HOKA Speedgoat 5 – Your technical trail companion
This shoe is possibly one of the best trail shoes from the Hoka brand!
Lets dive into the details…
Basic Specifications
Stack height in the heel 33mm
Stack height in the front 29mm
Drop 4mm
Lugs 5mm
Weight 315g in my size 46
Sizing: I find it a bit wide (I originally ordered a 46 2/3 and noticed that I had too much room in the shoes, which caused blisters).
I made use of the Hoka 30 days guarantee and send it back.
As the policy goes, no questions asked, I got my money back and ordered a size 46.
Currently ran about 200km in total with the first and this pair combined.
This is already a bit better, but I know that I have a lot of issues in several shoes due to having 2 different feet sizes, left is 46, right is 45,5, but still it a roomy shoe overalls
The Speedgoat was released in 2022, a new version could be expected around October 2023, just before the winter season starts.
Be sure to be on the lookout around that time for some good deals!
Midsole / Outsole
Didn’t had any stability issues what so ever on any kind of different terrains.
This is partly due to the fact that the lugs are really good.
They really make sure that you don’t slide in whatever condition.
The Vibram megagrip sole is the second part that completes the grip and also durability.
When I’m wearing these, I feel that I’m more confident on the trails, but that’s just in my head 🤣
Midsole cushioning is about average, but this doesn’t mean a bad thing, it’s not too soft and not too hard.
Just enough to give you a comfortable trail run and to still give you a good ground contact feeling.
The impact of running on rougher terrain is well absorbed to lower the impact on your feet, legs, knees.
Upper
The upper is light and enjoyable, breath ability is superb, also in warmer conditions.
The tongue is thin, for this I was afraid that it wouldn’t be comfortable running longer distances but it stays good in its place and feels good even after running 50K.
The laces are long enough, even if you need to do the heel lock method, which I do to have a more snug fit, they also do not come loose at random.
The shoe reminds me of the Clifton 9.
When I’ve put them on the first time, I immediately needed to think of the Clifton, also because of the heel lip.
But the upper is slightly different as the Clifton gets warmer according to me.
The upper from the Speedgoat is a lot better ventilating.
Durability
I question a bit the durability of the lugs.
I know that they are heavily put to work on technical trails and I got the impression that they wear out quickly.
This will all depend on what you do with the shoe obviously.
At this rate, I hope they are at least good for up to 400Km, preferably 500Km.
Summary
Having ran different distances already in them ranging from an easy 5K to 50K, this remains my go to shoe if I’m heading out on a challenging trail where I need the stability, a comfortable ride and especially the excellent grip.
I definitely recommend this shoe if you are planning a more technical trail in the mountains, you won’t regret it!
The price is around 160€.
I believe this is a decent price as the shoe will certainly deliver you a very good experience even though the durability might be lower than for some other trail shoes.
If you would like to see more actual views of the shoe, do check out the YouTube review, which is included at the top of this page!
