HOKA Cielo X1 3

BITR's hosts call it possibly the best road speed shoe HOKA has ever made — lighter, bouncier, with an even more exaggerated rocker than the v2.

Best for: Top-of-the-line race day shoe in HOKA's lineup. Best road speed shoe HOKA has ever made (per BITR podcast).

An excellent update that bumps the aggression and lightness of an already-favorite race shoe; Kofuzi prefers the 3.0 over the 2.0 personally.

Best for: Marathon racing for midfoot strikers wanting an aggressive, lightweight, bouncy super shoe. World Athletics compliant at sample size 10.

Got a half marathon PB in them — pretty fantastic, really bouncy, perfect on a slightly hilly course. Still wonders if Rocket X3 might suit him better for the marathon distance.

Best for: Half marathon racing on rolling courses with downhills; bouncy enough to give a midfoot/forefoot-style boost even to a shuffly heel-striker.

Mike rates it 4.5/5 for 10K race testing — fast, lively, more stable, hard to fault. Built on v2 in the right ways without losing punch.

Best for: 10K racing in wet conditions — punchy and aggressive but more controlled than v2.

All three testers call it Hoka's best carbon racer to date — lighter, bouncier, more stable than v2, and accessible to a wider range of runners while keeping the punchy aggressive personality. Mark prefers Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo / Puma Fast-R 3 for his style but rates Cielo X1 3.0 in the top half-dozen carbon racers.

Best for: Race day from 5k through marathon for runners who love a big bouncy, propulsive ride and have efficient form. Better marathon option than v2 thanks to added stability.

An explosive, very fast carbon racer that excels for all-out efforts up to the half marathon but may be too wobbly and aggressive for marathon distance or slower paces.

Best for: All-out fast racing up to half marathon for runners who can handle an aggressive, less stable platform.

A phenomenally bouncy and aggressive all-out racer that is faster and more exciting than the Rocket X3; the reviewers' pick for PB attempts despite being less stable, less forgiving, and more expensive.

Best for: Advanced runners chasing PBs at 5K to half-marathon (and now marathon if form holds) who want the fastest, most aggressive carbon racer in the Hoka lineup.