Hoka Cielo X1 3.0 Review
By Matthew Klein
Hoka Cielo X1 3.0Price: $274.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 7.5 oz, 213 g (men's size 10), 6.2 oz, 175 g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 37 mm / 30 mm (Measured: 48 mm heel)
Drop: 7 mm
Shoe Purpose: Super Shoe, Long Distance Racing
Pros: Highly rockered smooth forefoot, bouncy/fast ride, secure fit
Cons: Tapered toe box, narrow/wobbly base
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Hoka Cielo X1 3.0 is a super distance racer for those wanting an incredibly bouncy and fast rolling ride over 10k to marathon distances. The newest version features a dual-layer PEBA midsole that is even bouncier in the rearfoot/midfoot while maintaining a highly rockered and fast transitioning forefoot. This makes for a shoe that can hold fast paces over long distances. The upper is a new Leno weave textile that creates a snug and secure fit for those wanting their racers to lock in. While less biased than previous versions, the new geometry will work best for those with stable heel/midfoot mechanics who want as much soft and bouncy midsole underneath as possible. While technically legal per World Athletics, the Hoka Cielo X1 3.0 maintains its super tall midsole, giving it the softest, bounciest, and fastest ride in the series.
SIMILAR SHOES: On Cloudboom Strike, Saucony Endorphin Elite 2
PAST MODEL: Hoka Cielo X1 2.0
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The Hoka Cielo X1 3.0 fits snug and slightly short in my normal men's US size 10. When I tightened the laces, it helped lengthen the shoe so it fit more true to size. Part of the slightly short feeling comes from the highly tapered toe box. Fortunately, the upper is a slightly stretchy Leno weave textile material that wraps the foot. The fit is narrow and snug, but the upper does open slightly with more miles. The mesh is light, see-through and airy, which is great for keeping feet cool, but not great in 28 F/-2 C Pacific Northwest winter (will be better in the Spring/Summer). The midfoot widens with a thin, ungusseted tongue. To get a secure fit and lengthen the upper, I had to tighten the laces down to lock my foot in. Despite the thin tongue, I was able to avoid lace bite on the top of my foot by avoiding tightening the laces too aggressively.
Fortunately, the heel is snug and locks the foot in well. I had no heel slippage despite only mild heel collar padding and a mostly flexible heel. There is a small, thin, flexible heel counter that did not bother me at all and the Achilles tab sits nicely around the Achilles tendon without irritation. Those with sensitive heels (Haglund deformity) or sensitive Achilles tendon insertions should be fine. While the security is easy to lock in thanks to the snug forefoot and heel, the against skin feel is quite harsh. This is not a sockless racing option and socks should be used with this upper.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Asics Gel-Nimbus 27, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: Somewhat
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Moderate
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The Hoka Cielo X1 3.0 is a super distance racing shoe. It features a massive and highly rockered dual layer PEBA midsole that is incredibly bouncy in the heel and midfoot with a snappy, rolling forefoot. The Cielo X1 3.0 midsole starts out slightly soft but breaks in to become a soft but highly responsive ride after 5-10 miles. The weight has dropped quite a bit, sitting at 7.5 oz in my men's size 10 and likely under 7 oz for a standard men's size 10. The taller midsole makes the shoe feel large, setting it up to be a better longer-distance racer than nimble 5k/10k shoe. While Hoka provided a 37 mm heel stack height measurement, my measurement is 48 mm in the heel. The ride is incredibly rockered with a large heel bevel and a long forefoot rocker. The heel bevel is sharp, but the soft foam compresses well to smooth out landings. This makes for a quick heel transition that is initially abrupt but smooths out as the foam breaks in and softens. The forefoot has a long rocker that feels better to roll through than landing on. The curved plate is noticeable up front and feels like the front of your foot is sitting in a spoon. This makes the forefoot stable and quick rolling, but a little odd to try to land on. The incredibly bouncy heel and midfoot feel far better to land on to get the most bounce out of this shoe while quickly rolling through the forefoot.
Due to the tall midsole and highly rockered ride, the Hoka Cielo X1 3.0 is best for longer intervals, tempo runs, fast long runs and longer races. I have attempted some short intervals in this shoe but found the rolling ride to not respond quite as well to incredibly fast paces. Where it has shined is longer intervals and tempo runs. This shoe is not slow, as I ran a 5:09 mile during the second part of a 2-mile tempo. Those with stable mechanics will be able to use this for long fast 10k to full marathons races and efforts as there is plenty of cushioning for long and fast miles. Those with less stable mechanics will find plenty of cushioning but may be limited to 10k to half-marathon distances due to the narrower base.
The polyurethane, nubbed outsole rubber grips the ground well. On both wet and dry pavement, the outsole provides confident traction. I would not use this on anything but road or track due to the central groove and amount of exposed midsole. Despite the outsole being in strips, the pieces have held on for my 30 miles of hard use. There is a little bit of wear on the exposed midsole but no wear on the outsole strips. I cautiously think the outsole will last an average number of miles for a super shoe and expect the PEBA midsole to last for a while, but still have concerns that those who are hard on midsole may rip off one of the posterolateral pieces.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The Hoka Cielo X1 3.0 is a neutral racing shoe. There are some mild sidewalls in the heel and the central groove does help with guidance mildly during faster speeds. However, the platform is quite narrow in the heel and midfoot. Combined with the soft dual-layer PEBA midsole, this shoe is best for those with stable ankles in the heel and midfoot. The split heel design does allow the lateral part of the heel to collapse separately from the medial side. There is also a little more medial flare compared to the lateral side. The same occurs in the midfoot, where despite the narrow shape, the medial side flares out more and there is more of a lateral cut-out. This does creates some lateral bias at the heel and midfoot but not enough to make it a medially stable shoe due to the narrow platform and softer sole.
