Inserts/footbeds

neilo23

I have some non-cycling specific insoles for my flat feet. Yesterday I thought I'd give them a go to see if they helped with my other problem (see "inside thigh rubbing on seatpost clamp" thread in general) which they did, before buying a pair designed for cycling.

My question is: after about an hour I had to remove the insoles because my legs felt exhausted. Could this be that I was using slightly different parts of my leg muscles than usual or simply that the shape of the insole was incorrect (felt comfy enough)? If so will I quickly adapt? Of course, I could just have been having a bad day.

A professional fit is not an option at the moment but i can stretch to some cycling footbeds.

olake92

I presume the non-cycling insoles are proper orthotics? If so, they will be designed to make your feet work 'properly'. My guess is that with your feet now positioned correctly (when cycling), you are using the correct muscles for the movement; your non-corrected position may result in over emphasis of one muscle group, or an imbalance within a muscle group. For example, cycling 'toes in' results in an imbalance in the calf, favouring the inside.

I don't currently have any proper insoles, but I plan on getting some that are cycling specific as I have the (largely unrealistic) goal of being perfecty functional. A good blog post about insoles comes from ex-pro Dave Mclean.

neilo23

olake92 wrote:

I presume the non-cycling insoles are proper orthotics? If so, they will be designed to make your feet work 'properly'. My guess is that with your feet now positioned correctly (when cycling), you are using the correct muscles for the movement; your non-corrected position may result in over emphasis of one muscle group, or an imbalance within a muscle group. For example, cycling 'toes in' results in an imbalance in the calf, favouring the inside.

I don't currently have any proper insoles, but I plan on getting some that are cycling specific as I have the (largely unrealistic) goal of being perfecty functional. A good blog post about insoles comes from ex-pro Dave Mclean.

I do have proper insoles for a regular pair of shoes but they don't fit in my cycling shoes. I bought a pair of rubber insoles from a shoe shop which most closely resembled my custom-made insoles.
When I can afford it I'll get a proper fit but I may just get a pair of the Specialized insoles mentioned in your article until I have more money.
It makes sense that the slightly adjusted position would cause me to tire faster.
Thanks for your input, Olake.

hypster

I use the Specialized insoles because I have a dodgy foot that was crushed in a motorcycle accident many years ago. I used to go to a chiropodist who would make up custom footbeds for me but he retired and I went to another one but it wasn't the same. I decided to try the Specialized footbeds because it was mainly arch support that I needed and found that the highest arch support (green I think) works well for me and they are much cheaper than the custom made ones.

I use them in all my shoes and trainers now.