Great review, Steven - I"m with you on that thin tongue. That outside heel padding is, I think, to protect your ankle bones when you're moving through high rocks so you don't bruise the sides of the ankle, same as on the MafSpeed 4. I like that small feature, only noticed it on a technical run through Garden of the Gods a few weeks ago. Good to have it on the TectonX2, ao far so good. I think for my toebox it's a bit more fitted than the X1, but certainly more supportive and durable with Matryx. Should be hella good on water crossings, say... at Twin Lakes! ;)
@@UltraTrailSteven hahaha you’re ultra trail Steven! The wild ultra trail runner! I’m talking people who don’t do super long trail runs at crazy altitudes haha 😆
Yayyyy can't wait for my pair to arrive soon and race in them. Great review. I decided to gamble with them and race my next 50k in them vs the ATR 6 which was a good shoe but a bit heavy when it gets wet and lack a better traction.
Great vid Steven as always, thank you. I have ordered TX2 and tested them in my appartment. After a few walks I noticed that the shoelaces started to dig into the 3th and 4th eyelet from the toes up. Those eyelets do not have laminated plastic on, like the upper one and the lower two. Laces are pretty narrow and kinda sharp and I have instantly remembered the situation with the early releases of the Mafate Speed 4 where the laces cut all the way through the eyelet. I am not saying that the same will happen here, but for that price point I want to be certain. I have notified the seller and returned the shoes. I wonder if you or your viewers had similar experience. I hope that TX3 will cover that, because they seem like a great shoe. 👍
Thanks for the great review, as always, Steven! I’m really excited for this shoe. Hoka is doing awesome changes in uppers and keeping what we all (mostly) love with midsole, outsole combos. Def better option than the Endorphin Edge, as far as single track/technical trails go.
Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't give up on Hoka just yet. Great review Steven. Bummer about the tongue issues. I wish they made something like this for more technical terrain.
Check out the Hoka Zinal. I love that shoe! It’s lower stack, so therefore less cushion and more ground contact. It is lightweight and agile, and if I remember correctly had the Vibram Lightbase outsole too. They are perfect for a 50k race.
Question. Should the tectons be used as daily trainers? Asking since I used to use a carbon plated shoe for road racing and they messed me up. But, I’m not sure if carbon plated shoes should be used as daily training shoes on the trails. Thanks!
Hi! enjoyed the review of this and the Mafate Speed 4. I have a 100k coming up and I wondered what your thoughts would be between both shoes. I previously owned and loved the TectonX running half, 50k and 100k in them with no issues but would the Mafate maybe be better suited?
It depends on the terrain. If you’ve used the Tecton X for the 100k distance without issue, then the X2 should be fine. If it’s a more technical course, may want the Mafate Speed 4.
Thanks a lot for you wonderful review!🙏, but i sprained my ankle BADLY with X1 and i will never forever buy again a trail shoe with carbon plate, no way, i am very expert i hard DH trail segments (long and bad ones as well) and i never had issue with many other shoes (e.g. speedgoat, ZINAL, and also with Nike Trail 3 by the way)....never even felt to be in risk of spraining my ankles.....but after 7 km it happens with X1....they BOUNCE BADLY and SHARPLY
The Tecton x2 would be better. The Goats outsole is too aggressive in my opinion. Thanks! It’s my Boco hat that I designed. I had some for sale but they sold out quickly.
Hi Thanks! Re: the sizing - I am normally a 10.5 in the speedgoat and challenger - but i need the wide versions .. how’s the width on these ? For a 50k ultra on more like gravel / unpaved roads - would you recommend these, the speedgoat 5 of the endorphin edge ? Thanks again !
I would say the width is average. If your midfoot is really wide, these likely won’t work well for you. I would recommend these over the Speedgoats or EE for that race. Thanks for watching!
Great review. Any thoughts on whether these might be good hiking shoes? I’ll be doing a month long trip at 20-25 miles a day on midwest trails… not very rocky, more roots than anything plus occasional rain. I like that the Tecton are well cushioned, dry quickly/breathe well. Not sure if the plates would be a help or hindrance though.
thanks for your reviews :) I saw your review about the Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro, a comparable model. For long races (50 to 100/120 K), technical/single track and significant altitude gain and loss (kind of european trails), witch one would be your chioce, the pulsar pro or the tecton x? Confort/cushion, stability, etc. Thanks a lot :)
I dont't get why Hoka still leaves so much exposed foam on the bottom of their trail shoes. I love my Speedgoat 5s, but they already look like crap after a few months of running.
