Brett - I love that all of these reports feel like a hostage video, filmed somewhere away from your captors. Looks like it was a long 3-4 days. Can't wait for the actual Mafate 5 (not this X sh**).
Of all the shoe reviews going around of the event, Brett is killing it. Love the info on the shoes and perspective, rather than the company reps. Love it. Thanks for all the updates! Conversational Pace all over TRE
Appreciate it! I've always thought that an independent reviewer like myself giving takes on the shoes rather than the reps' comments made more sense. It's what I see most with my favorite tech reviewers, which is what motivated me to bring this format to TRE.
These look very interesting but not entirely sure how I feel about them. I snagged the Mafate/Satisfy on the latest drop and its pretty awesome. I know a lot of folks are buying it for fashion, but it actually seems like the lighter weight race version of the Mafate Speed 4 I've wanted for a while. I'm very excited to take it on rooty technical Adirondack trails next season. Kinda wish that just became a normal product in the line.
I have heard that it is actually an awesome shoe to run in, even though the marketing around it makes it feel like more of a fashion shoe. That lighter upper dropping an ounce from the shoe is pretty significant!
I can’t wait for running shoes to make a comeback to minimal stack heights. Just imagine that they develop materials that are 1 cm in height but at the same time it feels cushioned and comfortable. This super tall shoes “alla Hoka” hurts my ankles just from looking at them 😅
The carbon plate in the Mafate X allows them to add more stack and comfort. Without the plate it would be too unstable. That is why I love the Skyward X. Super Cush and stable. Easily my favorite long run shoe because when I break down it takes care of me with the cushion and stability
pretty bleak outlook for Hoka Trail for 2025 so far. thought they were on a great path with the Tecton X 3. turned the Mafate into a Speedgoat for no reason. huge fan of the Mafate 4 so this is a bummer
Hopefully the elements that they added to the Mafate 5 prove my initial thoughts wrong! With the fall release date, there's still lots of time to stock up on the Mafate Speed 4 😆
Did you get anything on the Saucony Xodus Ultra 4? Curious if they tweaked much besides the outsole. Everyone seems pretty lukewarm on the XU3, so I'm curious if there's any improvements there. I'd also be curious if they commented at all on the apparent shrinking of their trail offerings.
I didn't have time to go by the Saucony booth, unfortunately. I did hear the main highlight of the update was around the outsole, switching to Vibram Megagrip. I imagine Believe in the run or Road Trail Run will have an article with 2025 Saucony updates, so hopefully one of them includes Xodus 4
Not gunna lie, the Mafate X looks kind of like a "Ah screw it, just throw a plate in that one and call it a day, someone will buy it" kind of situation. Maybe a JFK shoe for the every man? Mafate 5 looks kind of interesting though, although I know that's gunna piss some people off.
Definitely a very big change for that Mafate. Agree, Mafate X is a little confusing to me, but we'll review it and hopefully it makes more sense once it's on foot.
Would love to know the weight of the Mafate 6. Mafate X seems like a pointless shoe at the 340grams or whatever it is. Thanks for explaining the 8mm drop logic, seems strange but curious to see how that plays out. None of these are that exciting compared to other brands.
Will definitely be interesting to see how it feels over longer miles in the mountains. I'm just worried that any propulsive benefits from the plate and peba insert will be negated by how heavy the shoe is. We'll do a full review on it when it's available 👍
Really nnot a fan of them adding a plate to the regular Mafate 5. Idk, I just do not like plates on the trails, they just feel like a gimmick in my experience.
These updates definitely didn't have the same wow factor as the Speedgoat 6 and Tecton X 3 from last year. Only one of those was a hit for me though, so while I agree with you, I'm still hoping that once I get them on foot, they'll feel exciting
I was really hoping to see a bit more of the road influence make their way to the trail shoes for this year. It felt like with the TX3, things were about to get crazy
@@ConversationalPace Yea. I like my TX3s but I only use them on the mildest of trails. The speedgoat 6s were a complete dud for me. Feels like they have no clue what to do with that shoe now that all the other brands are making better (in my opinion) max cushion trail shoes.
