I ran the last 50 miles of a 100 in the Hoka Cielo, they were awesome. I ran the first 50 in the Hoka Tecton x2 (it was gravel road). I should have and could have ran the whole 100 in the Cielo. That shoe just saves your legs. No issues with blister, good stability, and you can run just about any pace in the Hoka's. I even do my recovery runs in them now.
Was the last 50 miles gravel as well? Was considering these for the last 2/3 of the JFK 50 which is a marathon worth of gravel and then 8 miles of road…
@@MrTCFIRE yeah it was 12.5 mile loops same gravel course. I’m running JFK too! Definitely a top option, except one flaw. Rocks get stuck in the bottom every so often. In a hundred it wasn’t a big deal because I took some walk beaks and got them out but in JFK I may not want to stop. It was big gravel rocks that got stuck though and it was my understanding JFK is fine gravel. Any insight in the JFK gravel?
@@joeccriscuola Right on! I have no idea what the gravel situation is, though I've heard road shoes after the AT are the way to go...don't want to run road shoes on the AT and don't want to run trail shoes on the gravel/road :)
I have a couple of runs in a Cielo X1. First Hoka to fit my wide feet ❤️❤️❤️. Not a racing shoe but did get a PB today in them. Very comfortable and STABLE. Legs absolutely fresh after a few hours and thats rare for me 👍🏻
Just ran a half marathon in my Cielo X1 and they were great. The alphafly are very aggressive and I feel a bit beat up after a race. I felt great after my run in the Cielo. I will take the weight, which I didn’t find that bad. However, I am a heavy runner at 190 lbs. So, I put a lot into my shoes.
Yeah quite excited to see how the cielox2 is gonna come out. Keeping the geometry, but cutting off unnecessary weight would give us alphafly1'ers something to look forward to! ;). Great comparison, thx Nick!
The AF V3 is an extremely friendly mid-pack runner shoe. They've done a great job on smoothing out the transition, reducing the weight and making the airpods much easier to hit. The Hoka seems like a decent AF V1 implementation...just heavier and 3+yrs late to the game. Also a bit concerned with their heel collar design not doing a great job of preventing heel lift. While the all versions of the AF's have had great heel lockdowns. Thankfully I've never experienced any of the dread arch discomfort in any version of the AF. I also am hoping Hoka closes the gap with Nike, Adidas and Asics on the Cielo X2, and sounds like they have lots of room for improvement, while still having the X1 be a decent product.
I have the Cielo X as of today. So far - so good. For anyone considering it who are unable to source Alphafly 3’s - it feels light in hand and comparable with the rest (EP3, AAP3, RX2) running in them, it’s not a heavy shoe given the amount of stack and outsole coverage. The laces are a bit different tho 😂😂
Those Alphafly are the hardest shoes to clean, mine are a healthy shade of grey now 🤣Not tried the Hoka but I love the Alphafly so don't intend buying any more super shoes for a while (although those Metaspeed Sky Paris do look very tempting indeed...)
I purchased the Alphafly 3 recently for the upcoming Manchester marathon. Felt great straight out of the box on a 20 mile training run. Comfortable but punchy.
I have both and agree 100% with Nick's assessments about these shoes. Nick hit the nail on the head about the Alphafly 3 being "businesslike" and the Cielo X1 being the more "fun" shoe. If I'm going for a PB in a half-marathon or full-marathon, then AF3 is the one I'd choose. If I just want to have fun while cruising through the races but still at respectable paces, then I'd go with the CX1. To me, the CX1 is like a more stable Prime X Strung v1, which has been and still is my favorite all-time road running shoe but mainly for long runs. I only have about 42 miles on the CX1 right now and 75 miles on the AF3 compared to well over a thousand on multiple pairs of the PXS, so I'll see how my thoughts evolve with more miles, but both AF3 and CX1 are amazing shoes. The NB SC Elite v4 has been somewhat of a disappointment. It's a very good shoe but more like an improved "super trainer" over the Elite v3 and still not really comparable to the AF3 and CX1. The fun factor of the CX1 is off the charts. It's a bit heavy (about the same as the PXS but with a much lower stack), the upper is a little warm and, yes, the laces are funky but none of these shortfalls hinder the fun factor for long distance cruises or tempo/threshold runs. I'd be very inclined to running a HM in the CX1. My HM PB time is around 1:37 with the PXSv1 but I think I'd be able to beat it with the CX1 and most likely with the AF3. One can't agree 100% with the reviews and thoughts of any single Shoe-Tuber out there since we are all different (running mechanics, physiology like foot shapes and overall build, personal preferences, etc.), but I find that I tend to agree with Nick more than anyone else. I find that I can really trust what Nick has to say, even though it seems his feet are narrower than mine. Haha. Also a much faster runner than I am.
