My initial review of the Hoka One One Bondi B 2 running shoes.
This past weekend I picked up a pair of Hoka One One Bondi B 2 shoes at the local Front Runner store in Columbus Ohio.
Why a new pair of shoes?. Here is a little background, the initial pain after running over 4 miles is really intense for around 15 minutes in my left knee, it’s a common case of “runners knee”. This lead me to do some research into knee and joint pain in runners and I became intrigued with the Hoka One One product line. The additional cushion and support they provide was appealing and could possible aid my knees and joints during those longer runs. During the past year I’ve been running in a more minimal style shoe and I’ve really enjoyed it. However, it’s time to start looking at some alternatives for 2014 to see if my knee pain can be reduced.
I went for a short 2 mile run today wearing the new Hoka One One Bondi B 2 shoes despite the fact that my legs were sore from my run yesterday. I also had a one hour Insanity Max Plyo workout ahead of me.
The initial run in these shoes were amazing, they provided a good amount of cushion and were very comfortable. The Bondi B 2’s toe box isn’t as roomy as the Brooks shoes I’ve been running in which is fine because in the Brooks my toes seem to flop around creating blisters depending on the pair of socks I am wearing.
I’ve read a few blogs and people were mentioning they issues with the Hoka shoes because the sole is much thicker than a normal pair of running shoes and it was causing them to trip, stumble and have balance issues. I didn’t have these or any balance issues when running in the shoes.
After my run I had a very minimal amount of pain in my knee which was a great feeling. I’ll take them for a 4+ mile run later this week and test them further. However, here is my initial pro’s and con’s:
Hoka One One Bondi B 2 Pro’s:
- Comfortable snug fit
- The quality build of the shoe was impressive, the sole and upper fabric were very comfortable
- Was able to run normal despite the “higher” feeling from the extra cushion
Hoka One One Bondi B 2 Con’s:
- The shoe laces were a little short, I can deal with it.
- I’m not sure if this is a con of the shoe or my legs were shot, but I ran about 15 seconds slower than my normal pace. I’ll test this again later in the week when my legs aren’t shot.
I’ll continue to update this review as I put more miles on the Bondi B’s. However, my initial run was nothing short of amazing in these shoes and I hope they continue to be “the” shoe for me.