Hoka have ruined the mafate line with these updates. Heavier, higher stack and aimed at "long haul efforts" according to their reps. Not going to be as good for fast and technical running. The speed 4 was a great shoe Not impressed with them increasing the drop of the clifton either
I agree, the weight and plate etc. don't bode well. I also really don't get in what world the Mafate 4 was not a shoe for the long haul. It was my hands down favorite for all technical mountain races no matter the distance.
@ThatFlowState yeah more weight, stack, and a plate weren't needed. Or if they wanted to do that do it in the X model and retain a speed model. All they needed to do with the mafate speed 5 was maybe a more modern foam, tweaks to make it lighter and maybe remove the flared heel. The MS 4 was close to perfect for what it was
Yeah Mafate Speed 4 was a special shoe! Finn and I will be hunting around far and wide to find a shoe that is closest to this one. From what I've seen, it feels like the La Sportiva Prodigio Max might be the closest.
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Brett - I love that all of these reports feel like a hostage video, filmed somewhere away from your captors. Looks like it was a long 3-4 days. Can't wait for the actual Mafate 5 (not this X sh**).
hahaha I had to stay on the move to make sure security didn't kick me out! 🤣
Of all the shoe reviews going around of the event, Brett is killing it. Love the info on the shoes and perspective, rather than the company reps. Love it. Thanks for all the updates! Conversational Pace all over TRE
Appreciate it! I've always thought that an independent reviewer like myself giving takes on the shoes rather than the reps' comments made more sense. It's what I see most with my favorite tech reviewers, which is what motivated me to bring this format to TRE.
Agree with most of the comments best reviews on YT just more in depth and techy !
Appreciate it!!
I’m insane with excitement about the new shoe technology and design 😊❤
Such a good time to be a runner!
Not so much new technology but a lot product marketing 😉
These look very interesting but not entirely sure how I feel about them. I snagged the Mafate/Satisfy on the latest drop and its pretty awesome. I know a lot of folks are buying it for fashion, but it actually seems like the lighter weight race version of the Mafate Speed 4 I've wanted for a while. I'm very excited to take it on rooty technical Adirondack trails next season. Kinda wish that just became a normal product in the line.
I have heard that it is actually an awesome shoe to run in, even though the marketing around it makes it feel like more of a fashion shoe. That lighter upper dropping an ounce from the shoe is pretty significant!
I can’t wait for running shoes to make a comeback to minimal stack heights. Just imagine that they develop materials that are 1 cm in height but at the same time it feels cushioned and comfortable. This super tall shoes “alla Hoka” hurts my ankles just from looking at them 😅
I wonder what year we'll have to wait to in order to get materials like that!
The carbon plate in the Mafate X allows them to add more stack and comfort. Without the plate it would be too unstable. That is why I love the Skyward X. Super Cush and stable. Easily my favorite long run shoe because when I break down it takes care of me with the cushion and stability
I like how their rationale for the 8mm drop was an admittion that their foam breaks down prematurely.
Bring on the fun shoes (Cielo X1 2.0/ Mach X 3)
pretty bleak outlook for Hoka Trail for 2025 so far. thought they were on a great path with the Tecton X 3. turned the Mafate into a Speedgoat for no reason. huge fan of the Mafate 4 so this is a bummer
Hopefully the elements that they added to the Mafate 5 prove my initial thoughts wrong! With the fall release date, there's still lots of time to stock up on the Mafate Speed 4 😆
No more rock/pebble catching heel wing. Yay.
Did you get anything on the Saucony Xodus Ultra 4? Curious if they tweaked much besides the outsole. Everyone seems pretty lukewarm on the XU3, so I'm curious if there's any improvements there. I'd also be curious if they commented at all on the apparent shrinking of their trail offerings.
