Custom Cycling Shoes | Are They Worth It?

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New Cycling Tech Test | Custom Cycling Inner Soles
Personalised cycling gear is all the rage at the moment, custom paint jobs on bikes, custom decals on helmets, well what about the soles of your feet?
We visited Nathan White at Cobra 9 earlier this year and started the process of custom inner soles for cycling shoes.
Follow our journey over the following 4 months, with everything from a look inside how they effected my pedalling to a long term review out on the bike
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INSTAGRAM: @chrismiller27 @teamnerobianchi
TWITTER: @chrismiller @teamnerobianchi
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BIKE BIANCHI XR4
GROUPSET: Shimano Dura Ace Di2
FILMING EQUIPMENT: www.sony.com.a....
SERVICE & SUPPORT: Cycling Projects Racing

[@marcbryant8482]

thanks for the vid Chris, another excellent discussion topic for us. Pedla guys are brilliant too. In terms of training wheels, like others have said a gentle downslope on grass is key and run behind holding either their shirt or the saddle. A few laps of that and you'll feel when you can let go and run along with them I"ll never forget teaching my son this way and him yelling "don't let go and realising I'm actually next to him" 30mins and they're away.

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Thanks for the comment Marc, I’ll give the gentle down slope a go and let you know how we get on. Thanks

[@adamsims6490]

I had custom carbon inner shoes for my regular/work shoes follow an ankle break.. They were necessary at the time, but I couldn't wait to get rid of them, but I think my foot changed as I got stronger and they got uncomfortable (they are very hard). For cycling I use the Specialized 'Body Geometry footbeds' with a 1.5mm Varus shim (wedge) on my left foot to stop my foot roll. Inner soles are all the rage in skateboarding these days. They even have 'pro' models. I think anything that keeps you straight and in good form/position ... especially after hours/years on the bike is a good thing. They take a while to get use too.. but I just trust the process.

[@wubble666]

One of the reasons I have kept using Bont is the ability to mold the 'carbon boat' so that I can deal with the collapsed instep as a result of to many years running in boots.

[@johnpaulstez]

In the states Raced Pro, 1,2 in the 90”s. Suffered with MANY expensive off the shelf shoes. About 10 years ago I got a custom pair of shoes from Don Lamson, aside from a properly fit bike, it has unquestionably been best upgrade I have ever done.

[@danielpupovac5570]

Hey Chris, I suffered a left foot fracture many years ago, so trying to find cycling shoes that were supportive enough to minimise pain and numbness on long rides 80km+ has been very trying and very expensive over the years. Finally after spending $450 on new Sworks shoes hoping the little extra claimed Toe Box area would alleviate the pain, I decided to see Nathan at the Pedlar and get Custom Orthotic made, must say the first couple of rides I wasn't too impressed, but 5months on what an improvement to my foot problems have they been! Can now ride up to 120km with no numbness at all, very happy with my investment. Hope you see some improvement over time.

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Great news Daniel. Out of interest, how quickly did you adapt to the orthotics? I did find the first few rides were not uncomfortable or anything, but I did “notice them” if that’s makes sense. I wonder if it will be worth me looking at my imbalance in a couple of months riding in the shoes.

[@danielpupovac5570]

@@ChrisMillerCycling I totally get what your saying, shoe feels full. It had taken at least 2-3 weeks before I started to see an improvement. I would definitely recommend you continue wearing them as adaption takes some time.

[@Grunge_Cycling]

I am flatfooted, and my 3D printed insoles changed my life. They are expensive, but totally justifiable.

[@MaxRothFitness]

Sole star carbon foot beds are the best hands down

[@paulflory3532]

Depends on the individual, unsurprisingly one-design-fits-all never works for everybody. I used Solestar carbon footbeds and ended up with badly inflamed feet. I have pretty bad hammertoes on both feet, riding is much better for me with custom cycling orthotics.

[@TheFactaa]

I'm horribly flat footed and was experiencing nerve pain in my big toe. Got proper orthodics and a new pair of shoes (slightly bigger and wider fit) and the problem has gone away.

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

That’s interesting, Arthur below mentioned his flat footed issues were sorted by the soles. I wonder if that style of foot receives more benefits

[@jeffhowell4891]

I have a really high instep/arch and have always had issues with my feet on longer rides. Hot spots etc. I finally found a shoe made for high instep/arches by Giro called HV for high Volume. This helped me, but I also had a recommendation from Bingham Cyclery in Utah to put in Specialized Body Geometry insoles (green) for high arches and this made a HUGE difference in the comfort on long rides. The insoles aren't truly custom, but they damn well feel like it. Only about $30. Well worth it to me.

