like a particular model. Also there are other very good and cheaper race shoes that are suited to the 5/10k distance. 👍

JasonB176 - Your best bet is to have a few different pairs of shoes on rotation. Keep the Bondi for long runs and start using the Clifton for tempos....the Clifton will be fine on the terrain you describe. I would also suggest buying another pair for speedwork/racing. I used to race in Hoka Tracers (from 5k to marathon distance) and they’re very light and would definitely shave a few seconds off a 5k compared to the Bondi’s!

 

You probably already know that Hoka are expensive, so keep an eye out for bargains and buy a couple of pairs on sale if you know and like a particular model. Also there are other very good and cheaper race shoes that are suited to the 5/10k distance. 👍

I got the Bondi 6 pair at REI with a 20% member discount so they came to $120.  I have yet to find a better price anywhere online for a current model.  I need the wide sizing in 10.5 so even in the close-outs of past years’ models, I haven’t found my size.  I’ll definitely keep my eyes open though.  I see there’s a thread for good deals on shoes.  Not sure if the current Hoka models ever go down in price.

I'm considering getting another pair of Bondi to use as "orthopedic" running shoes. Sometimes my achilles gets really sore and reduces my miles. I found out years ago that the rocker sole and lack of flexibility of the Bondi reduces the demand on my achilles. I went away from Hoka years ago because they became more and more heavy and less and less cushioned despite maintaining the high stack height, and they never addressed the #1 complaint of being too F-ing narrow for normal feet. Recently they have announced that they are a few mm wider, and some reviews have confirmed it. Hoka went away from what drew people to them in the first place; light weight and max cushion.