Eliud Bekele wrote:
In an attempt to steer this conversation away from Jan and his less then well thought out training plans, here's my review of 4 chinese running shoes
Li-Ning Red Hare 8 Pro (90km)
Picked these up for £30 and while not the softest, they are a great choice for those looking for something lower stack that allows you to feel more ground contact in a world of supermax cushion trainers. Very responsive and very light (190g) and a solid addition to my rotation. I have three pairs. The outsole has excellent grip and looks like it can go to 500km+ easily. My choice for wet and frosty daily runs.
Li-Ning Feidian 5 Challenger (250km)
In my opinion the best value shoe on the market. A carbon plated speed trainer that weighs in at 200g and feels very similar to the Vaporfly 2, which I still have in my rotation. The difference being this cost me £45. I have two pairs, one at 200km and another at 50km, the one at 200km has been through torrential rain and is still just as poppy as day 1. Grip is excellent, my only complaint is they are a bit narrow so you have to be careful when cornering. Genuinely considering buying 5 pairs and never having to think about my speed day rotation again for another 2 years 😂
Do-Win PB Pro (30km)
Supposedly this is an adidas pro evo 1 clone, coming with the same foam and weighing only 145g in my UK size 7. This shoe is VERY narrow and I'm not a huge fan of the lockdown. Unlike sirpoc I found this shoe to be slower than the Puma Fast R-3 and more unstable when cornering, though my legs don't feel as beat up after running workouts in them. IMO they are better for the half marathon distance and possibly the marathon, while for the 5k/10k there are better options. However given it costs £100 and the pumas almost £300 they are a no-brainer if you're looking for a top of the range modern racer and are a bit strapped for cash.
Dynafish Xiaonian (40km)
At £85, these are cheaper than the EVO SL and almost a third of the cost of an ASICS Megablast, yet it is a tier above both.
I have only ran 40km in this shoe and I can already say it is the best daily trainer I have ever worn, and possibly the best daily trainer ever made. This is the pinnacle of max stack design, coming in at only 180g despite having 41mm of foam and amazing stability. It's super soft but responsive while also having a rocker more aggressive than some racing shoes. The only flaw is the lugs on the outsole are pretty small so it isn't the best in slippy conditions, but otherwise I genuinely look forward to my easy days and long runs in this shoe, which is something I never thought I would say under NSA.
Which shop/store on aliexpress did you pick up the Dynafish from?