[@PiciuChudy]

​ Chris Miller Cycling I have been dealing with a similar issue ( one hip driving differently ) and I have not dealt with this quickly enough which led to some imbalances in glutes muscles.. Left it untreated for 2 years and started to really see problems when riding at the limit... I went through bike fit again, which resulted in new shoe soles/ new saddle/ shimming wedging etc .. it all gave me marginal gains to improve comfort/balance and better symmetry. however the main fix was handlebar height, I raised it with 1cm spacer and felt improvement instantly.. that plus working glutes corrected the problem, worth trying it out if you are still battling this!

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Thanks for this Pedro. Yeh I am still finding a few issues, especially given I have moved shoes so much in recent times.

[@PiciuChudy]

​@@ChrisMillerCycling In your most recent festive 500 video you have mentioned steve hogg.. I found his site last year and read through lots of articles and ended up contacting "approved by Steve" fitter here in Scotland. The guy was a magician in comparison to all the other fitters I met before. I can see there is a guy who rides for manly club and is Steve's approved fitter Aaron Dunford.. I have been following your vlogs quite a bit as I might be moving to Sydney next year if all goes well with work, so I am learning about the area and culture absolutely brilliant content as all I care about pretty much is where to live so that I can ride and train! Hopefully will meet you out on a ride once I am out there!

[@arnoldszarins3200]

Im flat footed and I have custom inner soles, but i still have pain.I dont know what to do.Now i know why.Bontrager shoes arent wide enough for my feet.So i ride With the regular sole.

[@chamillou]

Really interesting video. Did you modify your saddle height when using the inner soles? they look thicker than the regular ones

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Ooooohhhh...great question. Ok, so did the bike fit with dan BIS (before inner sole). Then after riding the soles for a while Dan had another look and interestingly even though I felt I needed to come up, the metrics on my angles were exactly the same, so we didn’t make any adjustments.

[@AdamOHalloran]

I got my kids off their training wheels by taking the training wheels off and have them cycle down a gentle slope on grass (which helps them be less scared of falling off). I had them do that for a while, then have a go on a path. Even with this, they were still wanting their training wheels and after the third or fourth removal, I had them toss their training wheels in the bin (such a waste, but who wants 2nd hand training wheels?).

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

So I thought your comment was going to say “I took the wheels off and then just pushed them down a hill” 😂😂 old school ... I love it! Seriously though, I think you are right, she has spent enough time in the bike now, it’s just an emotional step.

[@joshharvey6019]

Are you planning to do anything to your left leg bias? If so, what is involved (i.e strengthening, physio, stretching, etc.)?

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Hey Josh. Yeh if you check out the stretching VLOG, much of that work with dan is about overall inner strength. I’ve been doing a large amount of that recently, small gains so far

[@joshharvey6019]

@@ChrisMillerCycling Thanks. All the best with it and keep up these awesome videos.

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Cheers Josh

[@bstaplet]

Still using these? Have just tried the solestars but they are giving me hot spots, custom next (not cheap) step! Thanks!

[@discbrakefan]

Interesting video. I had a bike fit a little while ago (and also got most of the value out of the consult side of it). I was told I have high arches and some other issues where orthotics or custom insoles could help. This makes me wonder.

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Hey David, look don’t get me wrong, there is genuine value in them, but I wouldn’t approach them as a solution to a problem, rather a piece in the puzzle.

[@skipt5905]

Hi David, I just had my first bike fit in 10 years. Been riding in pain all that time until my bike fit last week which was amazing. Lot of my troubles stemmed from my feet/shoe combo. The Bike Fitter installed in my new shoes a pair of G8 performance insoles. You will be looking at about $150 dollars but the advantage of these insoles is that they are fully adjustable in the arch area & have 5 different arch inserts (low - high). So if your out riding you have the ability to stop and adjust the insole if needed. Heres the website: www.g8performance.com.au

[@danielvdl7555]

High arches in and of themselves are definitely not an issue. There is extensive research into this. Nor is low arches or pronation in most circumstances. If you are happy and comfortable you do not 'need' custom innersoles. You may want them though and that is fine.

[@discbrakefan]

@@danielvdl7555 Thanks for the advice Daniel, much appreciated.

[@skiracingsupplies]

@@danielvdl7555 100% true, we fit custom insoles with ski boots, see a variety of feet, a lot of it depends on the flexibility and ankle Range of motion. The arch height is important but like you say, not everything!

