Jumped on the bike for the first time in a bit and noticed that my feet are hurting. I have high arches in general, and now that I am old(er) I definitely have arthritis in my feet. I always wear good shoes with arch support and I have to wear Oofos around the house. I anm wearing newer indoor shoes, which are better than my previous pair but I feel like I need a little more support. Any recommendations for cycling specific insoles?
I don’t have experience with insoles, but heard that brands like Specialized Body Geometry, G8 Performance, and Superfeet offer insoles designed for cycling with varying levels of arch support and customization.
Interestingly enough, I took my son to an orthopedist specializing in feet, and her recommendation for him was not arch support, but rather an insole that offset the area of the ball of the foot to distribute the pressure on the toes and straighten them/spread them out. Of course he doesn’t wear them, but that’ another story…
In addition to arch size, another thing to take into account is whether you pronate (roll inward) or supinate (roll outward), and adjust cleat position accordingly.
I use Superfeet insoles and they have served me well. I also notice that I have less pain in my feet now in general now that I work on my pelvic floor. It’s connected to so much. One PT focuses a lot on the midfoot. I’ve incorporated that as well.
Also Petra Fisher in IG and FB has some really good foot mobility and strengthen modules. I like her approach. Maybe something to look at too.
Good luck.
FWIW, I got new cleats and my feet hurt a bit the first day. The ache was very similar to the first time I used orthotics in my running shoes, so I was certain it was a matter of my feet getting accustomed to the shoe. Sure enough, the next day, they felt great. Bike cleats are so structured. Maybe your feet (the muscles as well as the bones) were unaccustomed to that structure, particularly if you’d been off the bike for a while.
Thank you all for the thoughtful comments. I will look into all of these things!
I’ve got high arches too @NUGirl and my bike fitter set me up with Superfeet insoles. I use #2 I think, the greenish-yellow ones. Love them!
Maybe this is one of the those things I maybe didn’t know I might need. I have ongoing numbness in my toes that is not painful. But I get burning pain when I cycle outside (same shoes) after a long continuous stretch. Always just chalked it up to a neuroma in both feet but now I’m wondering. Thanks for the info.
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