Hoka Just Breathed New Life Into Its Very First Road Running Shoe

Critical to the early growth of the brand, the iconic Bondi will celebrate its ninth edition with brand-new midsole foam — and more of it.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published December 20, 2024

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Updated January 9, 2025

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Last month, writing about a big sale on Hoka’s Bondi 8, GP executive editor/in-house running guru Jack Seemer typed a pretty prophetic paragraph…

“Even if you have no intention of picking up a pair, the news bodes well for fans of the Bondi, which hasn’t received an update since the end of 2022. Is a new version of the popular trainer right around the corner?”

The answer turns out to be an emphatic “yes,” as the Bondi 9 recently surfaced on Hoka’s site and will be available for purchase early next year. It’s getting a bit more than a new coat of paint, too.

bondi 9 angle — Look foamier to you? The new Bondi 9 gets 2mm added to its already generous stack height.

Hoka history

Before we get into the Bondi 9 highlights, let’s take a moment to revisit what makes the Bondi nameplate so special. The shoe played a pretty crucial role in the early growth of the brand, after all.

See, 15 years ago, during the very early days of Hoka, business partners Johnny Halberstadt and Mark Platje met Hoka co-founder Nico Mermoud at The Running Event.

hoka bondi 9 key features — Assuming these key features deliver, you could be looking at the best Bondi ever.

The co-owners of a Colorado retail store called Boulder Running Company were blown away to see a brand betting big on max cushioning — and flying in the face of the late 2000’s minimalist trend.

They encouraged Mermoud to make a road version of the trail-ready Mafate. That shoe came to life in 2011 and was pretty much an instant hit. Its name? The Bondi.

Uplifting updates

To this day, the shoe remains ultra-popular, as evidenced by the forthcoming ninth edition.

Its combo of stability and shock absorption is almost unmatched, making it a go-to for long-distance runners, walkers and plantar fasciitis sufferers alike.

The shoe also gets upgraded foam in the midsole to boost the aforementioned stability and shock absorption. Hoka calls it super critically foamed EVA, or SCF for short.

So, what’s new this time around?

Hoka says it has overhauled the shoe from top to bottom. Most notably, the brand has both increased the stack height (adding 2mm, increasing the heel height to 43mm for men and 42mm for women)

The shoe also gets upgraded foam in the midsole to boost the aforementioned stability and shock absorption. Hoka calls it super critically foamed EVA, or SCF for short.

bondi 9 top — The structured knit upper should help your feet stay cool when temps rise.

The Bondi 9 also gets a 3d molded collar and a structured knit upper, intended to improve the fit and the breathability, respectively. Rounding out the updates is Durabrasion rubber in the outsole to stave off wear and tear.

The shoe also boasts such mainstays as the extended heel pull Smooth MetaRocker, helping you roll from heel to toe with each stride, and a rearfoot-focused Active Foot Frame to ease those footfalls.

bondi 9 rear — This angle nicely showcases such features as the 3D-molded collar and abrasion-resistant rubber.

In addition to the aforementioned stack height, a couple of other key specs are a 5mm heel-to-toe drop and a weight of 9.3 ounces for women and 10.5 ounces for men.

The closest comps to those specs are the Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 and Brooks Ghost Max 2. At $165 and $150, respectively, they are a little cheaper than the Bondi’s 9 $170.

But as its super fans know, there’s nothing quite like a Hoka, especially one of the true originals.