Chinese Shoe Thread

Good idea for a thread but your handle should have been "Modifying the Chinese Shoes Approach to Lower Prices"

Anyway, Dynafish Xiaonian on taobao, greatest shoe ever, only goes up to size 45 though so a rare win for the short kings there.

Here are links to quality sources of information about these shoes.

Reddit post with basic information about dozens of Chinese shoes:https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningShoeGeeks/comments/1i0b365/chinese_shoes/?rdt=58784

Sirpoc's reddit account where he talks about some Chinese shoes (use find and search): https://www.reddit.com/user/spoc84/

Subreddit that will sometimes have reviews about some Chinese shoes. Best to search "[shoe name] review reddit" to find them, because reddit's search feature sucks: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningShoeGeeks/

Philippino running subreddit. Chinese shoes are big there so they have some information there. Some comparison to western shoes but mostly just Chinese shoes. I don't know anything about the Philippines but sometimes half a sentence will be in another language I don't know and half will be in English: https://www.reddit.com/r/PHRunners/

Table with quantitative information about mostly "western" (I think when people say western they include ASICS and Mizuno) shoes. 1 supershoe from Anta is on there, which isn't directly helpful unless you are interested in that shoe, but it does vouch for Chinese shoes performing competitively with "western" brands. Also if a Chinese shoe if compared with this specific shoe (ANTA C202 5 GT), then this website can help you compare that shoe's performance more objectively to a western shoe:

rtings.com

Running Shoe Table Tool

Check our Running Shoe Table Tool to see all our reviews. Easily select and compare products, and use our filters and sorting options to find the best Running Shoe for your needs. Example: Check our TV Table Tool to see all o...

Open link

Aliexpress.com is probably the best place to get shoes at first. Allows you to view advertisement for products in Chinese that can be translated by Google Translate. Allows you to view (biased) information about shoes that isn't available on review sites. I would say most useful for comparing new models to old models. For instance, from reading the advertisement of the Feidian Challenger 6 I can see that the stability was supposedly upgraded from the previous model.

Taobao.com is Chinese and offers slightly better prices. Doesn't ship to Britain and makes Americans send them a Digital copy of their passport to use.

Taobao forwarding agent. There might be a better one but this is one. Does not require your passport: https://www.cssbuy.com/

I've made a terrible mistake

This thread would benefit from a how to order tutorial, possibly a few since it may be different depending on location. Trying to guess my way around different apps and websites with no clear idea what I'm doing has been my sticking point.

Great idea for a thread, though I have nothing to offer. I will be following and hope some people contribute with some more useful posts. Would love to have a reliable cheap supershoe that I can use for all workouts with no worries about feeling like I am "wasting" it by not saving it for races.

Here is non-regurgitated information about the shoes that I have bought:

Red Hare 8 Pro: good enough stability to not injure someone who sometimes overpronates even in stability shoes. Feels good on corners. Some ground feel and not super cushioned, doesn't feel anything like a max cushion cruiser and feels like what most shoes were like 5 years ago but with more energy return. Firm and snappy forefoot and suitable for tempos and easy runs. Light and easy to run in. Feels good at every pace, but doesn't feel great at fast paces, just good. I believe full super foam.

Feidian Challenger 5: Good enough stability to not injure me on threshold runs. Able to be taken on easy jog warmups without any significant issues with stability or geometry. Pretty good energy return, I would say a little more more than the EVO SL. Feels slightly bad on corners at faster paces, though I've filmed myself running with these and I didn't overpronate that much, even a little bit less than the Red Hare 8 Pro. Not aggressive enough that I think someone could take it on easy runs but carbon plated which according to some caries an injury risk being used often. Highish stack height and much more protective than the Red Hare 8 Pro, though not maximalist or clunky.

The Chinese manufacturers could break into the market in a big way and undercut Nike, et all with much cheaper super shoes. They just need them on the feet of a major or Valencia winner. That is where it starts. Not with having old man Bekele show up to sign some autographs and dnf.

I don’t think they need to attempt to compete with the big non-Chinese brands based on the size of their own domestic market. If they attempt to compete, with the marketing, athlete sponsorship and cost of innovation for the sake of it, how cheap would they be if readily available in the US and Europe??? We are all talking about them mainly because they are cheap for what you get not because they are necessarily better if ignoring the price.

I have the Li-Ning Challenger 5 which is probably comparable to a 4 year old supershoe (Saucony Pro 3?) but only cost £70. I don’t think it would sell for £130 as people would just by an Adidas or ASICS because they know the brand but miss out on a great shoe.

Where did you purchase red hare 8 pro?

Aliexpress. Also is on taobao for cheaper but I didn't want to bother with that. Also look for couponds on Aliexpress if you choose aliexpress.

Is this the Evo SL knockoff?

I recently got the Li Ning Feidian 5 Challenger. I only have about 15 miles on them and a 3 mile tempo, but they are incredibly comfy. I would already strongly consider it for a 5k-10k race, maybe even HM. It's a shoe you don't have to adjust to, it just does it's thing and disappears on foot. Very Saucony Speed 2 to me. I got it on AliExpress for $63 during their BF sales. It gives enough to catch your stride, and is super responsive.

