Adidas,Asics,Brooks, Hoka, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike, Saucony
.
Let’s hope it is not a fad because after running in Hokas for 3 years now I could never go back to other shoes. They feel like running in wooden clogs.
Adidas,Asics,Brooks, Hoka, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike, Saucony
Thank you!
Really no achilles issues? They all seem to be 6mm or less heel drop which for me just spells achilles doom. It’s the only thing that has me not giving them a try. Anyone else come from a 10mm drop shoe to them? How did it go?
first, unless you came from something like vibram five fingers or a newton or an altra you came from a 10mm or more drop shoe. second, using your reasoning, everyone who runs up any grade for any significant period of time is placing their achilles in peril, no?
and finally, how is running in pumps good for your achilles?
Dan, have you tried the 2017 Clifton’s yet? I read where they are changing the upper and making the cushioning more responsive.
i have not tried the 2017 cliftons yet.
Nice synopsis there Dave and I will add to your story. When Dan and I first tried these shoes they were life changing for both of us, so Dan wrote about them, they were about a 2 million dollar brand at the time. Fast forward to today and they are about a 120 million brand growing around 20% a quarter year over year. You can do the math, of course the % will slow down as they get bigger, but they will be a 300 million brand in the next couple to few years, and from there it is rarified air for such a small company to reach perhaps a billion.
SO if it is a fad, it is one people really love. But honestly the shoes have been a godsend to so many, that now you see the bigger companies throwing in their copies into the market. That really is the one thing that could kill Hoka’s straight up growth, making a big mistake somewhere and now having several players in the same exact shoe place eat your lunch.
Lastly it looks like the Hoka brand could get sold again, they are tethered to the Ugg brand which is shopping around for buyers at the moment. I envision that there would be a spinoff of the Hook brand in such a sale, probably Ugg going to a Macy’s or Walmart, or other big brand looking for these small niche products to combat Amazon. Hoka would not fit that bill, and to me it would be giant get for some big brand to swop up. Of course the big money was already made by Deckers, taking a 2 mil to 120+ mil, but for the right big brand it could be off to a billion or more if you could plug it into European distributors overnight. They have yet to focus on that market, but in the last conference call mentioned that is where more dollars and product are going to go in the future…Good stuff.
I know people who have switched, but it did not cause achilles issues, it caused calf issues. Reason is because that area is used to being contracted, so using smaller heal drop caused extra stretch to everything.
If you take it slowly when you switch there really does not appear to be much issue. I was an idiot when I switched shoes. I went from something like a 14-16 drop to a 0 and ran 3miles that first day. Calves hurt for days after. :-p
Only thing that has caused me achilles issues is for the back of the heel coming up too high behind my heel, and irritating the lower area of the achilles.
I’m going with fad! But so may be the Newtons I love. As they say, “if it feels good, do it!”
I really hope they in the next couple years they would not move from 120millon brand to 30million, that would really be bad :-p
Yes I figure the first number was probably a typo.
Really no achilles issues? They all seem to be 6mm or less heel drop which for me just spells achilles doom. It’s the only thing that has me not giving them a try.
Anyone else come from a 10mm drop shoe to them? How did it go?
I came over from Asics and Nike to Hoka. Trained in the Conquest and raced in the Huaka for a few years. Liked them, but my achilles were not liking it. I have since gone back to Vomeros for training and LunarRacers for races and my achilles is much happier.
I’m sure the true solution is for me to address my tightness.
Has anyone tried the new Hoka Arahi?
Not sure where exactly it fits compared to their older models…
love love love my Hokas. Switched 2 years ago and haven’t looked back. Not a single back issue since I switched (a frequent problem for me). I use Bondis for training, Claytons for racing.
love my hoka clifton, best shoes i’ve ever used, just did my first IM on it with no issues at all…
Bondi - Orginal Maximal shoe from Hoka or at least the one that really got into the market that everyone liked. In general it has the most volume on the market meaning you are further from the road in a Bondi than any other shoe. The base is rather wide which also makes the shoe rather supportive. Don’t confuse this with a wide fit. The sidewalls which rise up the upper limit the width. That said it comes in a wide width. The other commenter called it soft and that’s true but with such a large amount of volume soft is good.
Clifton - Prior to Hoka coming out with other shoes people on this forum called the Clifton their racing shoe. Train in the Bondi, race in the Clifton. You still won’t feel the road in the Clifton but you are slightly closer to it. The based isn’t as wide which makes the Clifton slightly less supportive. The overall constuction including the upper is light by design. This makes the shoe a little less durable than the Bondi overall but you are making that up in weight.
Both come with the Rocker and high side walls which hold your foot in place and with the Rocker take forefoot flex out of the equation. If your feet are getting tired on your long runs or you are having some kind of nagging foot pain, mobilizing your forefoot with a rocker might be a good option. No guarantee but the stories are out there.
58 year old IM guy who has to be smart (more rest, less volume) to stay healthy. I’m not a lean machine, 5’6" at 165lbs. I believe the Hoka’s have been good for me. I started with the Bondi 4’s a couple of years ago (IIRC). I went through 4 pairs before going to the Bondi 5’s. With the Bondi’s, I don’t even think about the shoe - they just work for me. First time I walked in the shoes they felt odd. But running in the Bondi’s has always felt good. From time to time I run in other brands (I have too many running shoes, ask my wife) but they don’t feel as good as my Hoka Bondi 4’s or 5. And since these shoes work so well for me it surely means they will be discontinued. :_)
Any idea how they work with orthotics? I was thinking they might be more unstable due to the height?
I have 3 pairs now and they’ve given me a second lease on running. I would not be in the sport without them given my injury prone ways
I’m 6’2/190# and would pick up injury after injury with 40+ onset running plans
I’d be out of the sport without them. Minimalist shoes to me are a lol. My Achilles bursitis hurts in flip flops but I can run 35 mpw in hokas w/o pain. Crazy
Another thing it and the Clifton do not have is heel durability. Especially the Clayton 2. Not worth the $$ IMO due to such poor durability. If they can fix that and have a better insole or fix the STILL BLISTER issue in the arch (rumored to have been fixed but I disagree)–THEN they would have something.
Really no achilles issues? They all seem to be 6mm or less heel drop which for me just spells achilles doom. It’s the only thing that has me not giving them a try. Anyone else come from a 10mm drop shoe to them? How did it go?
first, unless you came from something like vibram five fingers or a newton or an altra you came from a 10mm or more drop shoe. second, using your reasoning, everyone who runs up any grade for any significant period of time is placing their achilles in peril, no?
and finally, how is running in pumps good for your achilles?
That statement is dismissive and fanboy-ish.
Yes, rapidly increasing uphill running will increase your calf/achilles overuse injury risk.
If one changes heal-drop mid-training or mid-season, one is calling for trouble. Especially if one is older. Easy biology and physics behind that (stress an such).
Switching drop calls for an adaptation phase (best preseason), and every somewhat experienced runner would be aware and not skip that (unless they are talked into it)…
But I guess some people’s mileage is so low that they wouldn’t run into issues.
I for my part can’t just easily switch drop mid training block… recipe for disaster. But I am also not a gifted runner…so there is that.
And maybe I am just jaded, as I don’t like gimmicky shoes that get peddled as Panacea for all injuries and problems.
They are legit and you should definitely get a pair!