Orthotics in MTB shoes [Archive]

Ingeniator

08-11-2006, 05:01 PM

I've recently been told by my physiotherapist that i need to get authotics (the sloped pieces of plastic or rubber that slip inside your shoe) in order to help a few small spinal problems, and was wondering if anyone uses them in their riding shoes, and if so, what shoes these are.
I have some low cut 5.10 impacts, and think they would be ok, but want to hear opinions too.

Also, apparently the shoes you wear them with have to be structurally sound (i.e. decent heel, stiff sides), and if anyone on here who uses authotics coudl let me know what they're using them in casually , that would be great also.

Thanks heaps

Giantrider

08-11-2006, 05:19 PM

you can put them in riding shoes but one of my mates have them built in his shoes i think they are cleat shoes the road type..

try your LBS and find out which would be a very good start;)

Big_Al

08-11-2006, 05:20 PM

I wear them every day in my school shoes and any other shoes they fit in. I wear them riding. They give you better posture and more comfy IMO..Your supposed to wear them all the time.

THE YETI

08-11-2006, 05:26 PM

I wear Authotics in all my shoes, bar my riding shoes. The strains put on your feet and back are very different when riding. I dont see the point as 2-ish hours of riding isnt going to make a huge difference.

extreme_ride

08-11-2006, 05:27 PM

I have althotics and them to school and most of time riding but your supposed to wear them as often and frequent as you can. As for shoes make sure there a tight fit( as in your heel doesnt slide up and down ) and you should be fine

hwbrodiek

08-11-2006, 05:32 PM

Just so more people can help you out...they're actually called orthotics:)

ScottD

08-11-2006, 05:41 PM

If i go downhill riding i dont bother whacking orthodics in but If i am doing a decent road ride(4+ hours) I do it, keeps me a little bit more compfortable on the bike.

THE YETI

08-11-2006, 05:48 PM

Just so more people can help you out...they're actually called orthotics:)

ORthotic/AUthotics meh, same difference i think.lol. But you're right

Balfa_Oli

08-11-2006, 06:14 PM

yeah i have orthotics. i wear them in my shimano shoes and they are fine.
i wear them in all shoes so i am really comfortable wearing them.
You should be fine wearing them in your shoes. try it and give them a few rides if you really find them uncomfortable then don't use them but you shouldn't have any problems.
oli

PyletSnviper

08-11-2006, 06:37 PM

dude... i wear them too... i have them in my school shoes 100% of the time... any other time.. like going to movies...dinners...or riding i just wear the shoes without them.... your problem with riding might be that they slip in your shoe heaps..i wear humans when i ride DH and sa they are a skate show the authotics just kept slipping down

and also.. if its to help correct your spine... think about how much and for how long you are on ur feet when riding.. in DH its a usually 5min run of pressure then lots of resting.. in XC its mostly in the saddle..... whereas when your running your on them the whole time... i just let riding slip the authotics ;)

blackjack

08-11-2006, 07:19 PM

hey mate mabey try putting them in some dx flat shoes, there wider than the 5-10 so it mite fit better.

J-ack

08-11-2006, 08:02 PM

i always have my orthotics in, no matter which shoes i'm wearing or what i'm doing. most of the time they're either in my globe skate shoes or my all stars, and they're fine in both, no matter how loose or tight the shoe is. one thing to remember though, always wear socks with orthotics, otherwise your feet get incredibly sweaty and/or infected ( i got athletes foot after wearing them almost all day for just a few days of riding). Hope this helps,

Annabanana

08-11-2006, 08:05 PM

Hey, I have some serious knee issues from running too much etc, and have orthotics in my shoes to try and fix it. However, I have never put them in my riding shoes, and haven't found this a problem, even in enduro events. I guess it's really dependent on WHY you need them, and if they make a difference to your riding.
Speaking to my physio, he doesn't think it's a problem that they're not in the 'el shimano's, and while I am forbidden from running, he's telling me to cut sick on the roadie.
So there you go.
-Miss Banana

sockman

08-11-2006, 08:11 PM

no problems in my 5 10's:)

Povi

08-11-2006, 08:16 PM

ive had to wear orthotics pretty much all my life
i wear them in my riding shoes (vans slip ons) and dont have any problems
they will only be annoying if u drop and the orthotic slides a bit, then u land on the edge of it with your heel......
that can be pretty painful depending on how hard you hit it!:D
just make sure your shoes fit snugly and you shouldnt have to worry about it

Macbeth

08-11-2006, 08:37 PM

alpinestar12

08-11-2006, 08:50 PM

I bought "VAS" insoles from footlocker, they have a big raised arch and well supported and are sweet. I wear them all the time in any shoes. Last week I had to go without them and a lot more foot pain, and harder to walk. they are sweet.

