Dynafish - Xiaonian

Honestly a daily trainer like a puma velocity nitro 4. It feels like an all round better version of a pegasus in the way that it does everything well. The li ning red hare 9 pro is also a great budget alternative that's as good for about 40% of the price if you can be bothered to use the TaoBao app. If you want something faster and more protective I'd consider the Dynafish Xiaonian which are my favourite shoe of all time. Super light and I use them for my 7:30 min/km recovery sessions and my 3:40 tempo runs and they're great in both. Plus they're cheap

Loads of selection but my pick is the Dynafish Xiaonian because I genuinely think nothing is as versatile while not being compromised. The only issue is the god awful laces and the lack of larger sizes

Dynafish Xiaonian has a super thin single layer upper. It's more of a supertrainer than a max cushion shoe though even though it has a LOT of foam

Dynafish Xiaonian is my recommendation as it sits between these shoes. It can do the slower stuff like the novablast but it's better than the EVO SL at faster stuff imo. Also significantly lighter and more stable than the SL I wouldn't get the novablast either way though if you're planning on keeping them for a while. The foam dies after about 200km which is pretty bad for what's meant to be a daily trainer. Mine died and they're bricks

Agree with this. I like my XiaoNian more than my SB3.

Dynafish Xiao Nian. I just wore my new pair for my interval session and was flying. The forward rocker is more aggressive than the EVO SL, but the side stability is better. Also fits me wide.

The Puma Magmax is just a mileage eater. Feels great underfoot being both protective and responsive, and the durability is off the charts. Also PumaGrip is the greatest. A left field choice would be the Dynafish Xiaonian. Super lightweight, great smooth geometry, and happy at a range of paces.

They are more stable than the Evo SL due to the Evo SL having a just of a medial cutout. But additionally the Xiaonian has a wide platform with no cutout.

https://preview.redd.it/poqoicm1rndg1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9e41ce637fa60003d4e5ab9f227dcaab0227a7a my XN. the white, all those silver elements are actually reflective. im at 50km mileage with 2 longruns. it still felt firmer than my evoSL, but that 'firm' is responsive n a no issue to me. im midfoot striker. prior to this, my evoSL was my tallest stack shoe, so running in taller XN took some time to get used to

when fast, theyre about the same. but going slow like into 6:00+/km pace, xn felt clunky(because its so tall for me). evoSL is more comfortable going slower. /im in 5:45/km at 140bpm

My Dynafish XN @ 70USD blows most western brand shoes out of the water

My easy run pace is usually just under 6min/km, but with the xiaonian it quite frequently pushes me to run down to 5:30-5:40min/km with the similar effort or HR. It just does not feel right when running anything slower than that due to the bouncy midsole. I reckon you will find yourself enjoying them more as you pick up the pace.

NB Rebel V5 for me in 2E works beautifully with enough toe splay NB 1080 2E also felt good Vomero in Extra Wide still felt a touch narrow at the toe box. Nikes are seriously bad for wide foot folks. Dynafish Xiaonian has a surprisingly wide midfoot. Asics Nimbus, Cumulus in 4E is wide enough in front but something felt off about the fit for me compared to New Balance 2E

Same thoughts as a fellow slower runner. The shoe encourages you to go fast but it still works pretty well at recovery paces It's definitely much more stable than Evo sl. In the Evo sl, even normally walking makes me feel like my ankles would keep rolling over. Although the xiaonian won't be number 1 choice for walking, I can see how some people would find it acceptable for that usage.

I think they go up to EU45

I’m at 120km with these and they feel like a cross between Evo SL and Vom18+, but lighter than both. I’ve noticed that it has softens up in the last 30km or so, in a good way and the shoe still looks shiny white as new even though it’s been through some wet weather and on concrete this whole time.

Dynafish Xiaonian if you can source a pair. They run slightly large as well. Probably the best plateless super trainer on the market. I’m actually wearing ES3’s as I type this but will be running in the DFX later today 😉

https://preview.redd.it/pxqg2jidcnpg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d18cacb61be86a570ff71e95fbd80c5c6634df1 Dynafish Xiaonian (DFX) is pretty absurd for a plateless super trainer. 👇🏽 * Snagged my pair for $100 🤑 * Sub 200g in a very roomy size 10 US (feels more like a 10.5) * 41mm stack of a-TPU superfoam * 7mm heel drop * probably more stable than Evo SL, and bounce is better controlled / more forward propulsive than Evo SL * I was ready to drop $200 for SB3 or $150 for Azura before I got these… saved a lot of $$ but I might still get a pair of Azura after these get 400+ miles (I tried Azura on at the Gate expo and it is a 🙌shoe for sure)

Checkout the Saucony Azura. Slightly firm, bouncy, 40mm stack of PEBA (PWR Run PB), comfortable upper, relatively stable, no plate I tried them on recently but didn’t buy BC I have Dynafish Xiaonian filling that gap for me right now and it’s one of the best shoes I’ve ever used

I sold off my 2 pairs of Evo SL, one with around 125mi and the other was brand new. The bounce was just too uncontrolled for me, I was better off just using AP3’s instead as super trainers. The Evo SL is a very good (but unstable) super trainer- so if I can get AP3 and AP4 for almost the same price… it makes no sense to use the Evo’s I’ve also recently picked up the Dynafish Xiaonian… one of the best shoes I’ve ever used. Unreal and a Evo SL slayer, probably the best plateless super trainer on the market https://preview.redd.it/wnw53dx4zapg1.jpeg?width=1709&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d637c9ba5c075947b11ddbbe087a405b19f2ede8

DFX: Slightly less weight, slightly more stack, A-tpu foam is very similar (soft w energetic rebound) maybe a tad more firm than AP4, slightly higher heel stack feels closer to 8mm (AP4 ~ 6mm), way roomier toe box (DFX runs like 1/3 size large AP4 runs like a 1/3 size small), upper is much more breathable with a poly mesh like the AP3 but comfortable due to gusseted tongue, better for easy days as it doesn’t tempt you to ramp up your pace! **DFX is less stable at faster paces** I like to use it at 7:30 mile (LT1) pace up to recovery pace at 9:30 min miles. It shines at that speed but is squirrelly at 6:30’s and faster with no plate! It’s perfect for gobbling up miles in the 8-9 min mile pace but has made my posterior tibs a lil sore at times. People say it’s an Evo SL killer which I agree it certainly is, and a key difference is the bounce seems much more forward propulsive than Evo SL, but it’s only marginally more stable

AP4 > Dynafish Xiaonian > Evo SL I sold off my Evo SL stock, DFX is so much better, but still prefer AP4 for workouts and tempo