The best Insoles for your Cycling Shoes - Do you need Arch Support? - BikeFitTuesdays 

Bigfoot.

so now i need to pay almost a days work for an insole. damn i love this hobby :)

I was in the footwear business for over 40 years, and a serious cyclist for about 30. This may be the absolute best merge of my two passions I have ever seen. Exceptional

A year ago I would have said this was nuts. Then I had a bike fit with James and had new shoes and insoles. Transformed my comfort. Best bike fit ever.

I'll be honest, sometimes I find James' recommendations, and the way he presents them to be ... um ... well ... not for me. But regarding these insoles, he's spot on. They rock. If, like me you've struggled to find insoles that support your arches, I can't recommend these enough. All the other products I've tried before were too low, or too high, or just right for *one* foot, but just off for the other. I ordered a pair of the G8s after seeing James talk about them in a previous video. They are amazing. I was able to dial in the support perfectly on each foot. Thanks, James. I take back half the shite I've said about you.

i've studied a bit of biomecanic concerning the blood circulation in the foot and calf to understand the mecanic involved in the blood flow. how it deals with the gravity + activity. because i noticed that legs tend to swell when we don't walk. and there's something to keep in mind when we're cycling. we need to activate the foot the same way to generate that return of the blood in the upper body. that's why we need to engage to the minimum the calf in order to thrust to blood following the original input from the foot. i mean, the foot initiates the return and the calf actually give a big thrust to send it in the thigh. which all together create a pumping effect to deal with the gravity. as the feet are the farthest parts away from the heart. these insoles are great for that because it helps the foot to generate better and easier the blood return. the arch and the middle of the foot sole is where the magic happens. the support HAS to be actually bigger than in a conventionnal pair of shoes. because we only use half the foot during cycling. there's no from heel to toe action going on. we need to compensate the lack of pressure in the back half of the foot. so the longest and the widest support of the arch possible is what you need as insoles. BUT it has to be actually quite firm. those in the video here look too soft. harder barely flexible would be nicer. that combined with the right cleats position (which most of the time is all the way back) + saddle height for the right calf engagement will give you the best result for the blood return. compression socks are a nice plus to have too. engaging too much calf in the pedalling motion will make the calf get harder and will slow the blood down instead of thrusting it upwards. a sort of bottlenecking. voilà! i hope it can help.

I've had G8s for 2years now. I live in the mountains where foot to shoe contact forces are high (due to the steep gradients) and these have been my best investment bar none. Better than my power meter. My power jumped up 5%-6% on average straight away fitting these and even more on the turbo trainer where I found they had the biggest difference. It made my muscle firing during hard intervals much more precise which led to more power (or less fatigue for the same power). To me, the focus on arch support for bike fitting was initially aimed at correcting alignment issues... but imho the biggest gains are harnessing the ability to activate the sensors in the foot which allow the brain to correctly fire the muscles. I initially called BS on these statements around 5years ago. Although my wife thinks it a lot, this is the first time I have actually been wrong :-) G8s or similar are no joke.

Wow. With every single video on Bike fit Tuesday I learn something new. Awesome thank you 😊

I had added foot beds (G8) to try and solve a problem with my right foot. It felt as if it wasn’t grounded in the shoe and towards the end of a long ride (4+ hours) the outside of the foot was painful. After lowering my saddle the foot problem was much improved. It was not fully resolved so I tried to reset and removed the G8 and put the original Bont insoles in. These are a thin flimsy insole. Immediately it felt so much better. The problem is almost 100% resolved. The remaining problems I think are due to a habit due to years of having the saddle too high. This is reducing over time. Before going for insoles make sure your saddle is not too high. PS - I’d read that Steve Hogg stuff. But the best source of advice was JT Bike fit Tuesday’s banging on about saddle height. Thanks JT. Nick

your music is always like 2 times louder than your voices. I watch in the morning and I'm constantly changing the volume.

It was because of your vids I went and got my fit with James. Learned a lot that day and it’s time for my follow up! It’s a process, not an event. Hope your bikes get sorted after the baggage incident too

Great timing! Right foot has been hot spot flaring up since Le Tape last year, and James is right, ski boots were custom fit for high arches. Informative video...cheers boys.

The heel wedges mention was a real help for me. I have one foot that always felt like the shoe was too small, even if I went up in size. Tried a bit of extra heel cut from an old insole and the shoe instantly felt perfect. I've ordered the ones mentioned in the video for a bit of smoother transition between wedge and insole, but else it's like a whole new shoe. Thanks.

What about people with flat feet, when I had factory insoles in my cycling shoes that have arch support, the bottom of my foot was in tremendous pain, once I took the factory ones out and put insoles for flat feet that I use for daily walking or work shoes and inserted them into my cycling shoes, fix the problem. Can James do a segment on those who have flat feet as well, I am interested on his analysis on that along with also wondering if any of his customers he gets that have flat feet issues when cycling, thanks Francis

James / Francis - I'm pretty sure the little bag that comes with the insoles is a soft sunglass case... and it works really well!

