Do Insoles Wear Out?
 

I've got some Specialized BG Footbeds, the red version, that I purchased about three years ago. It's hard to tell if they have squished down much or the shape changed a bit. I have had some foot discomfort recently so I'm looking at the possible causes.
How long are these supposed to last? Years or forever?!

Lots of them never make it to 12 months without loosing their cushioning and support if you run or wear them every day. I get better life from quality gel insoles and notice less foot pains with them.

Serious long distance backpacker Ray Jardine would have in prearranged "drift boxes' mailed ahead, spare insoles and shoes, he practiced ultralight backpacking loads and hiked in running shoes. He said the foam in both shoes and insoles gets permanently mashed down, takes a set.

My old '90s Eddy Merckx bike shoes I think were cork insoles (not removable), and that would last. But modern insoles provide more cushion.

I have 3 pairs of these (green-high version) and they don’t appear to squish down at all over 3 years. I have 1 pair that I use at least 10x as much as the others and I can’t tell any difference between them. This reminds me that I should really rotate them to spread out the usage. I’ll try that this weekend and report back if there is any difference in feel.

Yes.

My oldest pair of Garneau road shoes have more than 30,000 km on them in 7 years. My newest pair are duplicate shoes and insoles and have less than 250 km. Other than the cosmetic lettering worn off the surface of the insoles, you would not be able to tell the difference, they both have the same compressibility in the foam. Both pairs are comfortable. I had a pair of Adidas cycling shoes with no insole and a cork footbed with no cushioning, they were very comfortable so maybe I don't need any cushioning besides the sock.

Thanks for the responses. From my eye, it seems like the insole material is still fairly solid but hard to tell. Based on what you all have posted, I'll skip replacing these for the moment.

I stand all day at work so I replace my insoles every six months. Sidi seems to think insoles should be 1mm thick pieces of something, so I replace them when I get new cycling shoes. Then replace them yearly.

Yeah, these are Sidi shoes and the OEM insoles were a waste. That's why I moved to the Spec. insoles though the red version is fairly flat.

Repurposing my older surf wetsuits provides some longer lasting insoles, custom cut, each full suit provides many insoles and enough material for many other uses - like pads for the helmet chin straps - especially good for cold winter riding days...
Ride On
Yuri

They do wear out. It is not a bad idea to replace if you feel they aren't giving you good support. They aren't super expensive you are buying them every few years or more especially if you are more comfortable.

havent had luck with finding replacements that are as thick & as stiff as the originals... Even wouldnt mind a pair that were more ridged & thicker. Stacking insoles drives the weight up, especially when they get water logged. Kinda need insoles that have the open cell foam design to reduce weight.

Are you talking specifically about the Specialized BG insoles here? I don’t see or feel any wear on mine and they don’t lose their support. I compared a heavily used 3 year old pair against a nearly new pair yesterday and there was no difference, apart from maybe the smell 😂

Yes, the post was pretty much about this product. I don't see much change either. Appreciate your confirming.

No just insoles in general, if used you are compressing them overtime so they will not be as good as they are from day one. Certainly yes some will hold up better but I have yet to have an insole that doesn't wear out. Certainly a very stiff insole and a very lightweight person will take a lot more time but it will happen.

My insoles generally start smelling bad from the first week I cannot win.

The BG insoles don’t compress much, so there is little to wear out. I wondered if the material would degrade over time, but it doesn’t show any signs. I’m no lightweight at 80 kg and routinely wear out standard foam insoles in a few months. I didn’t expect the BG insoles to last longer than a year, so I’m impressed.

I believe that Sidi EXPECTS you to replace their insoles with ones that are better customized for your feet. Therefore, their OEM insoles are as cheap as can be.
I can't imagine that anybody actually rides with Sidi OEM insoles - they aren't really meant for any serious use.

I have a pair of Sidis (rather old now) and also newer Shimano shoes. I swapped out the OEM Shimano insoles from the get go also - they aren't as flimsy as the Sidis, but still not right for my feet.

I find that OEM insoles in general are relatively flat, flimsy cheap foam that quickly pack down and wear/rot away. I find them ok in casual shoes, but I always replace them in cycling shoes. I don’t require custom insoles for cycling, so I go with the BG insoles, which have proven bombproof.

Darn. Another thing to worry about.
I just bought some custom inserts for my running shoes, which cost about $100.00, and it greatly improved comfort.
I think I'll slip them into my Sidis and check it out.