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sole active thin insoles

sole active thin footbed

the mighty dave t once told me of an erstwhile cycling friend from a previous life, who not only had an eye for a bargain, but could rarely prevent himself from taking advantage of any on offer. however, it appears that, for him at least, the bargain was the priority; colour, size or professed quality was of secondary nature. thus, according to the mighty dave, the un-named fellow once purchased a pair of cycling shoes at bottom dollar price, despite their being several sizes too large. in order to compensate for the extra toe-room, he simply stuffed the interior of the footwear with scrunched up newspaper.

sole active thin footbed

i daresay there are still those who will do likewise, though the financial wellbeing from which most of us benefit nowadays, has probably reduced the propensity for buying notably inappropriate stuff. there are, of course, still bargains to be had, though today's common complaint is that these only ever seem to be available in xxs or xxl, statistically the outer edges of velocipedinal fit. our weekend bike rides will usually ensure that we remain of similar size to that at which we commenced life in the saddle. yet, within the realm of sizing, two factors are likely to remain fairly static, no matter the effort (or lack of), made each weekend.

at some point in our lives, generally late teens, both feet and hands reach a size at which they will remain for the rest of our lives. i take a size 44 in footwear, of both pedestrian and cycling persuasions, and despite the best attempts of certain apparel purveyors to convince me otherwise, i tend to wear size large in gloves, whether with or without fingers.

cycling footwear has undergone dramtaic changes since i first bolted a set of triangular cleats to their soles. i believe my original cycling shoes were manufactured by sidi, an excellent pair, if memory serves, but i note that my current pair of rapha road shoes are several degrees better than those of yesteryear. it has become common to supply cycling shoes with differing sizes of instep shims which can help tailor the fit to your tautologically unique feet. however, it seems there's always room for improvement, particularly when considering footbeds that might mold to your feet.

in the past, i have reviewed cycling shoes that promised to do precisely that, following a few moments in an oven at specific temperatures. putting a warm pair of shoes on my feet, as they cooled, they eventually conformed to the desired, close-fitting shape. sole's active thin insoles promise to do likewise, either via the oven procedure outlined above, or simply by inserting them into your cycling shoes and riding in them for a few days. that's the option that i chose, because there's something distinctly odd about placing items of footwear in the oven. and the process does seem to do exactly what it says on the tin (or point of sale hang tag, to be more precise).

sole recommend removing the existing footbeds where possible and replacing them with their custom comfort alternative. depending on your footwear, you may have to cut the toe sections to fit, using the originals as a template. so doing, worked remarkably well, despite my usual ham-fisted way with a pair of scissors. the first ride served mostly to highlight the difference between my right and left feet. the former found the sole to act like a second skin, happy to pedal hither and thither with nary a care in the world. the left foot, however, professed a few complaints, manifested by way of slight discomfort on the sole, when walking in my pair of vans or kickers.

but as advised on the packaging and instruction manual, after a few rides, the footbed appears to have morphed to an immaculate fit. there is now no discomfort whatosever. however, at the risk of being overly honest, the original rapha footbeds are pretty darned good all on their own, and i can't honestly say i noted any discernible advantage in replacing them. however, i'm willing to admit that there could be improvements that are beyond my ken, or that my mode of cycling is insufficiently demanding to benefit.

that said, if you find that your current cycling footwear seems to be lacking in comfort or fit, these thin, unpadded insoles could be the economic restitution which your feet have always deserved.

sole products are distributed in the uk by edinburgh's 2-pure who should be able to advise of authorised dealers. the active thin footbeds are available in uk sizes 4 - 13 at a cost of £38. several other footbeds are also available depending on your requirements.

sole active footbed

sunday 2 may 2021

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................