Hoka Speedgoat 6 Preview: Changes & Release Date

The trail segment is heating up. Upstart brands like Norda, Speedland and Nnormal are catching fire, while road shoe powerhouses like Asics, Nike and Saucony are pouring more development dollars into their trail lineups. Hoka exists in the quiet eye of this storm, consistently pumping out quality updates to the Stinson, Challenger and Speedgoat to stay relevant without making too much noise (while also dropping the splashy dual-plated Tecton X racer). Here's everything we know about the Speedgoat 6 from leaked pictures.

Hoka Speedgoat 6 Overview & Release Date

The Hoka Speedgoat series is the brand's versatile do-it-all marquee for the trails. It's like an offroad daily trainer—a Clifton that's been transformed into a more rugged, grippier shoe. The Speedgoat 5 is one of the most popular shoes for trail runners at all levels, and it excels due to its relatively light weight, grippy outsole and nimble feel.

The Speedgoat series is designed to handle all types of offroad terrain. In the Hoka trail lineup, the Challenger is the road-to-trail shoe, the Stinson is the max-cushioned trail cruiser, the Tecton X is the carbon-plated racer and the Speedgoat is the adaptable jack-of-all-trades. With 5mm lugs made from Vibram rubber, it's armored enough for rough terrain while still flexible enough to handle the occasional stretch of road.

Based on the leaked pictures, the Hoka Speedgoat 6 will be a complete overhaul of the shoe. The upper is totally redesigned, delivering new aesthetics and function. The midsole is reworked as well, with revised sculpting.  According to our sources, the Hoka Speedgoat 6 will be released in June 2024. We anticipate the price will be in the $160 to $170 range (the Speedgoat 5 is $155).

Hoka Speedgoat 6 Midsole: Potential Dual-Foam Construction

The Speedgoat 5 uses a compression-molded EVA midsole. It's slightly soft and moderately responsive, perfect for blunting the impact of rocky trails while delivering a fast ride over runnable terrain. The Speedgoat 6 will likely retain this compound in the midsole, at least in part. From the leaked picture, it's possible that the Speedgoat 6 will have a dual-foam midsole.

Dual-foam midsoles are gaining popularity on the road running side of the aisle. Nearly every major brand has a dual-foam shoe on the market: there's the Adidas Boston 12, Asics Superblast, Nike Vomero 17, Saucony Kinvara Pro and Hoka's own Mach X. In the Hoka offering, there's a layer of Pebax foam atop a plastic plate and bottom later of EVA. 

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While carbon plates have fully infiltrated the trail scene over the last two years, the dual-foam midsole craze hasn't reached the mainstream offroad. While Speedland has a dual-density PEBA setup in the $300 GS:TAM trail-racer, there aren't very many other options that use the two-compound midsole set up. If Hoka goes with this construction in the Speedgoat, they'll be one of the first to do it in a mainstream trail shoe.

It's also possible that the Speedgoat 6 will use the same single-layer compression-molded EVA as the current version. From the picture, we see two different colors on the midsole, but it could be a design flair rather than a compound distinction. The Stinson 7, pictured below, has a single type of compression-molded EVA foam in the midsole but uses the two colors on the midsole as a design feature—we'll have to wait with this one. 

The Speedgoat 5 has a stack height of 33mm in the heel and 29mm in the forefoot for a 4mm drop. From the looks of it, the Speedgoat 6 will be retaining a similar stack height, if not growing a few millimeters. The Stinson is the tall, max-cushioned shoe in the Hoka range with 42mm in the heel and 37mm in the forefoot, so the Speedgoat likely won't be nearing that range.

Hoka Speedgoat 6 Upper & Fit

The Speedgoat 6's upper appears to be a similar jacquard mesh as the Speedgoat 5 and Stinson 7. This upper material is lightweight and breathable, and it achieves a great lockdown without feeling overly snug when the laces are cinched. The Mach 5 has this same upper, and it's one of the best road shoe meshes out there.

Most Hokas have slightly narrow toe-boxes. From the leaked pictures, the Speedgoat 6 has a similar pointed-tip fit as the Speedgoat 5. Standard to narrow-footed runners should do fine in the Speedgoat 6. If you're a wide-footed runner who's found Hoka too narrow in the past, you'll likely be better served by an Altra or Topo trail running shoe with a wider toe-box.

Hoka Speedgoat 6 Outsole

The Hoka Speedgoat 6 will continue to use Vibram rubber on the outsole, confirmed by the logo we see on the lower rear of the platform. The Speedgoat 5 uses Vibram's MegaGrip LiteBase compound, one of the grippiest, stickiest, non-slippiest rubbers in the game. With 5mm lugs, the Speedgoat 5 can chew through mud and navigate slick rocks with confidence.

Final Thoughts

The Hoka Speedgoat 6 will be a competitive option in a crowded trail-running market. It's no longer the default big-brand choice for the trails, as runners with previous affinity to all brands are switching to the trails and bringing their loyalty with them. From the looks of it, though, the Speedgoat 6 has what it takes to fend off its market share and pick up new fans. Stay tuned on updates for the Speedgoat, including a confirmed release date and price, by signing up below.