Hoka’s rise to prominence in just a decade and a half is the stuff of legend, and something few footwear brands have ever accomplished. And in that time, they’ve come out with a plethora of running shoe models, including the Bondi, the Clifton, and the Speedgoat, which are all still available from Hoka. But with its latest release, it seems to be resurrecting a discontinued running model, the Elevon. Making its triumphant return as the Elevon X, the shoe also has a new purpose as an everyday lifestyle shoe instead. Let’s take a look.
In 2018, there was a new running shoe model from Hoka called the Elevon. Popular as it may have been, Elevon was only around for two generations, the last of which came out in 2020. In hindsight, it felt more like a congruence between older discontinued models like the Vanquish and something like the Tecton X, which is still around.
The Elevon 2 seemed to fix a lot of what the first shoe missed. For one, it ditched the hard heel counter that made the 2018 model so difficult to run with on the road. Instead, the Elevon 2 had much softer landings and even a new shark fin-esque sole design, presumably borrowed from the fallen Vanquish. And now, the Elevon X seems to bring back that styling as well, but with a few changeups in its construction.
Designed to be more like a walking shoe from a visual and construction POV, the Elevon X also benefits from the new full-length Pebax midsole plate (denoted by the “X” in its name), a luxe Nubuck leather upper with microperf detailing, and a full-grain leather mudguard. There’s also a translucent TPU heel counter for stability and impact. No info was given for the outsole material but it looks like a standard rubber material, albeit with low lugs.
While Hoka still says the Elevon X is perfectly good for both road and trail running, the new sneaker seems to have more focus on versatility than anything else. After all, a good running shoe can be transposed as a lifestyle/walking shoe as well. And the Elevon X has the styling to fit the part.
Type: Lifestyle/Walking
Uppers: Nubuck leather with microperf detailing
Midsole: Full-length Pebax plate
Outsole: Unspecified
Laces: Standard
Weight: Unspecified
As of right now, we’ve seen both black and white colorway options for the Elevon X — although the latter is the one currently available from European sites. There’s no release date for the U.S. market but prices should be well over $200, seeing as the price overseas is €200 (~$224). Stayed tuned to Hoka’s website for when this drops.
Hoka resurrects its discontinued Elevon running shoe as the Elevon X lifestyle shoe, retaining some styling but adding enough noteworthy newness.
