March 25, 2020

TIEM Latus Shoe Review

If you’re a indoor cycling enthusiast you’ve probably heard of TIEM. I reviewed their popular Slipstream cycling shoe, which you can read HERE. Well lucky for everyone else, they came out with a non cycling athletic shoe, and of course I had to try them.

First off, I will say that these, like their Slipstream cycling shoe, are not for people with wide feet. I have pretty narrow feet, so they work for me, but I could see how they would be too narrow for a lot of people. My overall opinion though, is that I like them more than I thought I would.

Style

Currently the Latus comes in three colors: black, gray, and navy. Although, if I was a bettin’ gal, I’d say if they go over well, they will probably make more colorful options available like they’ve done for the Slipstream.

Like the Slipstream, the Latus has straps that weave across the top of the shoe. However, because the show is narrow enough on it’s own, I don’t really notice the strap doing much of anything. To me they are there more for looks, than for function.

Sizing

The website says they fit “true to size,” so I ordered my typical size 9. I wear a 9 in pretty much every running/athletic shoe I own. I was surprised when I received the shoes that they seemed too big. I was debating on exchanging for another size or just returning altogether. I decided to exchange them for an 8.5, and they fit…just right! Ironically they say to size down a half size in the Slipstream, which I did…to an 8.5. So I would personally say that whatever size fits you well in the Slipstream (as long as your toes aren’t crunched in the front), that would also be your size in the Latus. Luckily they offer free exchanges if the sizing isn’t correct.

Function

I’ve worn these shoes for jumprope workouts, treadmill walking, lifting weights, and general everyday life, and I have to say I’m rather impressed. I even wore them on my 8.5 hour flight to Hawaii. The fact that they slip on and off without laces is super convenient for traveling, but they aren’t lose so they are stable enough for workouts. I wouldn’t wear them if I was training for a marathon or anything, but if you’re traveling or need one pair of shoes that can do it all, I would say this is it.

One issue I have with shoes is that I wear custom orthotics. They can sometimes make my feet fit a little too high in my shoes, or make them rub in weird places. My orthotics easily fit in these shoes, and I haven’t had any issues with them. I also found that there was no break in time required. I took them out of the box and wore them to the gym for a workout, and no blisters no issues!

Comfort

These were the only tennis shoes I took with my on my 11 day trip to Hawaii. Needless to say, I used them for everything…except beach time 🙂

Two things I’ll point out that has to do with items I’ve previously mentioned: narrow feet and orthotics. First, if you have narrow feet I think these will start to feel tight. This happened to me on the plane. However, my second point is that I felt this was happening because I had my orthotics in the shoes. When you wear orthotics (at least my custom ones) they take up space in your shoes. When I wear these shoes without my orthotics there is a little extra room, and they don’t feel tight at all. However, I do have narrow feet. If you have wider feet and wear these for an extended period of time, you may start to feel pressure on the top of your feet. Maybe it’s just me, but that makes me uncomfortable.

Other than those items, I felt these shoes were really comfortable. They are super easy to slip off and on (don’t even need to undo the velcro). I did a “hike” up Koko Crater Stairs in Hawaii in these shoes. It started raining part way through, which caused the wood stairs/rail ties to become slippery. I was extremely cautious coming back down the stairs, but I felt like my shoes weren’t slipping at all (other people around me were having issues with this).

My shoes definitely got a little dirty, which is sad, but I plan on cleaning them. They should look good as new soon!

I also wore these shoes for other hikes, a 3 mile walk, jumping rope, biking, and body weight workouts while in Hawaii and they performed great for all of them. If you’re traveling or just want a shoe that can all around do everything, these are definitely a contender.