Hopefully will be testing these out in the next couple of days once they arrive at my house. The MP4’s are great but the lower drop just doesn’t work for my body. And although they were responsive, they still felt a little squishy to me. I realize these are only one mil higher but I got along just fine in the Torrents and they are five mil. Hoping the carbon plates make them more responsive, similar to the same Pop as the exodus ultra. Thanks for the great review!
Great review, Steven - I"m with you on that thin tongue. That outside heel padding is, I think, to protect your ankle bones when you're moving through high rocks so you don't bruise the sides of the ankle, same as on the MafSpeed 4. I like that small feature, only noticed it on a technical run through Garden of the Gods a few weeks ago. Good to have it on the TectonX2, ao far so good. I think for my toebox it's a bit more fitted than the X1, but certainly more supportive and durable with Matryx. Should be hella good on water crossings, say... at Twin Lakes! ;)
Great input! That makes sense about the heel protection.
I’ve been hearing so much about Hoka lately, not just from you but also from regular people I know lol. They make a good product!
“Regular people” 😂 what am I then? 😛
@@UltraTrailSteven hahaha you’re ultra trail Steven! The wild ultra trail runner!
I’m talking people who don’t do super long trail runs at crazy altitudes haha 😆
Yayyyy can't wait for my pair to arrive soon and race in them. Great review. I decided to gamble with them and race my next 50k in them vs the ATR 6 which was a good shoe but a bit heavy when it gets wet and lack a better traction.
The X2 will definitely drain better and breathe better!
Great vid Steven as always, thank you. I have ordered TX2 and tested them in my appartment. After a few walks I noticed that the shoelaces started to dig into the 3th and 4th eyelet from the toes up. Those eyelets do not have laminated plastic on, like the upper one and the lower two. Laces are pretty narrow and kinda sharp and I have instantly remembered the situation with the early releases of the Mafate Speed 4 where the laces cut all the way through the eyelet. I am not saying that the same will happen here, but for that price point I want to be certain. I have notified the seller and returned the shoes. I wonder if you or your viewers had similar experience. I hope that TX3 will cover that, because they seem like a great shoe. 👍
I did not have that issue. Hopefully you can return them.
Great review! That outer padding seems like a great idea. I run in a very rocky area, and it seems that would give some protection.
Yeah someone else said that padding could protect the ankles from rocks, and that's a great point! Thanks, Kelly!
Waiting patiently for these to be released in the UK, need to upgrade from my speedgoat 4. Great review also I've just subscribed to your channel 👍
Thank you! I definitely like these better than the Speedgoat 5’s
They arrived today whoop whoop 🎉
Thanks for the great review, as always, Steven! I’m really excited for this shoe. Hoka is doing awesome changes in uppers and keeping what we all (mostly) love with midsole, outsole combos. Def better option than the Endorphin Edge, as far as single track/technical trails go.
Thank you, Nick!
Also, praying that the thin tongue works. That was a major issue for me in the SP5.
The tongue is marginally better than the SG5, but still needs improvement.
Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't give up on Hoka just yet. Great review Steven. Bummer about the tongue issues. I wish they made something like this for more technical terrain.
Check out the Hoka Zinal. I love that shoe! It’s lower stack, so therefore less cushion and more ground contact. It is lightweight and agile, and if I remember correctly had the Vibram Lightbase outsole too. They are perfect for a 50k race.
@@UltraTrailSteven You know I love the Vibram soles!
Question. Should the tectons be used as daily trainers? Asking since I used to use a carbon plated shoe for road racing and they messed me up. But, I’m not sure if carbon plated shoes should be used as daily training shoes on the trails. Thanks!
Good question. I have certainly used them in my training. When I have a long run on gravel or dirt roads, I will often use them.
@@UltraTrailSteven thanks so much for the reply. Love your vids
@@LeRoosteroo thank you so much!
Thoughts on these vs the Mafate Speed and the durability?
Well I have used my Mafate Speed 4 for 3 100+ mile races and they are holding up well! I think the Tecton X2 will hold up well also.
Feel your weak ankle pain! Glad it’s getting better.
What’s your go to shoe for super technical trails?
For 50k distance, the Hoka Zinal. For 50k plus, I’ve had great success with the Salomon Pulsar Trail.
