Hoka Clifton v. Conquest opinions

The Clifton and Conquest are different type shoes. The Clifton is Hoka's lightweight trainer/racer for people that like a more cushioned soft feel with an EVA midsole. The Bondi is the everyday trainer equivalent of the Clifton and is slightly heavier. I am a Bondi/Clifton guy.The Conquest (although the midsole looks like the Clifton's midsole) uses the stiffer RMAT midsole material and is an everyday trainer. The Huaka is the lightweight trainer/racer equivalent of the Conquest and I believe is being discontinued.Maybe Sage Canaday can chime in.

beat up legs guy wrote:

I'm thinking of taking the plunge and getting a pair of Hoka, either Clifton or Conquest.

I'm early 50s, heavier than I should be, run about 40 mi/week, and hoping to get that back up into the 50-60 range. I might be able to run 20 flat for 5k.

Shoe opinions appreciated.

Ackley wrote:

The Clifton and Conquest are different type shoes. The Clifton is Hoka's lightweight trainer/racer for people that like a more cushioned soft feel with an EVA midsole. The Bondi is the everyday trainer equivalent of the Clifton and is slightly heavier. I am a Bondi/Clifton guy.

The Conquest (although the midsole looks like the Clifton's midsole) uses the stiffer RMAT midsole material and is an everyday trainer. The Huaka is the lightweight trainer/racer equivalent of the Conquest and I believe is being discontinued.

Maybe Sage Canaday can chime in.

Thanks; this is useful.

They are all very different shoes. I'd recommend trying the different models on first to see which one fits best first as it may depend on your foot shape and running form a bit. Sizing between models can also change.

Conquest is by far the most firm (RMAT midsole) and stable (it also weighs several ounces more than the other ones).

The Huaka is totally different from the Conquest even though it does have the more firm RMAT. 2mm offset makes it very low profile and the RMAT midsole makes it very responsive. It does weigh about an ounce more than the Clifton (Clifton 1 at least) and the feel is totally different. Still, at 8.9 oz it is a great hybrid for smooth trails/dirt/pavement running.

The Clifton 2 was updated from the Clifton 1 and the update made it weigh about a half ounce more, firmed up the soft feel (some people would say it was too soft) of the midsole, thickened the tongue and beefed up the upper a tad. It made the width a bit more narrow in terms of fit.

Bondi 4 is a very nice neutral trainer....still a bit more on the heavier side (Compared to Clifton/Huaka) but fairly low profile and stack height (relative to other Hokas).

Hoka is coming out with 3 new road flats in the future (I've tested out the Tracer and the Clayton) and they are in the 7-8 ounce range, fairly low profile and feel faster than the Clifton 2.

Thanks. I'm trying out the Clifton 2 now; I've got about 9 miles in them. The shoes fit well, but I feel like I'm fighting the shoe when I run. The good news is that I can really feel the difference on sidewalks, where I have to spend most of my runs, unfortunately.

Thanks Sage