@@edrios3668 Yes, I fully agree. The X1 is a very stable shoe without being intrusive. I especially like the midsole cutout on the lateral side instead of the medial side. Seems to help a lot with pronation over a long run - no fatigue or aches of any sort on the feet and legs afterwards.
I honestly cannot believe that this comparison actually has to be made. On paper, the AF3 should blow the Cielo X1 out of the water, yet it does not. The X1 is considerably heavier and much less breathable yet here we are. I definitely agree that the Cielo X2 should be an exceptional update!
Cielo V1 sounds like the OG Prime X has been for me, just at a price of $150. Still have 3 pairs in rotation for daily runs and fun for LRs/fun races. If I'm spending the $$$, I have to go AF 3, especially when I think about mile 20 of the marathon. Say what you want, the weight is definitely significant when racing a marathon and trying to turn over your legs that final 10k.
Nick, do you think could the X1 work as a 'Do it all' shoe - Long easy runs as well as faster track Intervals? I'd prefer the Sky Paris but concerned about versatility and outsole longevity. Cheers
I ran the last 50 miles of a 100 in the Hoka Cielo, they were awesome. I ran the first 50 in the Hoka Tecton x2 (it was gravel road). I should have and could have ran the whole 100 in the Cielo. That shoe just saves your legs. No issues with blister, good stability, and you can run just about any pace in the Hoka's. I even do my recovery runs in them now.
Was the last 50 miles gravel as well? Was considering these for the last 2/3 of the JFK 50 which is a marathon worth of gravel and then 8 miles of road…
@@MrTCFIRE yeah it was 12.5 mile loops same gravel course. I’m running JFK too! Definitely a top option, except one flaw. Rocks get stuck in the bottom every so often. In a hundred it wasn’t a big deal because I took some walk beaks and got them out but in JFK I may not want to stop. It was big gravel rocks that got stuck though and it was my understanding JFK is fine gravel. Any insight in the JFK gravel?
@@joeccriscuola Right on! I have no idea what the gravel situation is, though I've heard road shoes after the AT are the way to go...don't want to run road shoes on the AT and don't want to run trail shoes on the gravel/road :)
I have a couple of runs in a Cielo X1. First Hoka to fit my wide feet ❤️❤️❤️. Not a racing shoe but did get a PB today in them. Very comfortable and STABLE. Legs absolutely fresh after a few hours and thats rare for me 👍🏻
Just ran a half marathon in my Cielo X1 and they were great. The alphafly are very aggressive and I feel a bit beat up after a race. I felt great after my run in the Cielo. I will take the weight, which I didn’t find that bad. However, I am a heavy runner at 190 lbs. So, I put a lot into my shoes.
Yeah quite excited to see how the cielox2 is gonna come out. Keeping the geometry, but cutting off unnecessary weight would give us alphafly1'ers something to look forward to! ;). Great comparison, thx Nick!
The AF V3 is an extremely friendly mid-pack runner shoe. They've done a great job on smoothing out the transition, reducing the weight and making the airpods much easier to hit.
The Hoka seems like a decent AF V1 implementation...just heavier and 3+yrs late to the game. Also a bit concerned with their heel collar design not doing a great job of preventing heel lift. While the all versions of the AF's have had great heel lockdowns. Thankfully I've never experienced any of the dread arch discomfort in any version of the AF.
I also am hoping Hoka closes the gap with Nike, Adidas and Asics on the Cielo X2, and sounds like they have lots of room for improvement, while still having the X1 be a decent product.
I have the Cielo X as of today. So far - so good. For anyone considering it who are unable to source Alphafly 3’s - it feels light in hand and comparable with the rest (EP3, AAP3, RX2) running in them, it’s not a heavy shoe given the amount of stack and outsole coverage. The laces are a bit different tho 😂😂
Those Alphafly are the hardest shoes to clean, mine are a healthy shade of grey now 🤣Not tried the Hoka but I love the Alphafly so don't intend buying any more super shoes for a while (although those Metaspeed Sky Paris do look very tempting indeed...)
I purchased the Alphafly 3 recently for the upcoming Manchester marathon. Felt great straight out of the box on a 20 mile training run. Comfortable but punchy.