Looking forward to my bike fit with Andy at Bicycle the end of February and hopefully an end to saddle issues, Hope their ready for an MTB!

Insoles are very important, no matter what sporting shoe I buy I always swap the stock ones out. For XC MTB I use insoles with rigid arch support (a lot of arch in my feet), they secure my foot in the shoe and I feel I can get more power down.

James fitted me with the G8s they have really sorted out my saddle issues. Only thing to bear in mind is making sure they fit in your shoes laterally!

This was an incredibly helpful video, thanks Francis and James. Had never considered inner soles for my bike shoes before, but this makes a whole lot of sense.

You can never go wrong with a proper Wattage Bazooka.

I absolutely agree with James about custom foot beds. I've worked at renowned boot fitting outfit near Salt Lake City, UT (Greatest Snow on Earth!) Paying for custom molded foot beds is a tough prospect because you're completely at the mercy of whoever is helping you. Generally they'll be 1-2 people in a shop who truly are "good" at producing effective foot beds. Everyone else just knows the basics. Imagine a kid comes to work in a shop.........learns how to measure and trim up a custom foot bed in a half - hour tutorial..........then they'll spend an entire season making half crap foot beds to anyone and everyone visiting on vacation who think they feel a little sloppy on the mountain. I've had handfuls of custom foot beds made for me over the years and i've used some in my cycling shoes. (To be fair....they were definitely better than what was originally in the shoe.) But I picked up some G-8's last summer and I was blown away by how my foot felt so "Locked in". Climbing out of the saddle was a whole new world. Soooo Gooooood!!!!!!

Learn something every bike fit Tuesday And nice know our country adds to James bag of tricks 😘 😎👍🇦🇺🔥

I only came across your channel recently - beccause of your EverestingX2 challenge. But I'm now catching up on your content and I realize I've been really missing out. Fab content. Well presented. Great videos.

Yep, I've seen these before. Cam Nicholls recently talked about them too. Looking forward to trying them out!

Great video and content as usual and together with the "Drone Club", the best intro around!

Great timing, I literally had just got off the indoor trainer where I was thinking about footbeds and arch support as previously discussed by James, I showered and watched this vlog. Sadly being Swiss based it's unlikely I'll get to the UK for a bikefit though an online purchase may be on the cards!

Love this, large and stable. Have used it for several seasons

I’ve recently fitted arch support footbed to every shoe I use after suffering with hot spots and knee pain whilst cycling. Lake shoes and footbeds made a big difference, so I also fitted arch support footbeds to my work boots and have a pair to swap between other shoes and some Birkenstock slippers for around the house. Everything seems to have realigned and feels much better. I will point out I badly fractured both heels a few years ago though, so I probably needed a few kinks straightening out. After years of messing about with bikes, looking for gains, my marginal gain is comfort 👍🏼

Revisited to review my insole needs. WOW. Amazing hair on both of you!

James has a lot of soul if he could sing he could be a soul singer. 🤟🤟🚲🚲🇨🇦

Love Bike Fit Tuesday's with James after you have been away on a trip

Love bike fit Tuesday's. 🚴‍♂️👍

I was surprised at the Lake cx237 and the complete lack of structure to the footbed (compared to how well done the rest of the shoe is). Question for James, what do you think of solestar?

Love the videos. Really informative. Just ordered a pair of insoles from your shop. Could get them here in the states, but really appreciate the time you guys take to make great videos.

Was on the fence about them just ordered now my feet will thank me.

Thank you for the video, something I never considered but will now look at

Just bought some through bicycle :) I bet I'm not the only one

I tried these insoles and got medial pain knee on my right knee. To be upfront I have a slight issue with the right knee, but I worked on it via exercise and it's mostly gone when I use my normal insoles. I wanted better power transfer so I thought I would try these out - heard a couple of good reviews on them including yours. A few years ago I switched to barefoot/wide toe box (love Lakes!) which solved a lot of foot problems. When i tried the G8s in the lowest level of arch support (L1/R1) I found the arch support very aggressive. Not sure how arch support is supposed to make your foot stronger. The word "support" and "stronger" do not seem to go hand in hand. I feel I need a bit of arch support such that all of my foot is in contact with the shoe sole so you can spread out the force of pedaling. Having a lot of arch support, i.e. more than your natural level (I have medium arches) is going to put pressure on the medial part of knee and it does. I think G8s work well if you have high arches. Anyway pretty disappointed with them, especially given the high price.

you talk about the right upgrades to make, and then we get this guy for free. the man's a legend

A well known London cycle fit shop can offer uber footbeds made by a podiatrist but this was an excellent demo/talk by James (as usual). I use moulded ones (sidas) but can see all the points he is talking about. Those 1p insoles that come with your £300 shoes are rubbish. Interesting that the fashionable knit shoes get some criticism. I wondered how a knit could offer some support. Good to hear sense being spoken on a vlog.

