# Tiebao MTB Shoes Review



## ian0789 (Jul 15, 2013)

Hey all, figured Id toss up a review for a pair of shoes I picked up for $45.00 with free shipping. I am sure most of you have came past these guys and it has crossed your mind to snag a pair as it did to me. So I figured for the heck of testing I'd give them a whirl.

I was on the lookout for a backup pair of shoes in the event mine died. I wanted to keep the price down but have something on hand for when mine are soaked or out of commission. I currently am using a set of Pearl Izumi All Road Mountain Shoe that I very much enjoy. I ride a lot of MTB, Cross, Road and I like to only have one set of pedals (MTB SPD) So I came across these on Aliexpress a while back and kept on going back and forth about it.

So I normally like a 9.5-10 shoe and that seems to be around a 43 for most companies. I went with a 43 as well with the Tiebao shoes. Figured Id rather have a bit more room then less room in my shoe. Thicker socks in the winter also make my Pearl Izumi's very snug so I didn't wanna risk a smaller shoe and with no returns and cant see them in person its kind of a luck of the draw buy. Well I placed my order on Dec 7 2014 and they showed up at my door Dec 31 2014 so so about 3 weeks your looking at for date of sale to drop off.

Well gotta say, Aliexpress has yet again made me a happy man. Was a bit nervous to see what I was getting when I was unwrapping the shoes but I have to say I am impressed with them and for the price. They seem very well made and feel like a good quality shoe. On the box they claim to be Carbon fiber / nylon soles, they have a movable cleat feature like most shoes do. The tops are made from a durable PVC, I feel like they will hold up or at least if I need a backup shoe be very much useable for a while.

The size! So one of the 1st things I noticed about the shoes when I opened the box is they did look a bit larger then my other pair. So I quickly tried them on and found that they are a size 10 and spot on. So for me that means that they have a little extra room in the toes and will fit a heavy pair of winter socks no problem with out leaving you feeling cramped. The width of the shoe is definitely bigger, one thing I don't like about my Pearl Izumi's is after long rides the side of my feel tend to hurt because how narrow the shoes are. These are perfect they are snug but not overkill. So while they are a little bit bigger then my current shoes I can say its nothing I am disappointed about. I was thinking about buying a set of the new turn dial system and if I do down the road I will also get a size 10 since I am happy how these feel.

I have one of each shoe on right now as I type this and I have been walking around like this for about an hour. They are very comparable in terms of how they flex and how stiff they are. I have no doubt that they will be a solid cycling shoe when you go to lay the hammer down. They are very comfortable and walking in them feels good. Also having one of the Pearl's on feels like its way more confining now that I have the Tiebao on.

One thing about the Tiebao shoes is the Velcro straps are long. They seem to hang off the shoe some once they are tighten down to your liking. This might not be a problem with other people if they have a thicker overall foot but for me I do feel like the straps are long.

I do wonder how well these will do overall in terms of trail riding. I know I clip things now and then with my shoes or brush into stuff so I do hope they can hold up to some abuse. My last pair of Pearl Izumi's held up to almost 2 years of a beating. While my new pair I already had to have the strap buckle repaired 5 months into use. So I cant really say that buying a big name brand shoe is going to last over a cheaper name. As for what I payed for the All Road Mountains shouldn't have had any issues for the time used.

On a side note one thing that was strange is in the box they had a set of stickers and the directions was to take the insoles out and place the sticker over the slot above the cleat and then place the sole back in. I just thought that was very odd to have you do and not sure what the point was....


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## Oni (Jan 15, 2004)

the sticker thing was to put over the cleat area to 'seal it' from the elements if you stick it in a puddle. Hold over from Shimano shoes way back in the day.


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## ian0789 (Jul 15, 2013)

Thanks Oni, I was wondering about that. My other pairs of shoes never came with that before just found it odd.

I took them for a test ride this morning before work. Just got on the road bike and sprinted up and down my road. They feel really good, nice and comfy with a stiff cycling shoe feel to them. I do wish they came in a 9.5 as I think a 9 might leave me feeling cramped but they didn't feel lose on the bike just have a little extra toe room.

Overall happy I got these for $45 they will be a good back up pair of shoes in the event something happens to my normal every day ones. For the price I cant go wrong if they hold up. I spent more on 1st pair of cycling shoes and got way less of a shoe for the money.

I am inclined to get a pair of the twist lock racketing system Tiebao shoes and see how they are. Maybe in a week or two I will order a pair as I do enjoy testing out products on Aliexpress.


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## del690 (Oct 12, 2004)

Deleted


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## del690 (Oct 12, 2004)

Thanks for this info. I am looking at a pair of Tiebao shoes on Ali right now. How are yours holding up? In regards to size, you are saying that they are basically true to size? I'm a 42 which they dont have in stock but they have the 42.5 which I was thinking of getting.


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## TJ A Jones (Mar 4, 2016)

Hey, I too just ordered from Ali. They sent me a sizing chart. Usually I am a US 10.5-11 depending on brand. However the seller sent me a size chart to measure my foot length in mm. I'm at 275 which puts me at a size 10 to 11. My feet are not super wide, but more average, so I went with the 10. I'll let you know how the size ends up. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I am ordering the shoes below:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TIE...32726617357.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.Zd1Uou


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## del690 (Oct 12, 2004)

Look forward to hearing from you. Shoes can be weird when it comes to sizing so the more info the better. Thanks.


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## TJ A Jones (Mar 4, 2016)

So my shoes came in and I am quite happy. What I didn't know is they have the European sizes. This would have helped me as I got a 43 instead of a 44. I can wear a 43 with no socks or very thin. Normally I am a 44. However, I did a 17 mile offroad and intense ride in them with no socks and they were fabulous!. Stretched out just a little and I had no pain or numbing of the toes. 

The shoe I got has the Boa strap thingy (little knob with thin cables). I looked at Trek for a pair a few months back and they were $219. These ran me about $60 and I would consider them comparable to the LBS ones at the higher price. They are very light, stiff, breathable, pretty much everything I wanted for a Florida MTB shoe... And they look good too!

I found a more casual style shoe with SPD option. I will likely grab a pair just to have as a fun shoe. TIEBOA, you get my vote for footwear!

Clip in and ride hard!


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## TJ A Jones (Mar 4, 2016)

Oh yeah, and the blue shoes match my bike with Orange and Blue accents


























The KORE chainring was just added today.


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## maklay72 (Dec 20, 2016)

in Tiebao there are models of shoes with freelock system, not to buy !!!!!! break after 20 km arrival !!!! Spare parts iposable to buy!!!!


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