Hoka One One Clayton 2 Review: Tuning a Super Light & Super Cushioned Speedster

Article by Sam Winebaum, Editor Road Trail Run

Hoka One One Clayton 2
Weight: My pair of US size 9 7.75 oz/220 grams
Stack Height: 28mm heel/24mm forefoot, 4mm drop
$150. Available from Running Warehouse and Amazon and other retailers

The Clayton 2 is Hoka One One's versatile long race and performance trainer suitable and is suitable for many as a daily trainer as well due to its outstanding cushion stack at a very light weight.

Hoka One One Clayton 2

The  Hoka One One Clayton 2 updates last year's popular speedy, responsive, cushioned version 1 with targeted changes:

• a new Ortholite insole which for me eliminated the arch friction of v1, with some caveats on how to handle the first miles in the Clayton which comes out of the box very stiff.
• a new upper on the same last using a consistent pattern of narrow TPU lattice overlays from mid foot to toe for a secure, pressure free fit along with a modified tongue construction with more mesh and fewer overlays
• a more substantial heel counter area, still quite unstructured with a slightly more forward canted achilles collar to better lock in the heel area. 

Underfoot the midsole and outsole is unchanged. The ride is ever so slightly softer due to the new more substantial sock liner.

Hoka One One Clayton 2

For those not familiar with the Clayton it is a fabulous choice for those seeking a highly if firmly cushioned shoe at the lowest possible weight. It is a great potential marathon shoe and I enjoy training in them as they literally disappear on the foot, their light weight when combined with cushion provided, makes them a uniquely pleasurable ride. Hoka places them in their Speed category.



So light for the cushion provided that they have a "Sam's Ratio" of 6.71 or 6.71 mm of cushion per ounce of shoe (add heel stack of 28mm to forefoot stack of 24mm and divide by weight in ounces). By way of comparison the similar riding Kinvara 7 comes in at a Sam's Ratio of 5.13 so less cushion per ounce of shoe.

Of course, light weight and very good cushion is not the whole Clayton story. The Clayton's underfoot platform features a dual density (front and back of shoe) Pro2Lite midsole for "Propulsion and Protection". The heel section is softer than the forefoot.  Overall Pro2Lite is a firm midsole material but...

Hoka One One Clayton 2

The outsole is made of Hoka's excellent RMAT midsole material which has high rebound and provides the pop off the road under the firmer Pro2Lite. Not to worry about the midsole part, RMAT is very durable when used as an outsole but Shoe Goo may be your friend in the highest wear areas.  Hoka has used RMAT in other shoes such as the excellent now gone Huaka and the new Hupana, my shoe of the year 2016 which uses only RMAT for midsole and outsole (RTR review).
The combination of firm dual density Pro2Lite midsole and springy rebound RMAT outsole provides a responsive yet cushioned ride which feels outstanding at faster paces and just fine also run slower.

Sizing, Fit, and the Arch Irritation Issue

Hoka sent me both my true to size 8.5 and a 9. I ran both and clearly true to size is the way to go for most feet, even wider ones, as the upper is roomy with no pressure points from the overlays or the new tongue design which is a change from version 1.

Hoka One One Clayton 2

The new TPU overlays are thin, narrow and very evenly spread over the entire upper whereas in the Clayton 1 they were wider and especially thicker over the metatarsals, didn't flex well with shoe with some pressure felt and especially I believe contributing to the famous arch irritation issue.

Hoka One One Clayton 2

Some, including me, had irritation (first few runs then disappearing when I changed to a more substantial sock liner) under the front of the arch, some even blistered in the Clayton 1. The insole in the Clayton 1 was flimsy and thin and when combined with the initial stiffness of the shoe I believe caused these issues. My testing indicates Hoka has solved this problem with the new overlay pattren and by using a more substantial Ortholite sock liner.

Hoka One One Clayton 2 Sock liner Insole

Hoka One One Clayton 2 Sock liner Insole

The new sock liner is a high quality Ortholite with decent rigidity to keep it from folding under the arch against the stiffness of the shoe as the version 1's did at toe off. It has been slip free inside the shoe even in the rain.  The version 1 insole was flimsy, thin and tended to crease? in the area just back of the metatarsals. The v2 is wider and thicker and curves up slightly for extra coverage at the flex point where irritation occurred for some

LEFT: Clayton 1 Sock Liner  RIGHT: Clayton 2 Sock Liner 

Short Break In Required!

There are caveats to preventing irritation and I think a bit of a break in process to follow. Not to worry it is real short, 10-20 miles. I was able to test this with both pairs of shoes. As the Clayton is board stiff out of the box, runners need to take it easy for those first miles. I ran my oversize pair 15 miles straight out of the box in wet conditions. At 7 miles I felt a bit of irritation, very minor under the arch. Interestingly by 15 miles, under a downpour, the irritation was gone and the shoe flexed far better. This tells me that as they are stiff out of the box the foot and shoe don't bend together. In the Clayton 1 the dense overlays of the upper in that area "bunched up", the insole folded or moved and thus the irritatons.

At 10-15 mile,s both Clayton 2 pairs started to have a good flex. I also tested the second pair by running with a Clayton 1 on one foot and Clayton 2 on the other for 5 miles. Then I compared to the unworn Clayton 2 for the other foot. The 5 mile shoe clearly had more flex and at 10 miles it was still ahead of the other. By 15 things started to even out.

Hoka One One Clayton 2

The red Clayton 1 has wider overlays and more substantial midfoot overlays, the black "H. The lime Clayton 2 has thinner width overlays in a consistently spaced and width pattern. The Clayton 1 has an external rubber toe bumper. The Clayton 2 bumper is internal, not as high over the toes and a touch firmer. 