ScottD

08-11-2006, 08:53 PM

For anyone that's super interested I know that Steve Hogg at CyclefitCentre has a physio that makes cycling specific orthotics for the fit ups that he does there relating to soreness from riding or guys that have had injuries....

His shop number is 8338 8911 if anyone wants to take it to that level.....

hahahhaa, yeh go to Steve Hogg:rolleyes:

Rude and Crude Setup $500
All the new stems and bits to go with it $300
Crippled people at Ironman OZ trying to run after one of his bike set ups Priceless

Some of the people that come into my shop with Steve Hogg setups asking why they cant even run 10km off the bike is incredible, one of the best ones was a guy asking steve to setup his bike for Ironman. No biggie, foward facing seatpost etc cause he had a roadie frame. The seat was 9.5cm behind the BB. Try riding 180km with that then having to run a marathon

Dougy

08-11-2006, 09:55 PM

I actually going to be doing some testing with one of the podiatrists I work with this summer. She runs the specialist boot fitting at Thredbo and made some orthotics for my snowboard boots and was wondering if they make any difference for DH. For road riding there is a definate advantage to be gained from correct alignment of your lower body/legs/feet and we figure the same would go for DH. I've been trail-riding with them in my 5-10s for the past month or so and they feel good and I do feel better positioned on my pedals. Once the season starts at Thredbo I'll do some back-to-back runs without then with orthotics and see if there is any real-world difference.

clockworked

09-11-2006, 08:12 AM

mine run the full length of my foot, so they can't slide inside the shoe. i use them for riding and running but normal ones the rest of the time.
the only hassle with full length ones is that they can take up a bit of room so i need to buy the next size up shoe, which can look a bit gumby if they are a big shoe (like skate shoes), but isnt usually a problem
but no slipping forward!

julianwisbey

09-11-2006, 05:10 PM

THE YETI

09-11-2006, 05:26 PM

i recomend not wearing them as they can slide around and if you have paddles of feet you can land on the edge of the orthotic and like realy hurt your self imo its not worth it they raise your foot so much out of your shoe i found that my shoes kept faling off especialy slip-ons

Paddles...Im a size 16 or EUR 50(pretty tight but they don't come any bigger, had to order these from the states). I have full length Orthotics for this reason, but theyre custom made for my feet and for my shoes so they wont fit in my ridign shoes anyway.

I feel that Orthotics are unnecissary when riding, the pressure put on your feet when riding is alot different to that of walking, the pressure is mostly on the ball of your foot. Also the amount of pressure placed on the legs and back is alot different aswell.
PLUS, as someone said earlier, it'll only be around 5mins of pressure on a dh run.Then most of the time your sitting in other events.

SPOON

10-11-2006, 08:28 PM

Dont use orthotics in my riding shoes. They slide and get annoying, not to mention they cause pain after a while.

I've always thought that they wouldn't be of much benefit for your posture when riding anyway...i may be wrong but this is how i see it.
Aren't orthotics are designed to help your upright posture,etc for walking and running? However when you ride, you are hardly upright at all, with a bent back most of the time and times where your bum is on the seat. As "THE YETI" said, the pressure placed on the back and legs is very different.

DeSloth

10-11-2006, 08:44 PM

Depending on the sort of riding you are doing, there is no great benifit to be had by using them in cycling shoes.

In addition to this, I had them for many years back in school. I had the rigid type (they were carbon fibre actually), and wore them in both school shoes and casual shoes. However, I actually broke one while riding a bike for a short period in said causal shoes (was a 2-min mechanical test of something-or-other). Was a fairly expensive boo-boo. :(

Northern Hemi

12-11-2006, 09:50 AM

Your knees will track differently through the pedal circle if your orthotics are for correcting pronation (an inward tilt, putting your knees together). If your knees are shit, this may be a worse problem than the one you're trying to correct.
My Wife (the little Aussie sweetheart... sorry to steal her from the "talent" pool) has orthotics that she wears for everything BUT biking. They made her knees sore and she has never said anything about missing them since.
Her problems are arches and knees, though, not her back.
Maybe you need a saddle tilt or some kind of adjustment in that area for a bad back? Did you ever look into that?

Ingeniator

13-11-2006, 03:54 PM

Yeah, i have found that even riding XC i need the saddle tipped back just a notch or two more than usual to be comfortable (although nothing like those 'anal-probe DJ set-ups).
The Orthotics are to bring the arch of my foot up, in order to place more weight on the outside of my foot, as opposed to having all the weight on the inside, where the arch is at its heighest.
This i believe, would bring my knees out a bit, and although it seems contradictory, i have a suspicion that it may eliminate my tendancy to stand close to the outside edge of my pedals.

Physio should call with my excercises and to make an apointment with the orthotic guy soonish, so i will report back with results after a ride or two (just need a bike..come on norco! how long DOES it take to get a bike into australia!!?! lol).

Thanks for all the opinions and help,
Sam