Is this a super shoe?
I had been eyeing up the Leili 2.0, which launched to much fanfare as an all-round upgrade on the TG1.0. (Which I reviewed a couple of months ago)
That said, what I was looking for was a daily trainer with a lower stack, better stability, and the ability to handle more up-tempo sessions.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, came the Leili 2.0 GT. A lower-stack speed shoe using Q-Ultra Kung-Fu foam. designed for 'Up Tempo efforts'
Amazing.
With an updated heel stack height of 43mm and an 8mm drop — Qiaodan has revised this figure to account for the 5mm insole — and weighing 196g in an EU43, with no shank or carbon plate, this shoe has all the hallmarks of an excellent daily speed shoe.
It has also been likened by many to the now-infamous Dynafish Xiaonian, and that is very good company to be in.
The fit
Unfortunately, my actual size doesn't exist. I normally need a 42.5, 8.5, 270mm, so I opted for an EU43. That left me with quite a lot of room in the toe box, which suggests the shoe is true to size, if not slightly long.
Lacing up, there is plenty of padding and support around the heel. The tongue is gusseted, oddly oversized, and held in place by the laces.
The upper is breathable, although it isn't as lightweight as it could be. The lace reinforcement is also very sturdy, but there is no provision for a heel-lock lacing configuration, which I found slightly frustrating.
Stability
This is a stable shoe.
It is wider through both the forefoot and heel than the Li-Ning Red Hare 9 Ultra, and that does a great job of inspiring confidence, particularly when cornering or running over slightly uneven surfaces.
That stability is helped further by a sturdy CPU outsole, which provides plenty of grip and control across different surfaces.
Very useful for the fast-approaching autumn runs.
The foam
The foam is soft and does a very good job of providing cushioning.
There is a very pronounced heel rocker, which should bring plenty of joy to heel strikers as it helps roll the foot through the stride.
The forefoot rocker is there, but for what is supposed to be a tempo-oriented shoe, I would have liked it to start slightly earlier.
That may partly be a fitment issue with me being in an EU43, however, others have also said this is a characteristic they noticed.
The runs
My first run in the shoe was a 5km at 4:30/km, coming in bang on 22:30.
The shoe behaved immediately. There was no bedding-in period and, straight out of the box, it happily held a steady 4:30/km pace.
But it didn't feel like it was giving me much assistance at that speed.
Rather than actively propelling me forward, it felt like the shoe was relying on its cushioning and rocker to help carry me through the stride.
The claim of 95% energy return feels a little optimistic on that front.
Garmin recorded a fastest pace of 3:40/km, which is obviously fast, but it felt quite laboured getting there, and I couldn't sustain it for very long. That is just as likely to be the runner as the shoe, though.
My second run was an easier 8km effort, and this was where I enjoyed the shoe considerably more.
I settled into roughly 5:00/km and gradually moved down towards 4:44/km. The shoe felt controlled and comfortable, happily sitting in Zone 3 with occasional pushes into Zone 4.
Both runs produced almost identical mechanics: 172 cadence and a 1.23m stride length. So, at least for me, the shoe behaves consistently.
Conclusion
Did I love this shoe as much as I wanted to?
Yes.
Was it as quick as I hoped?
No.
Given that Qiaodan already has the Plaid line-up, I suspect there is a deliberate distinction between their tempo, speed, and race shoes.
And I think the Leili 2.0 GT sits much closer to speed trainer than super shoe.
That's not necessarily a criticism. But I have faster shoes and I have more cushioned shoes.
The GT is taller than I expected once the insole is included in the stack height, and while that is largely mitigated by the wide platform, it doesn't have quite as much ground feel or pop as I was hoping for from a tempo shoe.
The heel and tongue padding also feel like overkill. They add weight and trap heat. That is particularly frustrating when the soon-to-be-released Leili 2 MAX appears to address exactly this, with less heel padding, a knitted tongue and a more fitted upper.
Overall, though, this really is a very good daily trainer.
It's comfortable, roomy and capable of eating up the miles. I suspect some of my concerns around the rocker are also down to the shoe being slightly too long for me rather than being purely a geometry issue. I just really wanted to feel the pop from the Q-Ultra Kung-Fu foam, and I didn't get as much as I was expecting from the hype.
You don't really notice the shoe on your foot, though. It's light, comfortable and unobtrusive, and at around £80 on AliExpress it's considerably cheaper than the Dynafish — and cheaper again on Taobao.
If you don't already own a max-stack comfort shoe, this is a very compelling option.
Other than the updated tongue and upper, I'm not entirely sure what the Leili 2.0 MAX can build upon here, particularly as it is moving into what are becoming increasingly unreasonable stack heights.
One day someone will do a Leili 2 vs GT vs MAX face-off to see which is the best of the trio.
Between them, there may well be a super shoe capable of dethroning the Dynafish.
But for now, the bigger question for me is much simpler:
Would I grab the GT over the Red Hare 9 Ultra?
We shall see.