I have both and agree 100% with Nick's assessments about these shoes. Nick hit the nail on the head about the Alphafly 3 being "businesslike" and the Cielo X1 being the more "fun" shoe. If I'm going for a PB in a half-marathon or full-marathon, then AF3 is the one I'd choose. If I just want to have fun while cruising through the races but still at respectable paces, then I'd go with the CX1. To me, the CX1 is like a more stable Prime X Strung v1, which has been and still is my favorite all-time road running shoe but mainly for long runs.
I only have about 42 miles on the CX1 right now and 75 miles on the AF3 compared to well over a thousand on multiple pairs of the PXS, so I'll see how my thoughts evolve with more miles, but both AF3 and CX1 are amazing shoes. The NB SC Elite v4 has been somewhat of a disappointment. It's a very good shoe but more like an improved "super trainer" over the Elite v3 and still not really comparable to the AF3 and CX1.
The fun factor of the CX1 is off the charts. It's a bit heavy (about the same as the PXS but with a much lower stack), the upper is a little warm and, yes, the laces are funky but none of these shortfalls hinder the fun factor for long distance cruises or tempo/threshold runs. I'd be very inclined to running a HM in the CX1. My HM PB time is around 1:37 with the PXSv1 but I think I'd be able to beat it with the CX1 and most likely with the AF3.
One can't agree 100% with the reviews and thoughts of any single Shoe-Tuber out there since we are all different (running mechanics, physiology like foot shapes and overall build, personal preferences, etc.), but I find that I tend to agree with Nick more than anyone else. I find that I can really trust what Nick has to say, even though it seems his feet are narrower than mine. Haha. Also a much faster runner than I am.
i don't plan to buy any of these sneakers
@@markoljustina Nobody said you need to. I love them both and really enjoy running in them.
Thanks for this, good to hear about your experience with the shoes!
@@edrios3668 Yes, I fully agree. The X1 is a very stable shoe without being intrusive. I especially like the midsole cutout on the lateral side instead of the medial side. Seems to help a lot with pronation over a long run - no fatigue or aches of any sort on the feet and legs afterwards.
I honestly cannot believe that this comparison actually has to be made. On paper, the AF3 should blow the Cielo X1 out of the water, yet it does not. The X1 is considerably heavier and much less breathable yet here we are. I definitely agree that the Cielo X2 should be an exceptional update!
Cielo V1 sounds like the OG Prime X has been for me, just at a price of $150. Still have 3 pairs in rotation for daily runs and fun for LRs/fun races. If I'm spending the $$$, I have to go AF 3, especially when I think about mile 20 of the marathon. Say what you want, the weight is definitely significant when racing a marathon and trying to turn over your legs that final 10k.
Hoka Cielo X 1 for me
Two issues with this Hoka..
1. There is a chance to roll your foot
2. On wet asphalt surface it seems to slip while I run
Yesss!!! 🎉🎉🎉 thank you!
Nice comparison. Seems like the best of both worlds would be the Wave Rebellion Pro 1? Lightweight and bouncy AF1 vibes?
Great shoe but maybe a little too wild/risky a design for many over long distances!
Team Cielo all the way
Question for Nick. Metaspeed Edge is suppose to be for fast cadence runners like you are. Yet you prefer the Metaspeed Sky?
Yeah I always have found the Sky bouncier and more impressive, but haven’t tested the Edge Paris yet which looks promising!
Nick, Cielo x1 or metaspeed sky Paris for London, if you had to choose one?
Right now Metaspeed Sky Paris is my favourite racer overall, planning to use it for London. Though it’s very close with the Alpha 3!
@@TheRunTesters the metaspeed sky paris also great for marathons? I feel its very narrow and therefor a bit more unstable
Hopefully ASICS get their act together and we can get some soon!
Nick, do you think could the X1 work as a 'Do it all' shoe - Long easy runs as well as faster track Intervals? I'd prefer the Sky Paris but concerned about versatility and outsole longevity. Cheers
Hi Nick, what's the difference between the Cielo X1 and Rocket X2? - are they both similar? - which is suited to which race distance? (I have neither)
5:02 when you are doing 20-24 miles ...how many stops are you making on average, if any?
Usually no stops unless I need the loo or meet a friend who is late haha
@@TheRunTestersfair enough lol
Thank you for the quick response.
Hi Nick - for an Ironman which one would you select? Aiming for a 3h15-3h20 marathon
First. Yay. Alphafly. Easy
Which one has a wider toe box?
Alphafly 3 all day