HOKA Cielo X1 2.0: two-minute overview

After I acquired the possibility to attempt the HOKA Cielo X1 2.0, I used to be ecstatic. It appeared plush and had a rocker design, identified to alleviate ache and stress in toes and ankles. This seemed like a shoe I wanted to check: two years in the past, I used to be coping with fixed ache in my toes, higher foot, and hips once I ran, so typically that I needed to cease operating for weeks at a time. Lastly, I discovered the HOKA Stinson 7, a path operating shoe that was plusher and relieved my ache when nothing else (stretching, physician visits, and many others.) would. That mentioned, more often than not I run on the highway, and that path operating shoe was heavier and bulkier than I favored. HOKA might have began out with a path operating shoe, however since then, they’ve been placing out spectacular highway trainers yr after yr and often characteristic in our best running shoes roundup. The HOKA Cielo X1 2.0 launched in February 2025, the second iteration of the Cielo X1 which launched a yr earlier than in February 2024. The Cielo X1 2.0 has a extra breathable higher product of engineered jacquard mesh – so breathable and clear that I may see my socked toes and really feel the wind and a few gentle rain once I ran on a drizzly day.

HOKA additionally enhanced the forefoot cushioning and improved the outsole traction. Throughout my testing interval, it was significantly wet in Texas and so I needed to run on gentle rain days or after the rain had stopped. I at all times felt safe and by no means slipped, not even once I needed to run over slick brick roads in my metropolis’s historic downtown.

The most important enchancment to the Cielo X1 2.0 needs to be within the weight and extra aggressive rocker profile. The place the Cielo X1 is 9.3 ounces, the Cielo X1 2.0 has dropped to eight.10 ounces. For many who race, an additional 1.2 ounces can go a great distance. To realize the burden discount, HOKA utilized important cutouts on the underside of the shoe.