I Love bike fit James! He is every Time 100%

Ahch I am jealous you have a bikefitter for a friend. And I really had to get used to watching James in normal non-cycling clothes.

@Francis Cade, credit where credit is due thanks buddy for recommending these inner soles as it corrected a pain I had been having for some time. If I were in the UK I would definately have bought from you but Im on the other side of the planet 🤦‍♂️🤪

Giro make a similar adjustable insole, available in the United States, and included in some of their shoes. Not sponsored, just sharing an alternative.

Thanks guys! I just ordered a pair of your inserts for my brand spanking Sidi Shot 2's. Strangely enough, I was looking for something that was perforated, and there your were. Ord #725, BTW. Thanks gents!

Omg just found your channel today...great stuff... I have high arch feet from years of basketball...hope I'll find some support for my buggy left foot.

First of all, BikefitTuesdays are the best !!! :-) Second, I'd realy want to get a pair of those G8. Unfortunately living in Poland presents two main issues with that - price and, further along the way, spare inserts availability. 80 quid plus shipping is no insignificant amount for lots of people (including me) living in a different financial reality. I actually can afford this purchase, but regular insert changing for me would literary mean that I have to purchase a new pair. Not having any G8 diler's anywhere in a vicinity of my country is a show stopper... So two questions as a conclusion, first - can you think of any alternative product on the market, something with wider international availability? And second - if I purchase G8's and don't change inserts on regular basis, would I still have benefits of "good enough" support? Meaning, whats more beneficial - G8's with "worn" insets, or not using them at all, because without regular replacements they are useless, so don't waste your money anyway?

Big fan, Needing some advice on the proper size road cycling shoe I need to purchase. My left foot measures 26.65 cm in length x 9.5 cm wide with cycling socks on. My right foot measure 26.5 cm in length x 9.5 cm wide with cycling socks on. I believe I have a normal foot arch on both feet. I gravitate towards Sidi, Fizik, and Northwave on pure aesthetics. I am looking forward to your reply and thank you in advanced. Keep up the quality content!

I’d like to see a well thought out video about saddle position (height & fore aft). Also referring to the type of cycling being done. With good tips on establishing a suitable saddle height).

Great video. One question: After you were speaking about those insoles in one of your videos I gave them a try myself - love them! My IT band issue is, together with some regular strength work, now gone *Knock on wood*. But how can I get replacement shims when I ordered the insoles online? Already spoke to my local bike shop if he would/could take the G8 in-house, but I guess he got some special deal with another brand.

i love this intro music; keep up the awesome content, dude!

I have just seen a podiatrist today. Been having issues on and off for years, so decided to get a 2nd opinion. Turns out I have a 1 cm leg length dependency. So now working on custom insole . What I did find interesting is that according to the Podiatrist is more important of foot stability forward and aft rather than arch support. Apparently is a common misconception regarding the arch to fix all issues.

I need orthotics for daily walking or standing for long periods of time for low back pain, so i'm pretty sure i need the same for cycling because i get low back pain sometimes after a hard workout. i thought my core is really week but i suspect arch support will help very well for me.

I have flat feet. Like zero arch. I still have a footbed though, it just has a very low arch support.

So slack.... bike fit tuesdays don’t make it ‘til fridays now.... still worth the wait though 🚵‍♀️

Wish these were available for a reasonable price in Switzerland...

Silly...bag is for the extra arch supports! Love the video.

Gotta love Bike fit Tuesdays ❤️ I really fancy a pair of the G8’s but an insole is only any good if your shoe fit is right & I don’t seem to able to nail that as yet, it’s costing me a fortune 😫

I think 🤔 if bike fitters had a certificate to say they had been trained by James they would be trusted more and do very well! James, make the certificate, we trust you..👍🙏

Unrelated question for James: why does stem length and frame size effect handling? i always feel more comfortable cornering on my crit bike over my normal road bike. my crit bike is a 52cm with a 90mm stem (slammed) whereas my normal bike is a 56cm with a 110mm stem (many spacers). also i am 177.5cm tall

Cade_Media - I know this is a long shot because the video is 3 years old, but at 47 seconds, James does a light-mocking voice and utters "mostly". And I just have to know...is this an "Aliens 2" reference? I use it all the time and it seems like James is the only other person I know that does this. I fear this question will never be answered...but I had to try. Thanks!

