Hoka Tecton X 4 Review: Two Carbon Plates, Big Speed and One Catch

The Hoka Tecton X 4 is a trail super shoe with two carbon plates, a dual-layer PEBA midsole, and a spec sheet that screams gnarly, technical racing; but my experience on rooty, rocky East Coast trails was more complicated than the spec sheet promised.

I’m newer to trail racing (more on my accelerated intro below), so my reference point is chunky Northeast terrain, not California Carpet or buffed-out Colorado singletrack. I think that context matters before you read my review of a trail-specific shoe!

I’m still calibrating what I want underfoot when the ground gets rowdy. I had the Tecton X 4 in hand before Vermont Overland and considered racing in it, but couldn’t get a real test run in beforehand.

I did the parking-lot shuffle at the race, comparing it head-to-head against my Nike Ultrafly, and ultimately went with the Ultrafly. I’m glad I did, but that’s NOT because the Hoka is a bad shoe. It’s a fit thing, and I’ll get into it.

The Tecton X 4 is a genuinely fun, surprisingly peppy, very light-for-its-stack trail racer that I WANT to love; and on non-egregious terrain I did.

My hangup is lockdown, and I think it might be a volume/me problem more than a flaw in the shoe. Let’s break it down.

The Tecton X 4 is a light, fast, fun trail super shoe with elite-level pedigree (Vincent Bouillard, a Hoka engineer, set the Western States course record in a prototype), and for a lot of runners, it’ll be a home run.

For my skinny, low-volume foot, it’s a shoe I’d take out on less technical terrain while experimenting with thicker socks!

Hoka Tecton X 4 Overview

First impression: they’re sharp-looking! And light, especially considering how much shoe you get. The stack is tall (40mm heel / 35mm forefoot) and the tall gaiter makes it stand out vs. others on the market.

The sole features two layers of PEBA foam with parallel carbon plates and the speed-focused MetaRocker. The two plates work somewhat independently in the forefoot and heel, which is supposed to give you propulsion without killing your ability to adapt to uneven ground.

The Hoka Tecton X 4 keeps much of what worked in the Hoka Tecton X 3, including the dual-layer PEBA midsole and parallel carbon plates.

The biggest updates are in the upper, with lighter, more breathable Matryx Micro material that adds more support than the previous version.

Hoka also made minor changes to the outsole and trimmed some weight. The X 4 is a more flexible and breathable refinement of an already capable trail racing shoe.

The ride is bouncy and energetic; more responsive and peppier.

Where the Tecton sits in the trail super shoe pecking order: this is the more technical, more agile racer in the category, versus stiffer, more road-like plated trail shoes. It’s got noticeably more give and flex than something like the Nike Ultrafly, which runs stiffer and more locked-down underfoot.

Hoka Tecton X 4 Fit

Length: Runs short
Width: Wide
Toe Box: Wide
Arch: Moderate
Volume: High

I started in my true 10.5, and my big toe was kissing the end of the shoe; not enough room for trail, where your foot slides forward on descents and swells over distance.

I bumped to an 11. Standing and walking around the house, the 11 felt good. But the moment I tried to actually run, it was clear the forefoot was too wide for my foot.

To get any kind of lockdown, I had to tighten the laces way down, and that gave me puckering around the eyestay.

The result: I didn’t feel super stable navigating rooty, rocky East Coast trails. That said: I’m not sure whether that extra width was because I sized up to the 11, or whether it’s just the shape of the shoe on my particular foot.

The reason I think it’s not me is that it’s the shoe: I also run the current Speedgoat 7, and in that shoe I wear a men’s 9 to get the fit right. So I personally clearly run weird in Hokas and have to be finicky about dialing my fit in. The X 4 might just be another one where I have to fuss with the fit more than most people.

The knit gaiter collar deserves a shout-out: my heel is very skinny, and heel slip is my lifelong nemesis, and the gaiter helped hold my foot in place.

It also did its actual job; no debris got into the shoe. And there’s now a marathon-lace eyelet up top for a heel-lock loop, which I also used to get as much of a lockdown as I could.

A Possible Fix: The Removable Insole

The Tecton’s insole is removable. That sounds small, but a huge number of carbon-plated racers glue the sockliner down or build it in, so you’re stuck with whatever volume the shoe gives you. The Tecton lets you pull it and drop in your own insole, like a Superfeet, Aetrex, or custom orthotic.

Swapping in a thicker or higher-volume aftermarket insole takes up some of that excess room and can pull your foot up into better lockdown, without having to strangle the laces.

On sizing generally: Hoka fit can be tricky and varies a lot by model, so if you’re newer to the brand, try before you buy or order with easy returns.

Hoka Tecton X 4 Feel

When I finally got the Tecton out for a proper spin, I really liked the ride!

They’re bouncy, light on the foot, and the energy return was peppier than I anticipated. I personally don’t think it’s as snappy or responsive as the Nike Ultrafly; but it’s also nowhere near as plushy/heavy as a true trail trainer, like the Speedgoat.

The Tecton lives in a fun middle ground: cushioned and propulsive, but still agile.

On terrain that wasn’t egregiously technical, I had no complaints: it rolled, it popped, it was fun!

The MetaRocker and dual plates want to drive you forward, and when the trail lets you commit to that, it’s a lovely ride. My instability issues showed up specifically in the tippy-toes technical stuff, and I’m fairly convinced that’s the fit/volume story bleeding into the ride, not a foam-or-plate problem.

Downhills were actually wonderful and felt very grippy and stable. I also found the Matryx Micro upper impressively breathable, and the shoe is flat-out good-looking.

The Neuroma Note

I always flag this because it’s my body’s cranky little *foot thing*, and I have to be careful about shoes. But I’m happy to report: I had NO neuroma trouble in the Tecton X 4, which I’m sure has something to do with the very tall forefoot stack (35mm), combined with the dual-PEBA, plated forefoot.

I felt the pressure evenly dispersed across my metatarsals, keeping the balls of my feet calm.

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