Hi! enjoyed the review of this and the Mafate Speed 4. I have a 100k coming up and I wondered what your thoughts would be between both shoes. I previously owned and loved the TectonX running half, 50k and 100k in them with no issues but would the Mafate maybe be better suited?
It depends on the terrain. If you’ve used the Tecton X for the 100k distance without issue, then the X2 should be fine. If it’s a more technical course, may want the Mafate Speed 4.
Between the Tecton x2 and Mafate speed 4, which would say has a more voluminous toe box ?
Tecton X2 does in my opinion.
@@UltraTrailSteven thanks so much !
Thanks a lot for you wonderful review!🙏, but i sprained my ankle BADLY with X1 and i will never forever buy again a trail shoe with carbon plate, no way, i am very expert i hard DH trail segments (long and bad ones as well) and i never had issue with many other shoes (e.g. speedgoat, ZINAL, and also with Nike Trail 3 by the way)....never even felt to be in risk of spraining my ankles.....but after 7 km it happens with X1....they BOUNCE BADLY and SHARPLY
Yeah they are not the best shoe for technical trails. As far as plated trail shoes go, that are better than others.
Solid road to trail option or are the speedgoat better for that? Awesome hat btw. Where is it from?
The Tecton x2 would be better. The Goats outsole is too aggressive in my opinion. Thanks! It’s my Boco hat that I designed. I had some for sale but they sold out quickly.
As always, great review! So....for a non technical 10k - marathon race would you choose the Salomon S/Lab Pulsar or the Tecton X2?
Thanks, Steve. For a 10k, I would go S/Lab Pulsar. They are just so light weight!
Hi
Thanks!
Re: the sizing - I am normally a 10.5 in the speedgoat and challenger - but i need the wide versions .. how’s the width on these ?
For a 50k ultra on more like gravel / unpaved roads - would you recommend these, the speedgoat 5 of the endorphin edge ?
Thanks again !
I would say the width is average. If your midfoot is really wide, these likely won’t work well for you. I would recommend these over the Speedgoats or EE for that race. Thanks for watching!
Great review. Any thoughts on whether these might be good hiking shoes? I’ll be doing a month long trip at 20-25 miles a day on midwest trails… not very rocky, more roots than anything plus occasional rain. I like that the Tecton are well cushioned, dry quickly/breathe well. Not sure if the plates would be a help or hindrance though.
I’m sure they would be ok. But at that price tag there are others I would consider for hiking. Maybe the Hoka Anacapa, or even the Challenger 7.
thanks for your reviews :) I saw your review about the Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro, a comparable model. For long races (50 to 100/120 K), technical/single track and significant altitude gain and loss (kind of european trails), witch one would be your chioce, the pulsar pro or the tecton x? Confort/cushion, stability, etc. Thanks a lot :)
Absolutely the Tecton X2. I really don't care for the Pulsar Trail Pro or Pro 2. The heel is not very comfortable.
The shoe looks a little like a mini boot the way it's built up around the ankle. No doubt a big seller for them this year.
Yep it’s gonna be popular
great stuff…
Thanks
Nice cap! What brand is it?
It is a Boco hat that I designed. Sold out at the moment.
I dont't get why Hoka still leaves so much exposed foam on the bottom of their trail shoes. I love my Speedgoat 5s, but they already look like crap after a few months of running.
Its to save weight as the foam weighs less than the vibram rubber.
Great review. Do you feel the Tecton X2 would be a good pick for a 100 miler race like Western States?
I’ve not been on any of that course yet (hopefully one day!), but I know folks that used the originals on the course. So probably be fine. Thanks!
Tecton X or Tecton X2?
I would say X2. That Matryx upper is nice!
@@UltraTrailSteven I have 2 pairs of the Tecton which I love. The 225 price is steep. I may wait till the price comes down
Totally understand that! Get another pair of the X1's on sale!
Hopefully will be testing these out in the next couple of days once they arrive at my house. The MP4’s are great but the lower drop just doesn’t work for my body. And although they were responsive, they still felt a little squishy to me. I realize these are only one mil higher but I got along just fine in the Torrents and they are five mil. Hoping the carbon plates make them more responsive, similar to the same Pop as the exodus ultra. Thanks for the great review!
I hope you enjoy them! Let us know once you have put some miles on them.
I hate all the new thin tongues on shoes period
The Torrent 3 tongue is nice.
Ooo I'm opposite,,I think they are sooooo comfy.