Kit & Gear

REVIEW: HOKA Tecton X

Named after the earth's tectonic plates, which inspired its revolutionary parallel carbon fibre plate technology, the new HOKA Tecton X is poised to unleash a seismic shift in trail running. Built for speed, with a Profly X midsole bolstered by a Vibram Megagrip Litebase outsole, the Tecton X is HOKA's first trail shoe to incorporate dynamically propulsive, dual parallel carbon fibre plates.

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Our SportsShoes CTO Jon Cleaver has been busy putting the HOKA Tecton X Trail Running shoes to the test;

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As a fan of the HOKA Speed Goat, this shoe got me very excited and I was looking forward to giving it a test.

First impressions; It felt very light and I love the orange colourway and detail of the jacquard upper. I had to try on a UK 9 and 9.5 to understand which was the right fit for me. In the end I opted for the 9.5 a lightly roomier feel in the toe box and went half a size up than I normally would. This is a personal preference based on comfort, control and feel on the trail.

TEST 1: 6 miles, 1000ft around Worsthorne, in Lancashire (gravel/rocky sections, moorland and some tarmac). 

I expected the fast springy feel of a carbon road shoe with some grip but that’s not the case. The carbon plates are designed to help you roll through your gait with ease rather than propel you forwards. The heel to toe drop differential compared to the Speed Goat was noticeable and felt somewhat more stable.

Of all the off road terrain, the Tecton X excelled the most over the rock and gravel, with sure-footed climbing and descending coming easily and at speed. On the road they moved well and could see them taking on short tarmac sections with ease. They don't have the same spongy feel as the Speed Goat, but it wasn’t noticeably uncomfortable either. I got more of a feel for the tacky grip on the tarmac, but we’ll come onto that later. 

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Where this shoe struggles is unsurprisingly across the moorland, especially in wet and muddy conditions. Given the lug depth you can find yourself nervously losing grip and slipping, however, on the dry hard-packed mud they perform brilliantly, so great when the sun has had its hat on for a while and baked the fells! 

One thing that’s quite noticeable is they feel very breathable and I think that’s due to the design of the tongue and upper material which allows heat and moisture to escape effectively.

Summary from the first test - very pleased and looking forward to racing in them for my next run! 

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TEST 2: Race day - Kettlewell Trail Race, 14 miles, 2800ft ascent mixed bag of terrain. 

Having had a very successful test ride I was ready to race in the Tecton X on a warm, dry and beautiful day in the English countryside. 

The first section of the course was 5km on road and along hard packed trails. The Tecton X performed brilliantly, with no harsh feeling underfoot and well cushioned. The carbon shone, assisting with rolling through my gait with good forefoot strike, before I tackled the first of three big climbs which over 1000ft of ascent mainly across dry fields where I was moving reasonably well and the shoes were great. 

Where I came a bit unstuck was on the descent over quite a wet moorland and ended up going over on my backside with a bit of over exuberant racing. That slowed me down monetarily and sent me a warning shot to be careful where it was really wet or muddy.  

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There were a few sections with mud and rocks and I felt like the Tecton X stuck to the ground like glue. I felt pretty sure-footed for what isn’t the nimblest looking shoe. 

The final climb was a real sting in the tail having not really spent any time looking at the route. The steep nature of the course caught me out a bit and I was really feeling the heat, however, my feet felt very comfortable having had a high-level of cushioning and support over a long race. The result? 3rd place overall, first V40 and some very nice prizes! 

Summary from race; the Tecton X felt fast and efficient on the hard-packed surfaces and gave me more confidence on the rocky sections. Although, it's worth pointing out that this is not the best shoe for extremely soft, wet and muddy off-road surfaces.

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TEST 3: Fell run, 6 miles with 1000ft of climb on mixed terrain. 

My third test run was over the hills of Rossendale in Lancashire, on mixed terrain. The trail was quite wet, so there was a bit more mud to contend with and a few more steep gradients. This again confirmed that these are probably not the right choice on the muddy ground, as traction was lost too easily on some sections and also on uneven and technical terrain you can roll your ankle. However, when it comes to the dry ground this shoe really comes into its own.

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In wet conditions the Tecton X did not seem to hold much water or get noticeably heavier.  So far, there is no sign of wear on the soles which suggests they will be very durable and the well-constructed upper indicates a good lifespan from the shoe. 

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SHOP HOKA TECTON X CARBON TRAIL RUNNING SHOES HERE 

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