Running shoe replacement insoles

[Polar Bear]

Any recommendations?   Mine seem to be 'exhausted'!   

[Veloman]

Budget?

They can be cheap or expensive and it probably depends on the seriousness of use (eg just walking around or serious running).

[Polar Bear]

Good insoles will give my shoes a few more months of life so that's got to be worth a few quid.   I'd pay £20 for something reasonable though I'd consider almost anything.

Mainly looking for a bit of extra cushioning to help prolong the life of a pair of comfy old friends which are a bit long in the tooth but structurally sound and not at all tatty.   

[Kim]

On a related note, any advice for replacing the insoles in bog standard n-years-discontinued Shimano MTB shoes?  Mine fit perfectly, but are starting to wear out.  Is there anything magic about bike shoe insoles?

[Veloman]

For £20 you can get a decent trainer at Decathlon or Go Outdoors and you could use the insole from them and then use it again in the trainers you purchased.

[Polar Bear]

I was rather hoping that some folk here would have recommendations for insoles from personal experience.  I am leaning towards Sorbothane.

[rafletcher]

I checked on my favourite running shoe shop site (I've only bought cross-trainers from them, but was very impressed with their customer service)- Sorbothane look to be the most cost effective.

https://www.alexandrasports.com/search?type=product&q=insole

[Veloman]

I was rather hoping that some folk here would have recommendations for insoles from personal experience.  I am leaning towards Sorbothane.

I have used Sorbothane both in trainers and in boots (as many folk who wore boots as part of a uniform and marched a lot quickly chucked the standard issue one and replaced with the Sorbothane and some even had additional heel inserts too).  Excellent inserts.

Just come back from Lidl and they are selling an imitation product for £3.99.  Well worth a look at that price.

[T42]

On a related note, any advice for replacing the insoles in bog standard n-years-discontinued Shimano MTB shoes?  Mine fit perfectly, but are starting to wear out.  Is there anything magic about bike shoe insoles?

Mine haven't worn out but could walk out on their own; I can smell them two metres off.  Two or three pairs of insoles that could be cycled through the washing machine would be great: as it is I do a cyclic shift between them and my walking/trail shoes and let them get the air. It helps a bit.

[Veloman]

Just returned from Sainsbury's and I note they are selling Scholl 'gel' inserts for £16 which no doubt do a very similar job to the Sorbathene ones.

[mark]

My Superfeet insoles seem to outlast my shoes. More expensive than the £20 figure you mentioned, but worth it.

[Kim]

Just returned from Sainsbury's and I note they are selling Scholl 'gel' inserts for £16 which no doubt do a very similar job to the Sorbathene ones.

I've got some of those in my do-everything Doc Martens.  They're a fairly bad match for my feet, and not particularly comfortable, but they seem admirably durable.  (Contrary to what physioterrorists and shoe manufacturers expect, I mostly bear weight on my toes, which means footwear disintegrates from the inside out, due to the abrasion from the big toe.  Insoles are nearly always designed to cushion the heel area - which I only use when standing still - and relatively thin at the front, so I get through quite a lot of them trying to prolong the life of shoes.)

[Peter]

No help, I'm afraid, PB.  I used to be a useful runner (useful to me, that is) but have had to replace my running shoes with a bike, thanks to youthful injuries coming home to roost (grammar section is that way.....).

[Polar Bear]

No worries Peter.   

[hellymedic]

Just returned from Sainsbury's and I note they are selling Scholl 'gel' inserts for £16 which no doubt do a very similar job to the Sorbathene ones.

I've got some of those in my do-everything Doc Martens.  They're a fairly bad match for my feet, and not particularly comfortable, but they seem admirably durable.  (Contrary to what physioterrorists and shoe manufacturers expect, I mostly bear weight on my toes, which means footwear disintegrates from the inside out, due to the abrasion from the big toe.  Insoles are nearly always designed to cushion the heel area - which I only use when standing still - and relatively thin at the front, so I get through quite a lot of them trying to prolong the life of shoes.)

Do you have short/tight calf muscles/Achilles tendons?

I cannot imagine you spent your formative years in high heels...

[Kim]

Just returned from Sainsbury's and I note they are selling Scholl 'gel' inserts for £16 which no doubt do a very similar job to the Sorbathene ones.

I've got some of those in my do-everything Doc Martens.  They're a fairly bad match for my feet, and not particularly comfortable, but they seem admirably durable.  (Contrary to what physioterrorists and shoe manufacturers expect, I mostly bear weight on my toes, which means footwear disintegrates from the inside out, due to the abrasion from the big toe.  Insoles are nearly always designed to cushion the heel area - which I only use when standing still - and relatively thin at the front, so I get through quite a lot of them trying to prolong the life of shoes.)

Do you have short/tight calf muscles/Achilles tendons?

I cannot imagine you spent your formative years in high heels...

No, my flexibility is fine.  I can walk like a physiotherapist if I make a conscious effort, but it's not natural.

I think it's a sensitivity thing.  I've been wearing shoes since I was a small child because I couldn't bear the pain of rough surfaces on my feet, which means I need to wear shoes so my feet don't hurt on rough surfaces.  When I do go barefoot, I walk on tiptoes to minimise contact area.