Article by Derek Li
Li Ning Feidian 5 Elite ( MSRP SGD (S$) 275, (~US$204)
For reference
Feidian 5 Elite MSRP SGD (S$) 275
Nike Vaporfly Next% 3 MSRP S$319
Adidas Adios Pro 4 MSRP S$339
Introduction
Li Ning is the most recognized Chinese sports brand in the world. More details about the brand can be found in my previous review of the Li Ning Feidian 4 Ultra.The Li Ning Feidian 5 Elite, reviewed here, is positioned as a mid-tier racing model, designed to compete with the likes of the Nike Vaporfly.
Disclaimer: these shoes were provided free of charge for the purposes of testing and review. The opinions herein are my own.
As a refresher, the Li Ning performance range comprises the Challenger, Elite and Ultra range, roughly corresponding to their performance (plated) trainer, their racer, and their premium racer, if you will. Sort of like Nike’s Zoom Fly, Vaporfly and Alphafly dichotomy.
Li Ning, unlike many other brands, has a habit of releasing their entire range of updates all at once. In this case, they released the Challenger 5, Elite 5 and Ultra 5 almost all at the same time. This is at odds with other brands who prefer to spread out their releases over the calendar year.
I think maybe the prevailing theory is that spreading out the releases allows them to market each release properly, and perhaps also prevent models from cannibalizing sales from one another.
As a consumer, I rather like the idea of a mass release, simply because if i want to refresh my shoe rotation, it’s better to refresh everything at once, so that you have your trainer, workout shoe and race shoe all taken care of, rather than having to build up or refresh the rotation slowly throughout the course of the year.
Stats:
202g / 7.125oz Men’s US9.0
Measured heel stack 38mm, forefoot stack 33mm (including sockliner)
Platform Widths: forefoot 110mm, midfoot 63mm, heel 80mm
Measured midsole durometer 30C
Pros
Competitive weight class
Excellent performance upper with good breathability
Effective rocker
Good outsole traction
Cons
Cushioning maybe insufficient for a full marathon
Upper and Fit
The upper used in the Feidian 5 Elite is actually pretty much identical to the upper used in the 4 Ultra. We have the same synthetic nylon mesh that forms the bulk of the upper material. This material is a little bit stiff and gives the shoe a lot of structural support. It does soften up a little with use, but not by much.
Li Ning calls the upper material Boom Fiber (the same fiber is used in the 4 Ultra shown left below). This is a type of thermoplastic elastomer that is spun into a lightweight fiber and weaved into the upper we see here.
The traditional tongue is replaced by a stretchy strip of knitted fabric. There are 6 rows of eyelets threaded by non-elastic cotton laces. The nylon mesh is well perforated and the shoe works very well in warm conditions.
There are padded cushions around the heel to aid with heel lockdown. The overall fit is very good and snug and there is zero heel movement.
In terms of fit, the 5 Elite does run slightly long for me, and after trying my usual 9.5 and going a half size down to 9.0, I decided to go with US9.0 for this shoe. If you have high volume feet, you might want to stick to your usual size, but otherwise I recommend going a half size down in this shoe. (The 5 Ultra has released in China but is not available in Singapore just yet, but i did test fit the 5 Challenger in the store and that one fits true to size just like the 4 Challenger i have as well as the 4 Ultra, so it seems for now the 5 Elite is the only odd one more with a slightly long fit. )
I picture the Feidian 4 Ultra (US9.5) on the left and the Feidian 5 Elite(US9.0) on the right above. You can see the lengths are pretty similar. You can also see that the lasts are slightly different in shape.
With the 4 Ultra, the toebox is a little more pointed and tapers medially so that the sharp end is where your big and second toe are.
With the 5 Elite, the toebox is visibly more rounded (this is not an artifact of the camera angle). You can also see that the midsole flares quite a fair bit at the forefoot and I will get to that in the next section.
