Shoe Review: HOKA ONE ONE Rincon

The HOKA ONE ONE Rincon is a brand new running shoe in HOKA’s lineup of max-cushioned kicks, and it’s off to a good start.

HOKA designed the Rincon to be light and fast while still providing plentiful protection for your joints. Coming in lighter than the Clifton 6 but packing just as much foam, we think HOKA got it right. It feels light and breezy, and offers a plush ride that’s ideal for everyday training runs and responsive enough for uptempto miles, too.

Our testers logged easy training runs and speed workouts in the HOKA Rincon to see how it feels running different paces, how it fits and how it's different from other HOKA shoes. Here’s what we found.

Part of that phenomenon comes from the lightweight upper attached to the midsole. HOKA used a single layer of engineered mesh to create the upper. Much like the upper on the new HOKA Carbon X, the Rincon’s is thin, lightweight and breathes exceptionally well, giving the shoe a fitted feel with no unnecessary weight.

One Fleet Feet tester with average-width feet says the upper has the right amount of fabric, and the overall fit is spacious.

“The Rincon happens to fit my foot really well,” she says. “The toebox is nice and roomy but without excess fabric wrinkling around my toes.”

Another tester with wider feet, though, says the fit was snug for him at the ball of his foot through the midfoot. He says the length was spot on—a size 10 fits like a size 10—and his heel didn’t budge in the heel cup, but a little extra width in the forefoot would have made the shoe a perfect fit.

There aren’t any external overlays for added structure. Instead, HOKA hid thin, supportive strips inside the shoe around the midfoot. The flexible reinforcements look like narrow strips of medical gauze glued inside the shoe, and they anchor themselves on the second and fourth lace eyelets to let you lock down the midfoot fit.

Padding that wraps around the heel lends integrity and comfort to the fit, and an internal heel counter keeps your foot in place. None of our testers had any problems with their heels slipping in the Rincon. Plus, the cushy ankle collar offers a plush feel that testers loved from step-in to stride.

One of the Rincon’s smallest features, though, is also one of our favorites: the oversized pull tab on the heel. The big loop of fabric attached to the back of the shoe makes pulling the shoe on even easier. There’s no awkward fiddling with a pinky-sized loop or squeezing like a Vise-Grip—just wrap your index finger around the loop and slip the shoe right on.

HOKA Rincon Ride and Performance

The Rincon isn’t just supremely cushioned. It’s also seriously fast.

The big serving of foam underfoot makes each step feel luxurious, and the lightweight upper coupled with a pared down tongue lets Fleet Feet runners crank up the pace without thinking about the big shoes beneath their feet.

“They have enough cushion that they would provide plenty of protection for a long road run,” one tester says. “They are well-cushioned without feeling overly squishy. I had zero discomfort when I was running.”

The foam under the Rincon is firmer than the foam used in the Clifton and Bondi, which test runners appreciated. The firmer feel pairs well with a featherweight upper, making it good for light speedwork, but there’s also enough foam in there to stand up to long days, too.

HOKA used its early stage Meta-Rocker for the Rincon to help give you a quicker transition from heel to toe. One tester says she felt like the rocker was less pronounced in this shoe than in other HOKAs.

Conclusion

The HOKA Rincon is an all-new running shoe from the maker of your other favorite big-cushion running shoes, and it delivers all the features you could want.

From the oversized pull tab to the comfortable fit, one of our testers says the Rincon could take the place of multiple shoes in your closet.

“I love the way this shoe feels from the moment I put it on all the way through my last mile,” she says. “It’s roomy, but not sloshy, and it’s light, fast and cushioned.”

We like the Rincon for its lightweight, minimal upper that makes it well-suited for hot and humid summertime runs, and we love the firm, responsive stack of foam underfoot for speed days and long runs.

In short, with minimal weight and maximal cushion, the Rincon could be your go-to, do-everything road running shoe.

Still not convinced? Don’t sweat it. Fleet Feet's return policy means you can test drive your shoes and gear without risk. If you’re not happy with the way your gear performs, looks or fits, we’ll take it back within 60 days. Plus, you’ll get free return shipping on all fleetfeet.com orders. That's our Happy Fit Guarantee.

By Evan Matsumoto. Evan played many sports growing up but didn’t go pro in any of them. Now, he’s the digital copywriter for fleetfeet.com and editor for the Fleet Feet blog where he writes about different foam densities and engineered mesh uppers.