I didn't have time to go by the Saucony booth, unfortunately. I did hear the main highlight of the update was around the outsole, switching to Vibram Megagrip. I imagine Believe in the run or Road Trail Run will have an article with 2025 Saucony updates, so hopefully one of them includes Xodus 4
Same stack height as the 3
Hi Brett, can you make a video about Kjerag 2? thanks!
Nnormal preview video will be up in the next day or so 👍
I loved hoka for their low drop. Not excited about that 8mm drop in the challenger.
Yeah i'm very curious if this will feel hugely different or not
Ouch, someone’s hungover 😂
hahaha I was actually feeling rather good! Just the voice was totally shot 🤣
Not gunna lie, the Mafate X looks kind of like a "Ah screw it, just throw a plate in that one and call it a day, someone will buy it" kind of situation. Maybe a JFK shoe for the every man? Mafate 5 looks kind of interesting though, although I know that's gunna piss some people off.
Definitely a very big change for that Mafate. Agree, Mafate X is a little confusing to me, but we'll review it and hopefully it makes more sense once it's on foot.
8mm drop is a bit much for this stack height, IMO
I'm very curious as to what the increase in drop ends up feeling like out in the trails
Would love to know the weight of the Mafate 6. Mafate X seems like a pointless shoe at the 340grams or whatever it is. Thanks for explaining the 8mm drop logic, seems strange but curious to see how that plays out. None of these are that exciting compared to other brands.
According to Hoka's tech sheets, Mafate 5 is 332g in their sample size (Size 10), and the Mafate X is 344g
@@ConversationalPace crazy
they looked heavy on screen, but i was not expecting that!
The Mafate X seems like a more stable “super shoe”, probably for us normies
Will definitely be interesting to see how it feels over longer miles in the mountains. I'm just worried that any propulsive benefits from the plate and peba insert will be negated by how heavy the shoe is. We'll do a full review on it when it's available 👍
Really nnot a fan of them adding a plate to the regular Mafate 5. Idk, I just do not like plates on the trails, they just feel like a gimmick in my experience.
Yeah, I'm curious what that's going to end up feeling like. It wasn't as stiff as a carbon plate, fortunately, but still pretty stiff.
plated trail shoes. one of the biggest scams in trail running.
I think it depends on the type of trail, which is what has made this such a hotly debated topic
Hoka is becoming boring. All the shoes look the same. There just doesn’t seem to have the pull or excitement it had a few years ago.
In the trail world I'd agree but in the road lineup they are killing it. Mach X 2, Cielo X1, Skyflow are all amazing shoes.
These updates definitely didn't have the same wow factor as the Speedgoat 6 and Tecton X 3 from last year. Only one of those was a hit for me though, so while I agree with you, I'm still hoping that once I get them on foot, they'll feel exciting
I was really hoping to see a bit more of the road influence make their way to the trail shoes for this year. It felt like with the TX3, things were about to get crazy
@@ConversationalPace that’s a good point. TX3 factor was one I didn’t think about, certainly set the bar quite high.
@@ConversationalPace Yea. I like my TX3s but I only use them on the mildest of trails. The speedgoat 6s were a complete dud for me. Feels like they have no clue what to do with that shoe now that all the other brands are making better (in my opinion) max cushion trail shoes.
Hoka have ruined the mafate line with these updates. Heavier, higher stack and aimed at "long haul efforts" according to their reps. Not going to be as good for fast and technical running. The speed 4 was a great shoe
Not impressed with them increasing the drop of the clifton either
I agree, the weight and plate etc. don't bode well. I also really don't get in what world the Mafate 4 was not a shoe for the long haul. It was my hands down favorite for all technical mountain races no matter the distance.
@ThatFlowState yeah more weight, stack, and a plate weren't needed. Or if they wanted to do that do it in the X model and retain a speed model.
All they needed to do with the mafate speed 5 was maybe a more modern foam, tweaks to make it lighter and maybe remove the flared heel. The MS 4 was close to perfect for what it was
Yeah Mafate Speed 4 was a special shoe! Finn and I will be hunting around far and wide to find a shoe that is closest to this one. From what I've seen, it feels like the La Sportiva Prodigio Max might be the closest.