[@drewridikas4055]

Never gone custom, but have found inner soles feel / behave differently in different shoes. How’s the sensation in the Sidi v shimano? As for training wheels- my kids benefited from positive peer pressure. They saw their cousin riding without trainers, and within 20minutes they taught themselves.

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Yeh Drew, great question! So I found very little difference with them in the SIDIs, but the shimanos were interesting. They first few rides I found I hit a little sore in the upper, but after 6-7 hours total on the bike the shoes started to feel better then they ever had. Fast forward a month and they are like a glove, could not ride without them.

[@DanTuber]

Just a follow up question. Are you still using them? And have you tried any of the non custom options like from Bontrager, Specialized, G8 etc?

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

Hi! when making the mold don't you think it would be better to make it in the position you are in when sitting on a bike And not sitting in a chair?

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

That’s a good question, hopefully Nathan will pop in here with an answer.

[@cleggycyclist]

your foot shape is the same whether seated, bicycle seated or standing. Your foot has not changed.

[@cleggycyclist]

@UCztz8wDwWQKdMRlxc_fuB6g but your foot SHAPE does not change, and the need for support under/around your foot does not change. Well that's my thinking anyway, I could be wrong though

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

@bhgfk754346hfdruv642wdickwad let me try to explain this a little slower for you when sitting on the bike the front of your foot is basically taking 95 % of the pressure so by making the mold sitting down in a chair where you're foot is not applying the same pressure is not going to create a mold beneficial for the position on the bike.

[@nathanwhite1958]

@@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed Hi Harry - excellent question. We use impression foam for that reason as it has 'density' and when we impress the foot into the mould there is resistance. Using the impression foam disperses the fat pad and creates a more accurate reference tool for us building the insole. A non weight bearing cast would require more modification to get the outcome we are after. Even with a weight bearing cast, we still modify the plaster foot to get the outcome we are after rather then just create a 'foot in reverse' shape. Hope this helps.

[@Eirikkinserdal]

do you still use cobra9?

[@mik38ailey]

Nathan’s a legend

[@Richardwhite02]

I’ve worked multiple ski seasons and as such met some amazing boot fitters. I have a custom fiber glass pair for my ski boots made by one of the best in the biz. Put them in my cycling shoes and the hot foot pressure disappeared almost instantly. Can relate to what Chris is saying about the snug more connected feeling.

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Probably not the tone of your comment Richard, but where did you do your seasons? Luke and I did a couple at copper mountain Colorado

[@Richardwhite02]

I worked all mine in Japan! Funnily enough the guy I was referring to is from Colorado : Josh Williams one of the best in the biz

[@MrBrad123456]

How much was the cost prior to your rebate?

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Prior to the rebate and including the consolation we were looking at $330

[@MrBrad123456]

Chris Miller Cycling thanks. Appreciate it. Thanks for showcasing Brisbane riding too earlier in the year. Us in the racing scene love to see it.

[@BikeLife154]

Nice video but it sounds like the in camera mic. At least buy a shot gun mic and up the level of your audio.

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

Thanks for the comment mate. No we actually ran a rode video mic up in Brisbane, unfortunately the background noise during the consultation was pretty loud meaning we had to use quite a bit if noise cancellation.

[@BikeLife154]

Chris Miller Cycling apologies! I found it too hard to watch the whole video even though I’m interested in the subject.

[@thecase315]

I need the expensive bastards in all my shoes, all the time. Otherwise mu achilles lights up and i can't walk let alone ride my bike.

[@ChrisMillerCycling]

That’s interesting...was the Achilles thing due to an accident?

[@thecase315]

@@ChrisMillerCycling Na, it just flared up one day after a hard on/off VO2 trainer session. Turns out one of my legs is quite a bit longer than the other (kind of new this through bike fits) but the imbalance put a real strain on my achilles and i only really noticed once it had become a weak link and staring flaring up. I can function and ride perfectly fine now i have the molded custom orthotics in my shoes. The only draw back is some shoes can be too tight with them in, as they're fairly thick, but not a huge issue. It's also fairly expensive to have new ones or extra sets made up if i want to leave a set in my cycling shoes permanently.

[@paulflory3532]

@@thecase315 In fact cycling custom orthotics are made differently from running/walking orthotics because cycling has no heel strike.

[@thecase315]

@@paulflory3532 yeh but i havent got issues with using mine in my cleats, so i haven't need to fork out for another specific set