Kyrinov
Level 5 Valued Member
This is in response to the news regarding the redesign of the Chuck Taylor. As a die hard footwear minimalist I feel your pain. However, there is a great alternative out there that I have not seen mentioned here - that is the Feiyue. It is the Chinese equivalent to the Chuck. I have owned both and I consider the Feiyue to be vastly superior to the Chuck on a number of parameters. Better grip, a rounded sole allows better lateral force transfer and the lack of a separate sole makes them more durable (I find Chucks sole becomes separated from the rest of the shoe.) The feiyue are also much wider, are somewhat water resistant owing to a very large flexible toe cap and have a great oldschool look to them. They are about as old as the Chuck, having been around since the early 20th century as the shoe of choice in many of China's kung fu schools. I had one of the worst days of my life on the day when I got my first Feiyue in the mail and putting those shoes on almost made everything okay they were so comfortable and gave me such great ground connection. I just love these shoes. Best part is, they are cheap. If you buy them from ICNbuys they cost 25 bucks a pop and if your order is over 100 bucks there is free shipping (normally shipping is 20 bucks a pair so HUGE savings by ordering multiple pairs.) Their longevity is somewhat compromised by their choice of very soft rubber soles but thats pretty much the way all minimalist shoes are in my experience, Chucks included. Amazing shoes. Highly recommended. Best I've ever owned.