This morning I ordered the Elite 6 for $191 with their NYE sales even though it just came out and retails close to $300. I almost got the Ultra 5 for the same price, but opted for a more all-around shoe in the Elite 6. Also the Ultra 5 is now illegal due to it's split plate. So I don't have that in hand yet, but Berega ran his debut marathon in it in Feb 2025 in 2:05 and what Sugur ran his Japanese record in recently, so it's gotta be something.

I've tried to review others but it's extremely scarce material. Most of the reviews are by Asians using AI dubs which are atrocious and not accurate half the time which makes them useless to listen to. Xtep and Anta are suppose to have some good things, but it's hard to tell what the differences are. Dynafish I'd try if I could find it for the $50 people claim to have found it for, but I only see $170. Kiprun I guess is French and are coming to USA in 2026. One or two other Chinese brands are starting to emerge that could be good.

I go AliExpress as Taobao doesn't have an English website/app in USA and you have to register to search/use/buy from it. There's another app where you can pay a stranger in China to buy for you from the site and then ship it to you for like $30 allegedly, but that sounds too fishy to me.

I'll add my .02 on what I've run in so far.

Red Hare 8 Pro - extremely comfortable and stable platform. Fantastic upper compared to a shoe like the Evo SL. Good for easy runs although my times tend to be slower than other shoes. Very comfortable and well cushioned at tempo paces, but I don't think this would work great at much faster than 10K pace. Very good grip and seemingly durable. These are practical shoes but they seem to not have the fun factor of a shoe like the Evo SL.

Feidian Challenger 5 - excellent speed trainer in every sense of the word. Fun, fast and good energy return. Nice snug fit. They also seem to hold up well with miles and I haven't noticed any major grip issues except that I do not recommend on gravel. Can handle easy paces of w/u and c/d fine but these would not be my first choice for easy runs. They could be used for 5K-10K races as well. Probably a slight notch faster than the Evo SL.

Berega ran Seville in the Elite 5 but it looks like he did the Great Manchester 10k in the Ultra. He did the Tokyo half in the Elite 6, which is also the shoe Suguru wore to break the record.

Aliexpress is much more seamless and ships faster but Taobao has more brands and better deals if you can figure out how to work it. If you don't have the patience for TB, Aliexpress has good deals every month or so for a stretch (like the current New Year sales). If you are thinking of trying a shoe it's worth googling when the next Aliexpress sale is.

I've ran in quite a few Chinese shoes so can offer some thoughts.

Li-Ning Red Hare 8 pro: really like these. Feel supportive enough and hold up well in long runs. Also think you could do some slower tempos in them if needed. Foam is very nice.

Li-Ning Feidian 5 Challenger: my favourite training shoe. They can do it all really. I've done steady long runs down to fast track reps in them. I'd say they excel at that tempo/threshold/steady range. Foam feels to die off a bit going faster than 5k pace for me.

Li-Ning Feidian 5 elite: These are good too. Not quite as bouncy as I thought, but they seem to move you through your stride really well. I enjoyed them at 3k-10k pace stuff. Haven't done anything slower in them. Good grip.

Xtep 2000km 3.0: A great easy shoe. Enjoyable foam and reasonably stable. I've done tempos and hills in them too and they performed well enough. My go to easy day shoes since I can get them about $40. I've put 300 miles into pairs and they're still good to go, but just toss them since they're so cheap.

Xtep 160x 5.0 pro: One of my favourite racers. Get a big return from them and they push me through my stride well. Seem to get better the faster you go. A lot of people complain they're too hard but I had no problem with them. Grip is great too.

Xtep 160x 3.5 pro: Slightly more bouncy and soft than the 5.0. They're really nice and put you into an aggressive stride well. Used on tempo work, fun to run in.

361 furious flame 4.5: quite fun to run in. Not too noticeable once you have them on. So nothing spectacular from the foam but got them for $45 so can't complain. I like doing tempo/fartlek work in them. Don't know how I'd feel about doing 5k pace or faster in them, or using them on a track as they feel a bit unstable.

Qiaodan strong wind 3tr: nice easy day shoe. Not as fun as the Xtep or Li-Ning easy shoes, the foam is a little less bouncy. But after a couple runs they're great. Their comfort is top class. Reminds me of a Hoka Clifton but slightly lower stack and slightly firmer foam. Great value if you go via Taobao and get them for $30 or so - I got mine for $20 in a sale.

Is that why some of these shoes are cheaper than some Western shoes? They're using old technology?

For what it's worth the Challenger 5 is marketed as a tempo trainer/slower people racer, not an "elite racing shoe." So it isn't really cutting edge. The top models generally have new tech, some even have stuff that's not in western shoes - the new elastic pod (not sure what else to call it) in the Challenger 6 series for example.

Also funny how many of us runners actually prefer the "old technology" feel of the early versions of shoes like the Endorphin Pro/Speed.