Hoka Skyflow Review
The Hoka Skyflow is a highly cushioned, neutral, everyday road running shoe designed for easy, steady, and long runs, providing a comfortable, smooth ride. The Hoka Skyflow uses the same supercritical foam as the Hoka Mach 6. What’s different is the geometry or curve of the midsole. The curve or rocker on the Skyflow midsole is designed to help the runner cruise along at a nice, easy pace, whereas the curve of the Hoka Mach 6 midsole is designed to help increase the runner’s speed. Another difference between the Mach 6 and the Skyflow is the stack height. The Skyflow has 4mm greater stack, making it 41mm in the heel and 36mm in the forefoot. The Skyflow foam also feels much denser and more stable when running, with much less evident rebound. This allows you to cruise along on your easy runs rather than being urged on by your shoes to run quicker, which is the feeling I get from running in the Hoka Mach 6.
The fit of the Hoka Skyflow is narrow. For those with slightly wider than average feet, there is a wide width available in both the Men’s and Women’s versions. The length is in line with other Hoka running shoes. These are a similar length to New Balance, Inov-8, Karhu, and La Sportiva. If you use Brooks, Saucony, Altra, or Topo, we suggest trying half a size longer in Hoka to get a similar length.
The heel cup is stiff to hold you inside the midsole of the shoe. The cuff and heel cup of the Skyflow are nicely padded to provide a high degree of comfort, exactly what you would expect from a running shoe intended to be worn daily for most of your runs. The Achilles tab is dovetailed so it bends away from the Achilles, reducing the chance of any rubbing and also making the fit of the heel cup snugger as it puts the cup under tension, giving it a ‘spring-loaded’ type of fit.
The tongue is gusseted on both sides and well padded. The laces thread through a tab on the tongue to reduce the chance of it moving while running. The laces don’t go too deep into the toe box, which makes the toes feel a bit freer and reduces the chance of the base of the tongue rubbing on the top of the toes as the shoe flexes. There is an additional lace hole that you can use to make the heel fit snugger or to butterfly lace the shoes.
The jacquard knit upper adds to the snug-fitting feeling of the Skyflow. If you like your shoes to feel snug, then the Hoka Skyflow would be a shoe to consider. If you prefer to have room for your feet to spread and function, then you are likely to find the fit of the Hoka Skyflow a bit too claustrophobic.
As in all Hoka shoes, your foot sits inside the midsole. This, combined with the broad base of the shoes, makes them stable and prevents you from falling off the midsole despite the high stack height. It also means that your foot is secured inside the shoes and follows the guidance given by the shoes. The midsole is curved to create a rocker shape, designed to keep the foot moving when it touches the floor.
The 5mm heel-to-forefoot drop and curve reduce the chance of an early heel strike, which gets the foot to touch the floor closer to the runner’s center of gravity. This means there is less of a braking force. The curve of the midsole keeps the foot moving backward as it touches the floor, allowing the runner to stay more upright, not bending at the waist, and keeping them lighter on their feet with a quicker cadence.
The outsole has a complete covering of durable carbon rubber. This is thicker than what you see on most Hoka shoes, as the midsole is more durable, so you would expect to get more miles out of these shoes. I found that the grip was also good on both wet and dry tarmac, which is essential when running in shoes with a high stack height. The more foam between your feet and the floor, the less feel you have for the floor, which means you react slower to any slips or slides.
The Hoka Skyflow sits in Hoka’s neutral road running range above the Hoka Clifton in terms of the level of shock absorption offered and the durability of the midsole. So, you will get more miles out of a pair of Hoka Skyflow than a pair of Hoka Clifton. The difference in the feel or ride of the shoes is quite noticeable. The Hoka Clifton feels softer, and because of this softness and the level of compression in the midsole, it feels more flexible. The Hoka Bondi sits above the Hoka Skyflow. The Bondi offers the neutral runner maximum cushioning. The advantage that the Hoka Skyflow has over the Bondi is that it feels less bulky, allowing you to cruise along at slightly quicker paces.
At 281g for a wen’s UK8, the Hoka Skyflow is light for such a durable everyday training shoe, which is no bad thing.
In summary, every runner is looking for that everyday training shoe that they can put on their feet and just comfortably put one-foot-in-front-of-the-other. A shoe you barely notice are on your feet. The Hoka Skyflow has all the attributes to become this shoe for some. Whether the Hoka Skyflow is the shoe for you will depend on how it fits, as it is a narrower, lower-volume shoe (with a wide fit optional) plus whether you enjoy shoes with a curved or rocker-shaped midsole (as many new running shoes do now).
Other Considerations
Brooks Ghost 16: Available in three width Men’s and two width Women’s. The 12mm heel to forefoot drop is more suited to a heel striker. The midsole is very bouncy giving a lot more noticeable energy return than the Hoka Skyflow. A very different ride. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/brooks-ghost-16-review/
Altra Experience Flow: The midsole feels similarly dense and stable. The toe box is rounded and although it is a low volume toe box compared with other Altra shoes in comparison to the Hoka Skyflow the Altra Experience Flow has lot of space. The toe box of Altra shoe is rounded to give the runners feet the space to spread and function in the shoes. The rocker is designed to help develop a good running posture and doesn’t take over the runners gait as much as the Hoka Skyflow. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-experience-flow-review/
New Balance Fresh Foam X 880v14: Available in three width Men’s and two width Women’s. More flexible than the Skyflow with a softer feel to the cushioning. There is no rocker in the midsole. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-880v14-review/
Topo Athletic Phantom 3: A broad rounded toe box gives the feet room to spread and function in the shoes. The midsole is firm to encourage foot function, and the shoes are flexible to allow the feet to bend and function. A more natural feel in comparison to the Hoka Skyflow which is doing some of the work for the runner. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-phantom-3-review/
Karhu Mestari: Karhu’s most cushioned neutral running shoe. A straight big toe line allows for a positive push off. The Mestari has both the Karhu Fulcrum to reduce up and down movement and help with forward propulsion and a rocker. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/karhu-mestari-run-1-0-review/
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