Probably why it failed. Someone told me I did it wrong, but the instructions said to 'stand in the crush area ‘flat footed;’, which I assumed meant no tiptoe, or jumping/rocking/etc. Either that, or whoever made them skated a little wide of the mark and it didn’t go well for me. I might actually have them somewhere, but yeah, missed it by that much. I’ve heard of people stepping on actual special foam boards too. To a certain point, I have given up on the whole ‘perfect fit’, and as long as I don’t have (a lot of) pain, I’ll deal with it. But I have a collection of shoes going on. The Bontrager XXX’s were such a disappointment, and I’ll probably never throw them out, being they were the most expensive shoes I think I’ve ever purchased. (It’s not some feeling of loyalty) But shoes are such a weird part of the sport. Some brands run so narrow, others so wide, others have weird tongues, odd vent holes, weird tightening regimes. Preaching to the choir though…
Like I have always liked the look of Sidi shoes, but can never get them to fit what are, to them, DUCK FEET!
Same, I have a pair sitting in my basement collecting dust. Learned the hard way I need wide shoes and have been very happy with my Lake 238 Wide, even before the custom insoles.
I do like the G8, they are in my long distance shoes only because the shape of the toe box of my Bont Vaypor G is bigger than the toe box of my other shoes. Cutting them down to fit other shoes is asking for problems.
I have moved, changed the arch (moved it forward and slightly higher) since I started using them and I just don’t have foot pain that I used to. The other thing I did at the same time was move my cleats back. I did the same with my other shoes, and while things are better with the cleats back and no G8, I still get foot pain after about 4 hours. That isn’t the case with G8s.
My problem was they fit really well, but the ‘heel cup’ was so over-exagerated, the lip started wearing into the back of my foot so badly! I tried to come up with a way to fill that lower part between the lip and insole. I had blood in my socks. I DID love the shoes, but that one exaggerated feature really sucked, HARD!!
They are currently caked with sweat, and covered with dust and dog hair, and hopes and wishes. I had hoped those shoes would last as long as my earlier pair of more ‘standard’ Bontrager shoes, and wish I could find something that actually stayed stuck in the heel to fill that area more permanently. Ironically, I was using stick on pads for women to use to shield their ankles from strap and shoe wear and tear. They, when doubled up, did fill the area well, but the stickiness didn’t last very long, and when they started shifting, it was often when I put them on, and they sagged to the bottom, or would sometimes shift laterally a bit, and that would allow the jaws on the back of the shoe to get a good bite again. sigh
I do use the included shoe-bag for travel. But so far, I’ve never had anyone say ‘OH!! You have triple-ex shoes?!?!’ and bow to me.
So there are insoles, and also a need to fill the ‘cup’. (The SHOE cup people! )
Bringing up the insole discussion again.
Question: do you have the insole made to match the arch length or the foot length?
This is in regards to the Retul-Sidis-BG Fit heat molded.
On a branick (sp) device, my arch measures a size larger than my foot size…so my theory is that you get the insole size that fits your arch length and then trim it back to fit the foot.
I have yet to test this theory, but I have spoken to the person who made my last ones about it.
We will need to check to see if the arches are indeed proportionate to the size of the insole itself and not just the same across the board.
That’s what I would do in an ideal world where you can try the insoles on for size.
Some insoles are notorious for short arches so sizing up and trimming is normal.
I just got some G8s in my Giro Sectors. How did most of you set them up? G8 says as far forward as comfortable but then I saw Steve Hogg saying you want them more toward the heel for cycling. I just started with them smack in the middle, neutral. Also they feel a bit cramped now even after cutting the toe area.
Back and towards the inside.
Put #1 in first. You should be able to feel some pressure in your arch.not a lot but some. If not try #2,3,4 etc…
If your arch is wide or have larger feet you can trying move it 1 notch to the outside. Again start with #1.
Everyone’s feet are different and they change with age and what sort of shoes you wear outside of cycling.
On my right foot I had to level out the bottom foam crease near the toes. I could feel it. Weird. But only my right foot.
Over time I never move them or change to a higher or lower arch. #2 works for me. Just replaced a set after 2-1/2 years. Wish they sold just the arch pieces.
I’d take Steve’s advice. I got G8s a couple months ago and they made a notable difference. They’re good if you’re the type that will experiment a little to find what fit helps you best. And I think an advantage that you can update the fit as your biomechanics evolve with fitness.
A few notes that affected my fit.
I was between sizes and reached out to G8 for advice on sizing before ordering a pair from overseas to the US (price). The advice turned out not to work out and G8 replaced them with the correct size without hesitation. Exceptional service.
The large size has enough length for a 43.5 S-Phyre but then the position of the molded arch in the insole itself (not the interchangeable plastic arch supports) is too far forward for my foot. Depending on the size of your foot and the size of the insole, where your foot falls on the arch (relative to the size of the insole) is going to make a difference in where you position the arch supports.
So while both Steve (and his students like Neill Stanbury who is an awesome YT fitter) and G8 give specific advice on where to position the arch supports and how to progress the fit, the most important principle for cycling (where the foot is not rolling over the arch as in running) seems to be that you want to feel the pressure distributed evenly thru the arch and that you feel the pedaling load evenly across the length of the foot.
I’ve been using custom in soles by Bilt labs for the last 4-5years with great results. They mail you a foam mold and I’ve always returned my stock in soles with the mold to get a perfect fit. There are a few companies doing this but worth looking into. FSA eligible also
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