"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - anyone use aftermarket insoles in their road shoes?

i was thinking about buying a good insole maybe gel sport type of insole etc. mainly because the insole in my shoes is pretty flimsy and minimal. anyone ever done this and what worked well for cycling?

Specialized BG Footbeds. I used them in my Sidis before I switched to Specialized shoes, which have the same footbeds. They're AWESOME. They come with the footbeds and shims so you can achieve the same varus angle as the Specialized shoes.

+2 on the Specialized BG insoles.. An authorized dealer will have a footboard you stand on with your bare feet that will tell you which color to buy, red - green or blue.. Most people fall in the middle with blue insoles..

Superfeet work wonders for me. Yes - you lose some of the ventilation, but the added arch support (I use the hiking (green footbeds) helps immensly.

I've had good luck with Superfeet. I've always used the lower profile black version. They also make a cycling shoe specific version though I don't know what is different about them.

I had Superfeet; I use them in all my hiking shoes and they're awesome. This year I tried the Specialized BG Footbeds, experimented with the shims, etc. but I'm not all that impressed. I'm going to go back to Superfeet and see if it's the footbeds or the shoes (still having occasional numbness issues).

Superfeet work wonders for me. Yes - you lose some of the ventilation, but the added arch support (I use the hiking (green footbeds) helps immensly.

I like my superfeet also. With them, I have better circulation and am less prone to foot and toe cramps.

I've got wierd feet, my arch is very long, and shallow, but Superfeet grey's managed to fix that a little bit. The arch isn't as long as mine, but I can't hardly tell when I'm riding. I tired the Specialized BG blue's, but they started hurting after a spin around the block! They felt fine in the store but not when riding. If anyone wants them I could trade or something...

Been using heat-moldable SOLEs for a bit now, work pretty well with Sidis. Before that, Alines which didn't really work out - they lift the heal way too high and aren't really designed to handle shoes with arch supports built into the sole a la Sidi.

i have the superfeet also. don't know which model but they are vacuum molded to your feet. i have very high arches and pronated ankles and i can't ride without them now. i'm on my second pair and need to get another set made desparately as these are falling apart after about 10 years of use.

Mine were custom made for me when I had my bike fitting done:

www.esoles.com

Best money I ever spent, between the bike fitting and insoles.

FWIW, I ride w/out insoles. It's more comfortable to me. No problem during centuries or other long rides.

I suppose it makes up for all my frame flex ;)

It's probably like wearing Assos....you really don't know what you're missing until you try 'em :)

I use Sole heat moldable footbeds, they work wonders.

I use Sole heat moldable footbeds, they work wonders.

How's the arch support with those insoles and where did you buy them?

I've been using Powerstep insoles in my Northwaves which had flimsy pieces of felt that were masquerading as insoles. They work very well in supporting my feet during a ride.

Which of you are flatfooted overpronators?

I wish the cycling shoe industry would pick up on the way running shoes are sold and make a bunch of foot-type specific models. I don't want a custom orthodic that will make the wrong shoe work... I want the right shoe to begin with.

Which of you are flatfooted overpronators?

I wish the cycling shoe industry would pick up on the way running shoes are sold and make a bunch of foot-type specific models. I don't want a custom orthodic that will make the wrong shoe work... I want the right shoe to begin with.
Mine aren't entirely flat, but a much closer to being so than not. Overpronation is a gift :) - until you consider how fast you go through athletic shoes.

I understand your point about foot-type specific shoes, but I can lift my superfeet inserts out of my cycling shoes and put them in my running shoes, and put them right back in my cycling shoes again. As long as you handle the front portion of them carefully, there's no problem. I actually like this better than spending $x extra for each of n pairs of foot-type specific shoes (presuming they even exist).

YMMV

How's the arch support with those insoles and where did you buy them?

I've been using Powerstep insoles in my Northwaves which had flimsy pieces of felt that were masquerading as insoles. They work very well in supporting my feet during a ride.

The arch support is very good. I have high arches and under pronate. I got the sole inserts when I was training for marathons and it made a huge difference, I've since stopped running but use the soles in my cycling shoes.

I got them at the local running store for $36. Here's alink to the sole website: http://www2.yoursole.com/testimonials/foot-pain/

Which of you are flatfooted overpronators?




Hey, don't call me that, them's are fighting words!:D

I use the green hiking Superfeet - I've got absurdly huge arches and really like the heel cup.

I even hand-me-down them through various pairs of shoes - new ones go in my cycling shoes and hiking boots, lightly used ones in my everyday shoes (trail running shoes, generally), heavily used ones in grimy mucking about shoes, and old flattened out ones with no heel cushion in dress shoes.

I don't want a custom orthodic that will make the wrong shoe work... I want the right shoe to begin with.

