The Tecton X is Hoka's latest shoe that is designed to be able to compete with the very fastest running shoes. The weight of the shoe is very impressive - despite the shoe featuring a ton of exciting properties. I have tested the shoe and you can read my review of the Hoka Tecton X here.
How I tested the Hoka Tecton X
The Hoka Tecton X has been tested to the limit - as well as having worn it for various runs around Denmark, I was so excited about the shoe that I also chose to wear it for the European Championships, where I took part in the "Up and Down Mountain" race on La Palma - an 18 km route with everything from asphalt to loose and dry surfaces, hard-packed gravel, stones, rocks, roots and single tracks.
Thus, the shoe has been tested for a total of somewhere between 7:00 to approx. 2:15 min/km, both on flat and very steep terrain - and I must say that I am by no means disappointed with the shoe's performance! Here in this review you can read about my experience of wearing the Hoka Tecton X on the different parts of the European Championship route.
Hoka Tecton X on the tarmac
The route started on the tarmac and also featured a ca. 2 km stretch of tarmac in the middle of the race - both a reasonably flat section and a descent of up to 10%.
The outsole from Vibram provides a firm footing on the tarmac, and the midsole with Hokas ProFlyX foam provides a great balance between comfort and bounce. Combined with the two-piece carbon plate Hoka Tecton X has, in practice it's difficult to know that you are wearing a trail shoe when running on the tarmac.
Hoka Tecton X on stones and cliffs
The European Championship passed through several stretches containing stones/cliffs. Some places as small bumps on a hard-packed gravel road, other places as actual protrusions, and both on smooth and steep ascents and descents.
When running uphill, I think particularly grip is important when running on rocks and stones. In terms of grip, Vibram's outsole offers high performance. The outsole grips well and I had no trouble finding my footing on any part of the route!
When running downhill, there were several stretches that were run at high speed (for me all the way down to about 2:15 min/km). Some of the steeper slopes were fairly ordinary, but contained a lot of small rocks sticking out of the ground.
If I am to be able to run carefree and quickly over these bumps on the track, then it is important that the shoe is both well protected (so it does not hurt under the foot when landing on top of small stone tips) and stable, so I am not afraid of twisting my foot.
It sounds almost too good to be true, but here the shoe also performs fantastically - the shoe has no rock plate, and the foam is reasonably soft, but despite this there was good protection from both stones and other things that stuck up out of the ground. I am sure that this is because of the two-part Carbon plate that provides good protection, and which in a way could be described as a kind of "built-in rock plate".
Hoka Tecton X in the forest
The route also passes through several stretches in the forest - amongst other things, stretches of interesting and twisted single tracks.
When running on such stretches, I particularly prefer a lightweight, stable and responsive shoe, so that I can make sharp turns. The Hoka Tecton X is not the lightest shoe I have run in, but in terms of it being a trail shoe, the fact that it only weighs 246 grams (size US9) is a definite plus!
Combined with the fact that the shoe fits well on the foot and has lots of lateral stability, I also had a generally positive experience of the Hoka Tecton X in the woods.
Does the Hoka Tecton X have any limitations?
It may sound like the shoe doesn't have any minuses, but as mentioned earlier, no trail shoe is able to do everything. For the Hoka Tecton X, it is worth mentioning that its shortfall is definitely in terms of dealing with muddy conditions.
The 4 mm lugs are quite well-designed and give a good feeling of traction on the ground, but this is still not enough to keep your sure footed on a muddy path on a winter's day.
In terms of fit, the shoe is a bit long for my foot ("regular D-shape"), which makes the shoe protrude a little further forward than what I would class as being the ideal fit. In terms of size, I wear the same size for the Hoka Tecton X as the other shoes, but if you you feel you have a little too much room for your toes, you may want to consider buying a half size smaller to make the width fit.
Why you should try the Hoka Tecton X
As long as you do not have to run in mud, then I have to say that the Hoka Tecton X is one of the funnest and best performing trail shoes I have ever tried!
The outsole is made using a good rubber compound that grips well, but which also seems to have a reasonable durability. The midsole is comfortable but still responsive and very speedy, and the upper is both highly comfortable and stable. The laces are also designed to reach down the whole of the foot, so you have plenty of room for adjusting to make sure it sits well.
All in all, the Hoka Tecton X is a very impressive shoe, which will be my first choice on a multitude of trail routes - both short and long distance.