LEFT: Clayton 1   RIGHT: Clayton 2 

The Clayton 2's heel counter while still quite unstructured is more substantial and shaped. The achilles collar tilts forward ever so slightly more. The rear of the shoe hold is improved for me as is comfort in that area.

LEFT: Clayton 1   RIGHT: Clayton 2 

LEFT: Clayton2   RIGHT: Clayton 1

Ride

The light weight, firm Pro2Lite underfoot followed on the road by the  high rebound softer RMAT outsole on the ground gives the Clayton a firm responsive ride with any harshness from the race ready Pro2Lite dampened by the RMAT layer. The softer ProLite in the heel balances well with the firmer layer upfront.  This is not a shoe where you say "love the push off but ouch the initial landing". It is smooth and consistent in its ride and cushion at any speed even slower paces. My sense is they are slightly softer due to the new thicker sock liner than the Clayton. 1 have compared them one on each foot with the Clayton 1 which have 150 miles on them. Despite being broken in, I find Claytons at all mileages still a bit stiff and rigid at mid foot, a bit slow to transition before I get to the Early Stage Rocker upfront and the single quite abrupt stiff toe flex area. This may be because I am a heel striker. I prefer a longer smooth flex. Mid foot strikers will enjoy that stable mid shoe area as a stable quick path to toe off.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Hoka has revised a great shoe which had some irritation issues for some into a yet better shoe. I consider the irritation issue to be solved but advise breaking them in before going long as they are stiff out of the box.

Hoka One One Clayton 2 

The more I run in them the more I welcome the smooth consistent fitting and supportive upper, responsive ride with some soft rebound from the RMAT and the light weight for all the cushion, the very high Sam Ratio. Combining support, response, a great fitting upper and super cushion into such a light shoe is not easy at all. Most often something or more than one of the foregoing falls by the way side but Hoka has pulled it it off with Clayton 2.  This said when running them on one foot with a Clayton 1 with 150 miles on them on the other I noted the Clayton 1was noticeably firmer. Yes, the new Clayton 2 sock liner softens them but one must also realize that something has to give for the light weight and with the Clayton the midsole material may pack down more quickly than say adidas Boost or even other denser EVA based materials.

If I would make one recommendation to improve the Clayton it would be that it after a longer softer flex. I would also not recommend racing them with less than 30 miles on the odometer so that flex is well broken in.

Clayton 2 is a great long race shoe, certainly a performance trainer but for speed work maybe not as agile as most would like, with no question that it can also be a daily trainer for many. Very light weight, lots of cushion, and a lively responsive ride what more could one want!

Hoka One One Clayton 2

Sam's Score 9.8 out 10
-0.2 for stiffness out of the box and overall stiffness rigidity at mid foot. Changing the outsole pod grooves from generally diagonal and longitudinal to be more across the outsole might help.

Comparisons

Hoka One One Clayton 2 vs. Saucony Kinvara 7 and 8  (RTR review)

Easily the closest comparison is the identical weight Kinvara 7 and slightly lighter Kinvara 8. You get 6mm more cushioning in the Clayton at roughly equivalent weights. The underfoot feel is very similar to the K7 and firmer than the softer, overly so K8 but the Clayton cushion is more lively, if a bit stiffer overall due to the higher stack. The Kinvara uppers are awkward in their quest to be light yet supportive and not as comfortable as the smooth all over Clayton 2's.  Clayton over Kinvara for all uses but maybe a 10K race.

Hoka One One Clayton 2 vs. Salming Distance D4 (RTR review)

The D4 weights slightly less and is firmer and more agile with a fabulous front of the shoe flex and toe off. It has  less cushion. While I enjoy training in them, I would pick the Clayton for most training runs except speed. For shorter races I would run the D4 but for a marathon  no question the Clayton.

Hoka One One Clayton 2 vs. Hoka Hupana (RTR review)

Here is where it gets interesting... the Hupana has a one piece all RMAT midsole and outsole. The ride is bouncy and lively but overall it has a lower stack and weighs a bit more than the Clayton. While Hupana is fun to run, Clayton is more all business.  The extra cushion in Clayton is firmer, the transition is stiffer yet its slightly lower weight is definitely noticeable. So for serious run business Clayton gets the nod.  For lower price, fun to run versatility as an every day trainer and workout shoe that can even go lifestyle look, the Hupana.

adidas Boston 6  (RTR review)

Coming is a full ounce heavier the Boston 6 much like the Salming D4 is less cushioned, more agile than the Clayton 2 and has more rebound from the Boost midsole. I miss the forefoot cushion of the Clayton in the Boston. Feet get more tired as the miles pile up in the Boston.  I would give the nod to the Boston as a race shoe, despite the weight penalty, with nod to Clayton for more versatility from racing to training of all sorts except fast stuff. 

Hoka Tracer (RTR review)

Clayton's lighter yet firmer cousin has no RMAT in the mix. It is a firm responsive and for my tastes conventional racing shoe, overly firm for me for anything beyond 10K racing and has far less of what one associates with Hoka, cushion.

Please feel free to comment and ask questions in the comments section below!

Sam Winebaum's Bio

Sam is a 1:38 half marathoner on a good day and doesn't mind at all going into a new decade age group in 2017. He runs approximately 40 miles per week. He is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run and has been running for 45 years and has a marathon PR of 2:28. Sam is also the Senior Contributing Editor for Fitness Wearable Technology at Competitor Magazine.

The Clayton was provided at no charge. The opinions herein are entirely the author's. 

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