Review: Hoka One One Conquest

I’ll be honest, I’m a fan of Hokas. After all these miles, I have found that I thoroughly enjoy the move into maximalist shoes – shoes that provide an extra amount of midsole cushioning. While I spend a lot of my time running in more minimal, lower drop shoes for all sorts of runs (technical trail & roads), I think rotating into a soft maximal shoe from time to time can benefit you in multiple ways, giving your muscles a bit of a break, especially on some of those long slow distance runs.

The Hoka One One Conquest, while being heavier than I would like, is still a really great road shoe and one of Hoka’s better additions to the market. The RMAT midsole cushioning is springy and responsive, but also allows for a soft comfortable ride. I doubt it will be the fastest shoe in your arsenal, but that’s not to say you can’t run fast in it. In fact, there are a number of Hoka athletes that are doing incredible things in these shoes (Michael Wardian, Chris Price, etc).

Some of the things I don’t like – besides weight – are the thicker, stiffer upper, the laces, the lack of flexibility, and a stiff heel counter. Other than that, these shoes are rockin’ and worth trying on if you are looking into more maximal, cushioned road shoes. I would even say these are the best looking Hokas yet with tons of color options.

Have you run in the Conquest? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

LIKED:

DISLIKED:

QUALITY: 4/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 2/5
LOOKS: 4/5

TOTAL: 14/20

These shoes were provided by Hoka One One for review. All opinions are my own.