The forefoot is a different story. There are also small sidewalls in the forefoot on both the medial and lateral side. What makes a larger impact on stability is the prominent plate, wider forefoot and increase outsole material that firms up the front. The forefoot is far more stable and centered than the rest of the shoe, enough that it feels like you are sitting into the plate. Those with mild forefoot stability needs will do quite well with this shoe, while those with neutral mechanics in the heel and midfoot that can handle some lateral bias will also do well.
Thoughts as a DPT: What Do Central Grooves or Cut Outs in Shoes Do?
By Matthew Klein
A common characteristic of moderate-to-tall stack height shoes is having a central groove in the midsole. Guidance lines, flex grooves and various gaps in the outsole/midsole have been used for years for a variety of reasons. The most obvious reason to have a large cut-out in a midsole is to reduce weight. Less material in the shoe while maintaining the structural integrity of the shoe is an easy way to reduce weight. Weight reductions are important as a 100 g increase in weight can induce a 1% decrease in running economy (Rodrigo-Carranza et al., 2020).
These gaps can also be used to guide motion. A lack of material means a decrease in resistance. The body will usually move through the path of least resistance, which will occur both through the optimal movement path through the shoe and through the body itself (Nigg et al., 2017). In the case of these central grooves, theoretically, the body will be more likely to move through the groove due to resistance from material on each side of the foot. There is no published research on this topic to my knowledge, although studies have been done with horizontal cuts through the midsole (side to side), which do decrease longitudinal bending stiffness (Arndt et al., 2013). We can therefore theorize that these cutouts may decrease overall stiffness or facilitation motion. To what degree they do this will vary on the size of the cutout, the compliance of the shoe and how the individual runner reacts to this. So theoretically this may act as a "guidance line", which we often frequently reference when seen in shoes. How much it actually influences motion is not yet known (shoe companies probably know, but their sample sizes are often too small to draw large conclusions from). However, it is still an option when looking for components of shoes that may provide some guidance.
Nigg, B. M., Vienneau, J., Smith, A. C., Trudeau, M. B., Mohr, M., & Nigg, S. R. (2017). The preferred movement path paradigm: influence of running shoes on joint movement. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 49(8), 1641-1648.
Rodrigo-Carranza, V., González-MohÃno, F., Santos-Concejero, J., & González-Ravé, J. M. (2020). Influence of shoe mass on performance and running economy in trained runners. Frontiers in Physiology, 11, 573660.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: After my struggles with version two, 3.0 is an excellent update. The ride is far more bouncy, rolls and responds faster. The upper is snug but locks in well. The medial bias has been removed, although some lateral bias and general instability has replaced it. My major suggestions are to widen the toe box and to consider widening the central groove. The toe box does break in but does taper quickly. A little less taper would be nice but this is a racing shoe and on the run it hasn't caused me issues even on a longer effort I survived (I thought the instability would kill me but it didn't). The midfoot is still too narrow for such a tall shoe. The central groove needs to be a bit wider to provide a more stable base. However, this is a neutral shoe and the Hoka Rocket X 3 provides a more stable option in the line up. I wonder if the Cielo X1 series really needs to be 48 mm tall. I get more foam provides more bounce, but I wonder if getting this shoe even lighter might also improve running economy. Regardless, it is definitely a highly protective, incredibly bouncy and fast rolling distance racer that is continuing to get lighter and faster.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The Hoka Cielo X1 3.0 is a long-distance, neutral super racer for races 10k and up. Those with narrow feet or wanting a snug fit will do best with the upper. Those wanting an incredibly bouncy heel/midfoot and a highly rockered forefoot will do best with the transition. The shoe is best for those with already stable heel/midfoot mechanics due to the fairly neutral heel geometry. The forefoot offers mild guidance/stability needs for those that benefit from it. Runners wanting a super light, 5k/10k racer with a stable midfoot/rearfoot and flatter (not heavily rockered) forefoot that makes landing up front easy will not do well here. Version 3 brings a bit of balance to the series, with less bias in one direction than prior versions. It adds the incredible bounce back from version one while staying at a more competitive weight in the super tall super distance racers. This is combined with the rolling effect of version two makes for a fast shoe that can hold paces for long periods of time.
I have enjoyed this version far more than the last one and appreciate that Hoka kept the price at $275 rather than increasing it. While I still think that is a little steep, this shoe does compete with the similarly priced Nike Alphafly 3, Saucony Endorphin Elite 2, and the On Cloudboom Strike. How long that outsole will stay on this shoe remains to be seen and I will get more miles to update that. In the meantime, version 3 brings this shoe back into the upper tiers of racing shoes and is worth trying if your mechanics match with it.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: B+ (Snug fit that requires some lacing readjustment for an optimal fit. Secure once lacing is figured out)
Performance: A (Bouncy and rockered ride that feels best landing heel/midfoot and rolling forward. Best for 10k and up efforts and paces, but can still move fast over a variety of distances)
Stability: B [Neutral] (Mild forefoot guidance but narrow heel/midfoot with a soft and tall sole requires neutral mechanics at the back)
Value: B+ (Incredibly bouncy and fast ride. Outsole seems to be holding on so far, but durability needs to be tested further. Competes well with other shoes in its category)
Personal: B+ (While the upper took some time to get used to, the ride is fast and rolling. It is a fun shoe, but the heel and midfoot are not quite stable enough for me over the distances this shoe excels at)
Overall Design: B+
SHOP | SUPPORT DORHoka Cielo X1 3.0Price: $274.95 at Running Warehouse
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