The second-generation Hoka Skyward X officially goes on sale on May 15 at $225 in the United States and £195 in the United Kingdom, and after several weeks on test pairs the headline finding is straightforward: the smaller, simpler shoe rides better than the original. Hoka has trimmed two millimetres off the stack, the weight is down to roughly 311 grams in a men's UK 9, the upper has gone from a knit construction to a premium jacquard mesh, and the carbon plate has been re-geometried to sit slightly lower in the midsole. The original Skyward X was Hoka's heaviest super trainer; the second-generation shoe finally lives up to the ride the brand promised in 2024.
The midsole stack is the same recipe as before, only quieter. PEBA foam sits immediately underfoot in a cradle of supercritical EVA, with a redesigned plate sandwiched between the two layers, and a deep heel-to-forefoot rocker is doing most of the work as you cycle through the shoe. With the plate moved closer to the road, the rocker engages noticeably earlier on landing, which Hoka claims, and we agree, gives the shoe a more "engaged" stance through the gait cycle. Practically, that means the Skyward X 2 picks up speed more readily on tempo work and feels less ponderous when you back off to recovery pace.
The upper change is arguably the biggest day-to-day improvement. The first generation's knit collar slumped under heel pressure and chafed on long efforts; the new jacquard mesh is structured enough to support the heel without padding, and the heel counter is firmer in the right places. Hoka has also added proper wide D and extra-wide 2E options in men's sizing for the first time, which addresses the perennial complaint about toe-box volume in the original. The fit otherwise comes up true to size, with a medium-width forefoot and a touch of room above the toes.
The number that matters most is weight. At 311 grams the Skyward X 2 is no longer the heaviest super trainer in the category, dropping below the Adidas Hyperboost Edge and the original Asics Superblast. That will not put it among the dedicated tempo shoes, and at this stack height it cannot be a daily 12k for most runners, but the savings make a meaningful difference at long-run pace. We comfortably ran 25 kilometres at marathon effort plus 30 seconds with no perceptible heaviness in the late miles, where the original Skyward X felt like a cinder block by 18.
Where does this leave Hoka's race-day stack? The Cielo X 1 3.0 is still the carbon racer, the Rocket X 3 still sits a step quicker than that for shorter distances, and the Skyward X 2 fits cleanly underneath as a long-run cruise shoe with enough plate to stay honest. At $225 it is not cheap, but it is in line with comparable carbon-plated trainers from On, Saucony and Asics, and the more refined upper is the kind of detail that justifies a small premium. If you bounced off the original Skyward, this is the shoe Hoka should have made first time round.