HOKA’s Super-Fast Super Shoe Picks up the Pace
HOKA’s Cielo X1 is mighty quick — the race day running shoe featured the highest energy return of all the fast-paced footwear in HOKA’s stable when it debuted last year — but its newest version, the second generation of Cielo X1 shoes, takes things up a notch.
Progressing beyond its already-rapid predecessor, the Cielo X1 2.0 has been heavily tweaked and refined with nothing but speed in mind: it is lighter, more breathable, has enhanced cushioning, includes a more aggressive rocker profile, and features improved outsole traction. In layman's terms, it’s made to go faster.
A chunky sole unit does much of the heavy lifting in allowing the all-new Cielo X1 to go through the gears. Behind its sculpted shape, featuring cut-outs to save weight, the running shoe has a snappy carbon fiber plate sandwiched inside a dual-density PEBA midsole.
As for the upper, the relatively simple knit finish of the past Cielo X1 is ditched and replaced with more breathable engineered jacquard mesh and 3D screen-printed overlays.
The hope for HOKA will be that this sneaker will be prevalent on the roads once marathon season picks up later this year.
A trail running brand by trade, HOKA has grasped a large slice of the trail market through highly cushioned, rugged running shoes. Its position in road running is less well-established, however, with another super shoe in tow, the brand is quickly taking strides to topple the sportswear giants on the road as well as the trails.
The Cielo X1 2.0 is set to drop on January 27 via HOKA’s website, retailing for $275.
