- Weight 210g (unisex)
- Heel-To-Toe-Drop: 5mm
- Type: road/performance
- Price: £140
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RW summary:
Tested: Tracksmith Eliot Range trail running shoe
General comments
This was the winner of Best New Shoe in our Spring/Summer 21 Shoe Buyer’s Guide, and is the first shoe we can remember ever scoring maximum marks in a group testing process. The reason we didn’t give it a share of the Best In Test award is that it’s more niche and won’t be as suitable for as many runners as the actual Best In Test Winner, the Asics Gel Nimbus 23.
Definitely fast and furious
This is a shoe that mixes speed with control and replaces the discontinued Evo Carbon Rocket. It’s the lightest shoe in the Hoka range, its low-slung, snug, and features a slim carbon-fibre plate. The RW Team were big fans. Deputy Editor Joe Mackie commented: ‘This is a seriously fast shoe. The rocker and carbon plate combine to create springy, snappy ground contact which feels like it’s giving you a propulsive push every time your foot hits the floor.’
Everything in harmony
The overwhelming feeling here is of a shoe where all the elements have come together perfectly. It’s a shoe that says Hoka is no longer a challenger brand, but one of the big boys. The durometer (how firmly/softly a midsole foam is tuned) is Goldilocks levels of just right. We know this because out testers were all shapes, sizes and levels of ability and they all loved it. The 5mm drop on the shoe is low enough to feel rapid but there’s enough there to make it more versatile than just a race day option. In fact, more experienced and lighter weight runners found using it as an everyday training shoe a joyful experience.
Shaping up
The last (outline) of the shoe is wide underfoot, and in fact, the whole outsole unit looks like it’s a little underdeveloped, but this wide shape gives excellent lateral stability and means you can slap your foot down without thinking about it. The upper is a snugger fit than it looks and feels in the hand, and while the toe box is a tad wide when you first put it in – your feet are soon going to swell to fit, whether you’re pounding out laps of the track or clocking the miles on a long run.
Nitpicking
Ok so the laces are too long (most runners had to tuck them in), and in comparison to other shoes on the market with more aggressive carbon fibre plates, there isn’t the same pogo stick energy return feel to them. But this is merely an observation rather than a gripe, and we actually think the shoe is all the better for it.
Conclusion
Let’s leave the last word on the Rocket X to RW Editor Andy Dixon, who said ‘A fast shoe which feels stable - not like you’re perched on the high stack height of a Nike Vaporfly, and this gives a feeling of confidence to really push the pace.’ If you’re after a pair of race day speedsters your search is over.
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