Another year, another Hoka Clifton, perhaps Hoka’s most popular shoe. A highly cushioned, neutral high mileage trainer. A workhorse for endless miles. HOKA called it their ‘Ultra comfortable go to daily runner’ – it’s hard to argue with that
Not designed for speed, but for long distances or easy runs.
The Clifton 7 is very similar to the Clifton 6 – a nice, soft, lightweight, cushioned ride. The only significant changes are a new upper (mesh) and various minor changes to it’s last/upper/heel counter. The differences between the 6 and 7 are pretty much negligible, some minor tweaks, but hardly noticeable.
Runner’s Tribe took these shoes through 110km of mostly road and light trail running, and below is our unpaid for analysis.
If a higher stack height, coupled with a carbon fibre plate and the correct foam, is correlated to more speed, then Asics must have another theory in mind. The Asics is more of a traditional racing flat, but with an extra springy ride thanks to the carbon fibre. There is ample ground feel, and the cushioning feels mild. A vastly different feeling to the Vaporfly road racing shoes so many are used to. Horses for courses.
If a higher stack height is correlated to more speed, then ON must have another theory in mind. The Cloudboom is more of a traditional racing flat. There is ample ground feel, and the cushioning feels mild. A vastly different feeling to the Vaporfly road racing shoes so many are used to. Horses for courses.
The Hoka One One Torrent 2 is a neutral, lightweight trail shoe with aggressive outsole lugs. It is designed for trail runners who want to run fast on varied terrain. It’s a shoe with a modest amount of underfoot cushion, no where near as much as say the Hoka Speedgoat or EVO Mafaete shoes. The Torrent 2 is much more like a ‘traditional’ shoe that one of the ‘old school’ brands would release, but with the unique Hoka touches like a 5mm drop, soft foam, and a rocker bottom.
Runner's Tribe
When Adidas released their Boost midsole technology in 2013, it changed running shoe technology forever. From that point, other brands were playing catch up. The problem with Adidas’s boost technology, is that it isn’t proprietary, they simply used Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Since then, numerous other brands have used...
The oldest running shoe company of them all, Saucony, have landed their latest high mileage trainer, and it does not, repeat, does not, disappoint.
Saucony states the following about the Triumph 17:
‘First-class long runs are lighter than ever.
For those who crave the ultimate in protective cushioning, the Triumph 17 is our most cushioned shoe, giving you everything you need to cruise through the longest of runs. Make running hangovers a thing of the past.’
So, are Saucony’s claims accurate, is this shoe worth the $250 investment?
Runner’s Tribe took the Triumph through the paces, and below is our unpaid for review.
In our second ever review for HOKA ONE ONE (see our first one here on the Clifton 6), we dive into the Rincon, an incredibly light weight and versatile training shoe.
The Rincon is sort of like the Clifton 6, but lighter and faster. It has enough structure and support that it can still be used as a high mileage trainer. However, its lightness makes it feel more like a shoe perfect for up tempo shorter runs, speed sessions , or even racing.
Runner’s Tribe took these shoes through 100km of mostly road and light trail running, and below is our unpaid for analysis.
The most famous daily trainer of them all, the Nike Pegasus, is back with their 36th edition. For those who loved the Peg 35 then you can rejoice, as the 36 has only some very minor tweaks.
Before being contacted by Under Armour I had never worn or touched an UA product. I knew they made shoes, but I figured they weren’t any good. Then when Luke Mathews signed with the Baltimore-based brand, I figured ok, maybe they are worth a shot. Good on them at least for supporting one of our best middle-distance runners.
When most people think of HOKA they think of a maximalist type running shoe with loads of cushion. This is only partly true, there are many misconceptions.
Hoka’s Clifton 6 is a high mileage neutral training shoe with ample soft cushioning. Not designed for speed, but for long distances or easy runs.
The Clifton 6 is very reminiscent of the very popular Clifton 1, the midsole foam is very similar with a softness to it rarely seen in a running shoe. It is vastly different to the HOKA 4 and 5 which had harder foams and a narrower mould. With the Clifton 6 you get the feeling that Hoka listened to its customers and brought the Clifton series back to its origins – a nice, soft, lightweight, cushioned ride.