Rocket7 custom molded to your foot. A little pricey, but half a pound lighter than even high end off the rack shoes and etremely comfortable.

Might seem excessive, but would you rather buy say Zero gravity brakes, which would be less weight saving, not rotational weight, and would do zero to improve your comfort?

Hmmm.... what bolt pattern are they, and how much do they cost?

$500 to $800. Depending if you go full custom.

You can get them made 3 bolt or 4 bolt. If you get them made for speedplays, they have an extremely low stack height.

I'm going to have to get behind Merlin and chime in my support for Rocket7's.

Like Enthalpic, I am also a "flatfoot overpronater," although I am not yet at the point where my overpronation is too severe. Because Rocket7 is located 40 minutes south of me, I was able to make an appointment and head down to do some molds and try their base shoes out. My feet are somewhat strangely shaped, and my left foot is a size smaller, but in talking with Dean we decided to stick to the stock shoes because I prefer the flatter footbed, whereas the custom footbed tended to be good for those flat footed that preferred some sort of arch support. Because of the insane variation in sizes, we were able to find a combination that fit like a glove (to my amazement), saving me a $160-ish custom footbed fee. They are expensive, but for a guy who's never had a pair of shoes that fit, they will be more than worth it.

Anyhow, you guys should of seen some of the molds they had of custom shoes they were making. One had a L and a R written on each mold because they couldn't tell the difference between the two, and they had a photo of one guy's overpronating feet where his toes were literally offset 45 degrees from his foot. It's an awesome little shop and I would highly recommend that anyone interested in their shoes should stop in if able.

grey superfeet here, and I have no arch (I wear podiatrist-fitted orthotics in my street shoes)

Simmons cycling shoes (this guy makes inline/ice speed skates for several world champions) will be coming out soon. He makes a mold of your entire foot and builds a shoe thats around 80% carbon 20% leather/mesh. If you have really bad feet I strongly suggest you consider a full custom shoe.

This forum makes me want to spend so much money.

I'm going to have to get behind Merlin and chime in my support for Rocket7's.

Like Enthalpic, I am also a "flatfoot overpronater," although I am not yet at the point where my overpronation is too severe. Because Rocket7 is located 40 minutes south of me, I was able to make an appointment and head down to do some molds and try their base shoes out. My feet are somewhat strangely shaped, and my left foot is a size smaller, but in talking with Dean we decided to stick to the stock shoes because I prefer the flatter footbed, whereas the custom footbed tended to be good for those flat footed that preferred some sort of arch support. Because of the insane variation in sizes, we were able to find a combination that fit like a glove (to my amazement), saving me a $160-ish custom footbed fee. They are expensive, but for a guy who's never had a pair of shoes that fit, they will be more than worth it.

Anyhow, you guys should of seen some of the molds they had of custom shoes they were making. One had a L and a R written on each mold because they couldn't tell the difference between the two, and they had a photo of one guy's overpronating feet where his toes were literally offset 45 degrees from his foot. It's an awesome little shop and I would highly recommend that anyone interested in their shoes should stop in if able.


Hi Dick,

I'm in Seattle too and am considering Rocket7's. It's cool that you just showed up at the shop to try them out. I'm worried a little about them holding up as most of the feedback on them has been about how fragile they are (by hearsay, really, not from owners). My last pair of shoes (before they were stolen) lasted me more than half a decade. I know you haven't had them long, but how're they holding up, and what's the build like?

Thanks,

-Chris

Been using heat-moldable SOLEs for a bit now, work pretty well with Sidis. Before that, Alines which didn't really work out - they lift the heal way too high and aren't really designed to handle shoes with arch supports built into the sole a la Sidi.


The heat moldable soles are nice.

what are the benefits of over pronation?..i have flat feet..knock knees...over pronate...

Specialized BG Footbeds. I used them in my Sidis before I switched to Specialized shoes, which have the same footbeds. They're AWESOME. They come with the footbeds and shims so you can achieve the same varus angle as the Specialized shoes.

I use the +++ inserts, which work well with my high arch.

Be warned, though, they aren't cheap.

This forum makes me want to spend so much money.

Wait till you see my next devilish plot. :)

Hi Dick,

I'm in Seattle too and am considering Rocket7's. It's cool that you just showed up at the shop to try them out. I'm worried a little about them holding up as most of the feedback on them has been about how fragile they are (by hearsay, really, not from owners). My last pair of shoes (before they were stolen) lasted me more than half a decade. I know you haven't had them long, but how're they holding up, and what's the build like?

Thanks,

-Chris

Durability is a bit of an issue. They are extremely light, and that tends to show in the durability aspect. I'm on my 3rd year with mine. They look like hell, but they still work just fine.

