The only thing you need for parkour is a good pair of shoes. Unless you train parkour barefoot that is (parkour barefoot training review). By now, in 2020 there are a number of parkour-dedicated shoes on the market by a variety of parkour companies and other athletic brands trying their hand in the parkour marketplace. However, it seems like the original gangster, the good-for-parkour shoe of the sports early days is trying to revive its brand and reclaim its market share amongst parkour practitioners.
Feiyue originally came to market positioned as kungfu shoes in the 1920s. The movement community as a whole eventually took notice of their minimal design and amazing flexibility, feel, and low price point at around $25. However, the company had a major problem with Chinese knockoff brands manufacturing shoes under the same name and design. Over time the shoes lowered in quality and lost their appeal to many parkour athletes due to their horrible durability of the shoes. Some might have had the “TigerClaw” version of the shoes with the teal triangle stamp on the underside of the shoes. These were knockoffs. If you wanted to get some authentic Feiyue shoes, the high-quality versions shot up to around $70 a pair, making it just not worth the price with their still relatively low durability. HOWEVER — Feiyue seems to be making a comeback with new marketing efforts and a very attractive new price point. The brand Feiyue has been purchased by BBC International Ltd, which manages other brands like K-swiss or Reebok, Polo, and Champion The actual Feiyue brand has re-released its classic black and white training shoes with some slight design improvements and has listed them for sale for the original $25 price point!
You may have seen Feiyue advertising directly to the parkour community on Instagram or Facebook. They have even partnered with a small handful of parkour athletes out of LA and Colorado to promote giveaways and build back their branding.
Feiyue Improvements
A new foam layer has been added between your foot and the ground. Giving the shoes a slight Tempur Pedic feels. The shoes still feel minimal overall.
New colorings on the outer canvas of the shoe, replacing the old white stripe with a blue stripe.
Gold Stitching branded tong.
Feiyue branded shoe insert.
Made with the original higher quality rubber under the shoe, resulting in better durability than the older $25 shoes.
They now ship in a branded Feiyue fiber tote.
Feiyue branded tote, on display at Freedom in Motion Parkour gym in Loma Linda CA
Shoe Review
We updated our original Feiyue shoe review to reflect these changes. If you want a deep dive into how these shoes perform for parkour specifically, check out our for the Feiyue as used for parkour review here.
Our snap judgment is, these shoes are great parkour shoes for beginner and intermediate athletes. You can purchase Feiyue parkour shoes here.
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