Midsole
Source: Li Ning Singapore
The midsole uses a single density midsole foam with the curved carbon plate sandwiched in the middle, so fairly standard for this level of racing shoe. The carbon plate is made with T1000 carbon fibre, which is to say, it is quite stiff.
The 5 series uses an updated midsole foam called Super Boom, the next evolution up from their PEBAX-based Boom midsole foam. Visually you can immediately tell the difference from the foam used in the 4 Ultra. The 4 Ultra used a more pelletized foam, while the 5 Elite now has a more uniform appearance.
Feidian 5 Elite on Left, Feidian 4 Ultra on right
The foam is definitely softer now (there is a ~6-8 km break-in period) and though not as soft as the foam found in the Nike Vaporfly or the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3, it is now quite close to what we have in the Adios Pro 4, and softer than the ASICS Metaspeed Paris range. There is a dense springiness that is felt especially under the forefoot where there is more foam between you and the plate, and the rocker effect is fairly pronounced.
There are some good stability elements built into the midsole here. First of all, the midsole flares out on both sides of the forefoot so you have a relatively wide footprint and that give you a lot of stability for toe-off. Secondly, as the midsole sweeps back, it actually rises up just a little toward the heel to give you a cradling effect. I felt this more on the lateral side than the medial side. I am actually quite sensitive to this as I supinate quite a bit on initial footstrike, so I feel a bit of pressure and soreness on the outsole of my left foot in particular (my right foot usually does not supinate as much) when I run in the shoe. If I consciously tell myself to land more square with the outsole, that feeling completely goes away.
I measured the stack of the shoe at 38mm at the heel, but you can see that there is a lot of bevelling at the heel so it curves up quite early, and that has an impact on stack numbers. While the measured heel stack is 38mm, in actuality when the shoe sits on the ground , that area that is being measured is in fact elevated off the ground. If I measured the displacement from the surface of the sockliner to the ground at the heel, that distance is actually closer to 42mm. We have seen this with Mizuno’s Wave Rebellion Pros as well.
Outsole
The outsole uses a compound Li Ning calls GCU (Ground Control Unit) and while they do not provide any further details on what it’s made of, it feels quite similar to the polyurethane-based outsoles found on many other shoes coming out of China. This material is light and grips well on wet roads, and tends to be very durable compared to rubber.
I don’t have a lot of mileage on the shoes yet, but so far wear is hardly visible on the outsole. There is some scuffing and staining of the exposed midsole but this is to be expected.
Ride and Conclusions
As mentioned earlier, there is a short break-in period needed with this shoe. After that, the softness and bounciness get a bit more amplified and the whole ride just becomes smoother. There is a very fast and effective transition from heel to toe-off, and this is really amplified at faster efforts.
The plate is quite stiff in this shoe though, so expect it to feel quite awkward at slower paces. Novice runners would want to take note of this. Anything slower than 4:30/km (~7:20/mile) pace would not feel very smooth in this shoe.
While the measured drop sits at 5mm, the shoe really does feel more like a 8mm drop once you get going. I feel like the geometry works best for heel strikers here, though with a 33mm forefoot stack, there should be no problems for mid- and forefoot strikers too. Vibration dampening is quite good, and there is no bottoming out of the foam here.
I really like the lockdown of the shoe. The width and volume across the whole shoe is completely spot on for my feel and I have no movement at all without having to do a lot with lace tension.
Overall, i think this shoe feels very efficient and performs on par with other top tier racers in this weight and stack range. I feel like, for the pace it feels best at, it is more of a 10-21km racer for me. This is just purely because when I slow to a controlled uptempo effort which is basically what marathon effort is supposed to be like, I feel that the shoe loses a bit too much of that special ride character that you hope to find in a dedicated marathon racer. Perhaps a faster runner might feel differently.
In terms of stability, despite the relatively softer ride, the shoe offers a lot of stability at both the forefoot and the heel so runners who find shoes like the Vaporfly and the Deviate Nitro Elite too unstable can consider it as a strong alternative.