The biggest problem is the heel pad. It comes off very easily, and if you walk on the carbon without the heel pad, it scuffs away the carbon verey quickly. I've replace heel pads a bunch of times. What I do know that works well, but not very aesthetic is just put a build up of GOOP on the heel. It patched where the CF was wearing, and makes a good durable heel pad.

The uppers are also very thin, and scuff up very easily. Where the uppers glue to sole particularly around the toes looks like it would wear through very easily just by knocking your foot into things over time. However, other than some roughed up looking spots they're holding together just fine.

I use Sole heat moldable footbeds, they work wonders.

I used SOLES, while the molding is nice, the support is not very good and they break down quickly.
Superfeet are very close to design to custom orthotics, with a very strong arch support in hard plastic.
I'm flat-footed, so this year I went to custom orthotics, $450, but now I can walk and ride all day.

hi, i'm srsly and i'm a flat-footed over-pronator. i wanted to bump this thread because i've been having an issue with my shoes lately. i got a pair of sidi genius 5 last year and when i bought them they were nice and snug, right width, right length, and was told they would stretch a little bit. sure enough they did, now my left foot fits perfectly and my right foot seems a little loose. It didn't seem like a big deal but i have a little slippage and it's causing some extra soreness in my right calf. I thought some insoles might help and i found this thread.

the recommendations people have given for insoles all come in around $30 so first on the list is the specialized bg blue. while i agree that cycling shoes should take a hint from running shoes, i don't think finding a shoe with a near perfect fit and resolving that little "wrongness" with an insole is a terrible thing. people also do that with running shoes.

edit: was looking at the wrong insole, turns out the "performance" ones that come in multiple support flavors are a little more expensive. so what, if it works it's better than having a messed up right leg.

I used SOLES, while the molding is nice, the support is not very good and they break down quickly.
Superfeet are very close to design to custom orthotics, with a very strong arch support in hard plastic.
I'm flat-footed, so this year I went to custom orthotics, $450, but now I can walk and ride all day.


What works for some does not for others, I am using the same SOLES I got 3 years ago, Trained and ran 2 marathons in them then rode thousands of miles in them. I don't use them all day, I leave them in my cycling shoes.

I am do for a new pair soon I think. But for $40 I'd say they are plenty durable. I tried custom orthodics before the soles and they did not work at all for me. The doc said 5% of people have adverse reactions to them, I guess I am in that 5%. He adjusted them many times, they just never worked.

Glad the customs work for you.

Hi Dick,

I'm in Seattle too and am considering Rocket7's. It's cool that you just showed up at the shop to try them out. I'm worried a little about them holding up as most of the feedback on them has been about how fragile they are (by hearsay, really, not from owners). My last pair of shoes (before they were stolen) lasted me more than half a decade. I know you haven't had them long, but how're they holding up, and what's the build like?

Thanks,

-Chris

Hey Chris,
I haven't had them for nearly long enough to give you a good answer on that one. I don't think that extended walking in these shoes are a good idea though (IE: across campus). In talking with Dean about the durability issue, the good news is that every piece of the shoe is fully repairable - the uppers, sole, heel, etc. I will say though that they are pretty damned hot shoes, and you will probably want to baby them when off the bike.

Let me know if you want to come check them out or anything to see how they turned out before heading down to Puyallup. They definitely did some cool tricks to keep the weight down while maintaining durability (ie the velcro straps are not connected to the thin leather upper but to these individual strips that go down the sides and connects directly to the sole to keep the tension off the more fragile upper material).

-Dick

Dick,

Thanks for the feedback on the Rocket7's. I went and ordered some Sidi Genius 5.5's (team CSC colors) on super sale at BikeTiresDirect but am having a hell of a time with fit. They have a weird spread of sizes and I'm pretty sure I'm in between on the sizes they've got in this color. I'm still considering the Rocket7's though (for races and sunny days, since it sounds like they might not last very long riding in the wet a lot).

It would be cool to check out your shoes, thx for offering! Where are you located? I live in Greenwood, work in Kirkland, and commute around north on bike.

-Chris

Dick,

Thanks for the feedback on the Rocket7's. I went and ordered some Sidi Genius 5.5's (team CSC colors) on super sale at BikeTiresDirect but am having a hell of a time with fit. They have a weird spread of sizes and I'm pretty sure I'm in between on the sizes they've got in this color. I'm still considering the Rocket7's though (for races and sunny days, since it sounds like they might not last very long riding in the wet a lot).

It would be cool to check out your shoes, thx for offering! Where are you located? I live in Greenwood, work in Kirkland, and commute around north on bike.

-Chris

Hey Chris,
I live quite close to you. I'll shoot you a PM.