HOKA Tecton X3 Review – Best Off-road Racer?

Fit

First up, the fit. As with all HOKA, I went for a half-size larger than the UK9.5 I wear in all other brands.

It should be noted that this difference only relates to the UK sizing, where HOKA make a UK size just a half size smaller than the US size. So a USA10 = UK9.5 (in my Brooks, Saucony, Nike etc a USA10 = UK9)

Okay, so the fit is ‘true to size’ for HOKA and it fits very well in terms of both length and width.

Tech

The HOKA Tecton X3 is one of the most feature-packed shoes I’ve seen for a long time, from top to bottom it takes advantage of a wide range of technologies available to running shoe manufacturers.

Dynamic upper vamp – in the toe box area of the upper, this dynamic vamp has a stretch quality to it. It allows the foot to splay naturally and makes for a more comfortable fit, especially after long days on the trails.

Matryx textile upper – Matryx is a strong, abrasion-resistant, breathable and lightweight fabric, in the Tecton X3 it forms the main part of the upper that wraps around the foot for general support.

Dual Density PEBA midsole – The top layer of the midsole is a softer PEBA foam. This provides a soft and springy feel directly under the foot. The bottom layer is a little firmer and aids stability.

Parallel carbon Fiber plates with winglets – sandwiched by the twin layers of PEBA are twin carbon fibre plate running the length of the shoe. The twin plates run parallel to each other. This allows them to provide a propulsive effect but at the same time allows the foot and shoe to adapt more easily to the contours of the terrain.
The winglets are small sections of the plates that are exposed on the medial and lateral sides of the midsole and wrap up around the foam. This creates a more stable ride.

Vibram Metagrip Litebase – Vibram Metagrip is the outsole specialist’s specific off-road outsole and the Litebase version is approximately 50% lighter than the original. It still provides great traction thanks to the 4mm deep lugs but is light and flexible.

Speed-centric metarocker – HOKA uses a ‘metarocker’ in the majority of their shoes. The term refers to the specific geometry or shape of the midsole. In this case, a speed-centric design has a more aggressive or obvious roll to it to help create a smoother and faster forward motion.

On the Run

With most new shoes I would normally take them for an easy 5k recovery-type run to get an initial feel for them. With an off-road model like the Tecton X3, I really had to dive straight in, get onto the trails and get them dirty!

First Steps

Living next to the East Lancashire moors of North-West England, trails are in abundance, so I planned out a 5-mile route that takes in every type of terrain most runners could possibly encounter.

My first half-mile was on the road and the soft, responsive feel of the PEBA foam was very obvious. The shoe is as comfortable as any road shoe even with the 4mm deep outsole lugs. The soft cushioning managed to soak up any road impact without issue.

The carbon plates, while not obviously in two pieces, do add the same type of propulsion as you’d expect from a purely road shoe.

The fit is excellent and I’m a real fan of the bootie-type construction. The ankle collar is soft and snug, with a sock-like fit. I selected a pair of slightly longer, crew-length socks with the bootie upper in mind. A sock shorter than the shoe’s upper could cause issues and slide down within the shoe.

Going Off-road

After the initial road section of my run, I hit the trail, with a gravel and stoney footpath to negotiate. This was no problem at all for the Tecton X3. Even after the rain shower, I had managed to time my run to and the ground now being wet, the Vibram sole provided excellent traction with no concerns over slipping.

Onto the moorland and now firm grass and the shoe continued to shine, proving comfortable, supportive and responsive. A trail shoe can often be either too hard with very little cushioning or too soft with too much of a stack. In the case of the Tecton X3, the combination of PEBA foam and carbon plates manages to provide the best of both worlds while retaining the benefits of each component part.

Even on the softest parts of the route my feet felt protected and supported yet all the time I was aware that the shoe was a supershoe rather than simply a trail model. When the terrain allowed it, I was able to pick up my pace with ease and make the most of the ‘super’ elements of this shoe.

Comparisons

ASICS METAFuji

Comparisons in the supershoe trail category are a little thin on the ground. ASICS has just released the METAFuji Trail model which promises great things if it is as good as the road model, but I’ve yet to try it.

Brooks Catamount 3

Brooks has the Catamount 3 featuring their DNA, nitrogen-infused foam and a nylon plate, but it doesn’t have as much of an ‘energised’ feel as the HOKA, although it is significantly cheaper.

Nike Ultrafly

The Nike Ultrafly released last year did have Zoom X foam and a carbon plate and was one of my favourite trail shoes back then. Many didn’t like this model as it wasn’t the most aggressive off-roader. But, as with all trail shoes, it’s ‘horses for courses’ and the trail local to you will be different to the next runner.

Saucony Endorphin Rift

A possible contender might be the new Saucony Endorphin Rift. This premium model does share the Endorphin name with the brand’s racing models so does promise high performance although it doesn’t feature a plate. I’ll report more about this shoe as soon as I’ve had the chance to put it through its paces.

My Verdict

Okay, the price of this shoe puts it quite firmly in the supershoe category. It performs exceptionally well to the point of being so good you’ll want to wear it daily as a training model. It is after all as comfortable as many daily trainers!

The combination of PEBA foams and carbon works very well together and by adding a Vibram sole as a trail shoe it offers everything in equally high-performing parts.

I’ve only covered around 30 miles in the shoe so far and there are no signs of wear, so fingers crossed, it will continue to stand up to the demands of the trails and the rough undergrowth.

The shoe is one of the more expensive off-road models on the market, but it performs exceptionally well and will be my choice of footwear for any off-road race or training for the coming months.