Insole recommendations

[coelacant]

Lotsa cool and interesting suggestions. Thanks everybody.
The problem I have with the insoles, now that I have a chance to pull them out and take a look, is that over time the cheap foam forefoot, the part under the ball, got squished down to almost nothing, so no cushion, no support there where I needed it most.
It's never the heel cup or the arch support for me.

Maybe the answer is to just find some forefoot pads instead, Sorbothane comes to mind.

[Ralph]

I like the Specialized also. They are hard and keep their shape. Relatively inexpensive. As noted....3 different arch heights. Specialized are designed for cycling....not running, walking, skiing, etc.

I use custom orthotics (expensive) for all other uses. My foot Doc said his orthotics not designed for cycling, to use cycling specific ones for cycling. Says the foot is used differently in cycling, than walking or running.

[fmradio516]

i have 10+ year old Specialized in my Sidis. I think they must still be in great shape because I tried a pair of brand new sidis with stock insoles and they were TERRIBLE. The 10 year old specialzed are way better.

Mine are the red ones. Did the older versions go by the same color coordinated? I have between med to high arches, and I just picked up a pair of the blue(medium) specialized soles. Have i been using pretty much flat footed insoles for 10 years?

[Steve in SLO]

Red=low arch
Blue=med arch
Green=hi arch
There was a black insole designed( I think) for MTB with a medium arch

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by Steve in SLO

Red=low arch
Blue=med arch
Green=hi arch
There was a black insole designed( I think) for MTB with a medium arch

er youre right, i got the blue(medium). and have these colors always been the same with the footbeds? Like has red always been low arch with these even 10 yrs ago?

[ultraman6970]

I do not think anybody mentioned Solestar kontrol, the original kontrol model, they changed the line up adding more products and now the kontrol is called the blk, the new kontrol uses hard fiberglass core now.

Have problems with flexible arches and my 220 pounds dont help at all to the situation, have used several insoles and nothing has held as the Solestar carbon kontrol insole. Is not moldeable that I know of but with the time starts giving just enough. Great insole if you can find it for the right price. No idea how the plastic cheapo ones will work, because well the insole arch area in the cheappo model can collapse down due to my weight when standing up the pedals, the carbon doesnt do that, actually the only carbon insoles i know that doesnt colapse under weight is the solestar.

The solestar is the only insoles that worked for me.

I use sole insoles in my regular shoes, great insoles aswell. The reason i dont have those for my cycling shoes is because the heel area, too big for cycling and the other issue is that my heel gets off the shoe, it is design thing which I know how to address the thing is that i dont want to cut them.

My next pick that i havent used ever (but i have a new pair to test some day) are the bauer speed plate 2.0 .. moldeable and similar design to the solestar insoles. One day this summer will test them and I will do a review but those insoles are made to hold you standing up and smashing the ice the whole day so i do not see why they couldnt work for cycling.

Superfeets never worked for me even in regular shoes, all of the standard insoles in cycling shoes never worked for me too well. So wont mention any of them.

[Steve in SLO]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

er youre right, i got the blue(medium). and have these colors always been the same with the footbeds? Like has red always been low arch with these even 10 yrs ago?

I believe so, yes.

[weiwentg]

Originally Posted by Steve in SLO

I believe so, yes.

You are correct, with maybe a handful of possible exceptions. I got a pair of S-Works 7s last year in the awesome (or at least very loud) hyper lava scheme, and the insoles were the same high-vis yellow as the front of the shoe. However, they are the flat insoles. It seems like Spesh defaults to flat in all their shoes.

[Alan]

I just got some custom insoles from my Retul/Specialized dealer who is very good. See link to them:

https://www.retul.com/footbeds

They were $150 which is a good price as they will last 20,000 miles per the dealer. I have tried many different insoles including Specialized, eFit, Icebug and these are way better. The Retuls are really custom orthotics. I was using eFit and immediately noticed a better custom fit and more perceived power.

They are fairly high volume as the arch is high so you need to make sure that there is enough room in your shoes. I have low volume narrow feet and they work well for me.

These are the best that I have seen on the market and really a good deal considering they will last 2-3X longer than regular insoles.

There are plenty of Retul/Specialized dealers around who can do these.

PM me w any questions.

Alan

[peanutgallery]

We have Boot Doctor branded Podiscope with the pillows and the built in toaster to heat up their branded insoles. This system is branded by a bunch of companies and common in running stores and ski shops, will work with most customizable insoles. Anyone trained on the device will be able to help you deduce the correct insole and personalize it for your feet. Additionally, there are a couple of little tests you can run that help the customer figure out mobility issues and that sort of thing and fix them. Great way to communicate with customers about their feet.

For example, about a year ago it was pointed out to me that my right and left knees track differently with my left being "normal" and the right lifting my heel in order to compensate and keep up with my left. In the ski world, this resulted in my turns in one direction being a lot different than the other. I customized a pair of insoles, posted the heels and left a little lift in the right. Completely transformed my turns as I now bend both knees equally and have much better turn symmetry. King of the beer league last year Granted, I was the project for a good friend who was using me as an example in a boot fitting seminar and there was some trial and error, but it really opened my eyes

As a result, I have made myself a series of custom insoles for all my footwear using the rubric I was provided, cycling included, and I can't believe I went almost 50 years without going thru this process. I feel like my gait is better, my back doesn't bother me, standing on my feet all day is more comfortable. Riding is definitely better as far as comfort. It was an interesting process, and knowing what I know now...I should have looked into this process decades ago. If you have an issue, get out the wallet and find a pro...$$$ well spent

[Dired]

I'm using SOLE inserts with metatarsal pads taped on top for 5+ years. They've held up really well, no issues.

[tuxbailey]

Another vote for Specialized. I used blue and I haven't changed it for a long, even used the same ones when I got the Sidi's. I have a spare set just in case they decided to change the design.

[flying]

I also really like Specialized Body Geometry Footbeds

I keep both blue & green available because it is funny but I find different shoes need different footbed.

Some shoes the Green feels too crowded but the blue is fine

I like the high arch green in a wide shoe & the blue in a normal width

Odd I guess but I don't question it as they work great & are not expensive. I had metatarsal problem once & never want to go back to that

[martl]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

I used Specialized in my Sidis and am using the Giris in my new Giris but I have heard really good things about Solestar

Solestar.de

More expensive but cycling specific.

BK

For that kind of money you can see a very good orthopedics and have some custom made. I did after having knee surgery for cartilage damage type 4 and it does make a big difference. It's literally night and day.

[pdonk]

My lake 402s came with their fiberglass (white) "raven" insoles. They are heat moldable. After close to 4000km on them, without shaping, they have worked really well and hold up to getting wet and general use.