Rincon 4 vs Pegasus 42

The Rincon 4 is Hoka's lightweight bargain: a fast, no-frills daily running shoe that has always punched above its price. At 228g with a low 5mm drop, it is one of the lightest cushioned trainers Hoka makes, and that lightness is the whole point. You get a shoe that handles easy miles happily but comes alive when you pick up the pace, which makes it a genuine one-shoe answer for runners who want daily training and the odd tempo or 5k from the same pair. At £125 it undercuts most of its rivals and sits below the pricier, softer Mach 7. The trade-off is honesty rather than luxury. The upper is thin, the outsole rubber is sparse to save weight, and the ride is firmer and more direct than a plush max-cushion shoe. For runners who value a light, versatile road running shoe over cosseting softness, we rate it highly.

The Pegasus 42 is Nike's do-everything daily training shoe, and the 42nd version of the longest-running name in running. It is not a racer and it is not trying to be. This is the shoe you reach for on the easy miles, the steady runs and the commute jogs, the one that just works. The big change for this version is the cushioning: a full-length Air Zoom unit paired with ReactX foam, which Nike claims gives around 15% more energy return than the Pegasus 41. In practice that means a daily running shoe that feels a touch livelier underfoot without losing the dependable, planted feel the Pegasus is known for. It sits in the busiest part of the market, up against the Brooks Ghost and Asics Cumulus, and at £130 it is priced right where most daily trainers land. If you want one road shoe to log the bulk of your weekly mileage, the Pegasus 42 is a safe, sensible pick that rarely puts a foot wrong.