I have flat feet and recently got my first bike shoes. When cycling more than 10ish km I find the outside of my feet (in the middle) feels uncomfortable, as if that part of the foot is under too much strain. Also on flat pedals my feet tend to go to the outside of the pedal. Would G8s help me or should I get something more "structural/supportive". And also would increasing my stance with little pedal axle extenders be worth a try to increase my stance? Thank you in advance, always love the bike fit content

my question would be: should i use arch support in cycling shoes, as i dont need one in my running shoes (as triathlete)?

Watched the video, followed the link, made my wallet lighter, waited for the postie, fitted the footbed, went for a ride = WOW.

I recently bought a pair G8’s based on your recommendation. I have flat feet and noticed in the video that you said to start with number 3. Do you recommend number 3 as a good starting point for flat feet clients?

Bazooka - because sometimes Shotgunning parts at a problem isn't enough

G8, yesssss!

I have been wearing barefoot shoes for nearly a year now and if I wear cycling shoes with any noticeable arch support I get cramping in my feet. Has anyone else got any experience of this? Is this due to the increase in strength and proprioception of my feet? Even the stock Lake insoles feel intrusive due to the small metatarsal button and arch shaping. Any structured insoles such as Spec BG ones are completely out of the window.

What would be better; cleat wedges or insole wedges?

Just received my pair today....very interested to see what difference they make

I use the same semi custom insoles I use for my alpine skiing boots Better then the pizza carton that came with my shoes

That sole got YEET to space..

James=knowledge

I’ve enjoyed these videos, do you know anyone across the pond in the US that you recommend for fittings?

Yup. I just had a look at the price. £80. Fuck that. That's like $1000 Canadian and even if that's me exaggerating I wouldn't spend more than $30. The video was cool though.

I cant ride with arch support somehow. I run some ortholite insoles with none arch support and I can ride in them all day long. With arch support though my feets fall asleep after 30 min :/. I dont have arch support in my daily shoes neither btw. Normal or cripple feets xD. I use the lake mx270 shoes on my road bike.

James! Give me your opinion on SoleStar!! I am using it and my knee stabilize well with it. But how do you think compared to G8?

I managed to mess up my EHL by getting seriously dehydrated and it’s taken ages to sort out...these could help, you think? I’m going to have a go...

i used the bag for cleaning my shades when out and about... nothing to do with the footbeds

S-phyre has those kind of arc support. Low, med, ang high..

Insoles for walking artificially support your feet and make feet weaker over time and only used for temporary use when injured. Why is this different for cycling?

The bag’s for your sunglasses right?! 🤔😎

I use the same as I use in my runningshoes. But for me the soles in cyclingshoes are much less important than in my runningshoes.

Isn’t the bag for sunglasses 😎

Question for James... Really a long way to come for a bike fit. Do you know any good bike fit types (ones that you would recommend) who work in New Zealand? Preferably near Auckland?

95% of people that come in here leave with 100% of the products that i stock... dear James. What product do you recommend that you don’t stock? Other than whisky?

I came down with pain in the posterior tibial tendons and Achilles’ tendon after I started riding two hours a day and up to four hours on occasion. Don’t know how to stop it.

hi advice on differing foot size out with the racking of the cleats have tried drilling bakes it a bit better but only on one foot

Great info and very well explained information! So for the sasquatch, size 50, wide, Lake shoes, is the XL big enough?

Hi James, in the FAQ of G8 Performance a lifespan of 12-18 months is mentioned for the 2620 insole (Ignite 6-12 months). Seems not tooooo long. What is your opinion?

Generally speaking, does one need to size up a half size when buying new shoes to accommodate these G8 footbeds, or not ?? . I find some footbeds on the market take more volume in the shoe than the skinny useless insoles they are replacing, and so the fit of the shoe becomes too snug with a new and improved footbed inserted.

NO ONE addresses the "Q: distance between hips. So many people have different hip widths but they all get on bikes with small "Q"s for maximum aerodynamics but minimal comfort and if not comfy one most likely won't be fast(unless they're paid).

is it worth putting these in flat shoes for MTB or more towards clipless shoes?

How does something like this apply to someone with almost completely flat feet? Any sort of arch support in one of my feet feels intrusive and almost painful. Even heat molded types.

Hi James, what do you think of the Lake Raven 0.3 heat mouldable insoles? I had some G8 insoles, which were ok, but they flattened out at the forefoot, and rather than buy more, I switched to Spesh medium arch insoles (for my spesh shoes) the spesh insoles were about a third the price of the G8, and seem fine and sufficiently supportive.

This review showed different results. Most things he claimed, can not be proven. "The effect of foot orthoses and in-shoe wedges during cycling: a systematic review"

James, Francis - I will be in London this summer and would like to inquire about scheduling a fit. What is the name of the shop or email for inquiries? Thank you

How does zero drop running shoes and the barefoot movement work in relation to cycling?

James how frequently would you replace the G8 arch supports _ is it over time OR more mileage based let me know thanks Brian

Bike fit Tuesday is good