To summarize, I think the shoe works best for heel strikers, and should work well for most runners unless you have very wide feet. The raised midsole sidewalls toward the heel really help to cradle the foot well, and so if you need a little bit more heel stability, this is a good option for you.
At this current retail price point here in Singapore, I think the Li Ning is a very competitive racing shoe that competes very well with the offerings from the other major brands.
The Li Ning Feidian 5 Elite is currently retailing in Li Ning concept stores in Singapore at S$275. (~US$204)
Unfortunately, retail channels continue to be stymied in the USA (with the new 10% tariffs presenting yet another hurdle)
Derek’s score 9.6 / 10
Ride 9.2 (50%) Fit 10 (30%) Value 10 (15%) Style 10 (5%)
5 Comparisons
Li Ning Feidian 4 Ultra B (RTR Review)
I am true to size in the Feidian 4 Ultra and a half size down in the Feidian 5 Elite. The 4 Ultra is more cushioned but firmer, with a more blocky mechanical transition. The fit is also slightly narrower especially at the arch. I feel like the Ultra is still the better marathon shoe but the ride is a bit more mechanical and you need good mechanics to keep loading that forefoot to best engage the shoe. For novice runners and especially for shorter race distances, the 5 Elite is the better shoe.
Nike Vaporfly Next% 3 (RTR Review)
I am sort of between sizes in the VF3 and run well in both TTS and a half size down. I go a half size down in the Feidian 5 Elite. The VF3 is the most easy going super shoe and is also the most versatile at handling both fast and slow paces. The rocker on the 5 Elite is more aggressive and I feel faster than the VF3 at the 5-10k race distance. It’s a bit of a wash at the half marathon and the VF3 wins out with its softer cushioning for the full marathon. The 5 Elite is more stable so if you find the heel too unstable in the VF3, this is the shoe for you.
Adidas Adios Pro 4 (RTR Review)
I am a half size down in both the AP4 and the Feidian 5 Elite. The 5 Elite has the better upper at locking down the fit, while the AP4 is spongier and has more underfoot cushioning. I would say AP4 is the better shoe for everything here, as the bounce and rocker are slightly better across the board. The Feidian 5 Elite fits me better as I get a bit of heel irritation on the left foot with the AP4, so in terms of comfortable upper, the 5 Elite is better for me. 5 Elite is also more stable with AP4 losing a lot of stability from the softer platform vs AP3.
ASICS Metaspeed Edge Paris (RTR Review)
I am TTS in the Edge Paris and a half size down in the Feidian 5 Elite. Edge Paris remains a conflicted shoe for me. It feels very efficient at workouts, but it beats me up for longer runs; just not enough foam compression underfoot. The upper of Edge Paris is also a bit sloppy for me. Both shoes are plenty stable, but the narrower platform of the Edge Paris makes it a little trickier for cornering. I think for a 5-10k race I’d go with Edge Paris. For longer races, I’d go with the 5 Elite.
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 (RTR Review)
I am a half size down in both the DNE3 (though I do train in the DNE3 at TTS) and the Feidian 5 Elite.
The Puma DNE3 is the 2024 racer of the year for me. Very forgiving and very bouncy without feeling ponderous. In many ways, the Feidian 5 Elite is similar but with a bit more medio-lateral stability and a bit firmer midsole. I think people who need more stability should go with the Feidian 5 Elite. I would favor the Feidian 5 Elite for shorter races 10k and under, and prioritize the better cushioning and softness of the Puma for the half and full marathon.
Derek is in his 40’s and trains 70-80 miles per week at 7 to 8 minute pace in mostly tropical conditions in Singapore. He has a 2:39 marathon PR from the 2022 Zurich Marathon.
Comments and Questions Welcome Below! Please let us know mileage, paces, race distances, and current preferred shoes
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