Hoka Cielo X1 3.0

The Hoka Cielo X1 3.0 is a cushioned race shoe designed for speed and comfort. Priced at $275, it competes with shoes like the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo ($270) and Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 ($250). The third version is lighter with an updated version of the PEBA foam, a more stable, yet aggressive geometry, and a really sticky CPU outsole. The step-in feel is very nice with a super dialed upper, good fit, and good comfort, giving it a more cohesive feel. It feels not too soft or too firm underfoot. The revised foam with the revised plate feels stable and more normal than previous versions even though there is still a midfoot bump with all the foam. Out on the run we found the spirit of the shoe is not that different from the 2.0, but they landed the plane with the execution and tightened up what they were trying to do with it. You still get a highly protective forefoot in a lighter package, but you get more fun, responsive bounce and less squish. It has a perfect rocker geometry that allows you to really push through the forefoot and get tons of speed assistance without any sense of fighting the foam. It feels like the ideal road session shoe for a marathoner—the firmer foam, super aggressive geometry, smooth ride, and cushioning makes it feel good at a lot of paces, including more relaxed jogging paces, steady paces, and really fast workout paces. With the Cielo X1 3.0, Hoka has finally delivered a true super shoe.