Icebug SLIM Low Cushion Support Insole with Arch Flex Technology

I added these to a pair of Giro Empire XC90 mtb cycling shoes. Size 45.5 I've been dealing with Metatarsal nerve impingement while riding. It goes something like: at mile 10 the first hints of "heat" start to be apparent at the balls of my feet, especially the outside of the forefoot. then by mile 20, numbness of my 3rd, 4th and 5th toes starts to set in. By mile 30, mild pain in the outside of my feet near the ball of the feet, by mile 40 the pain becomes somewhat annoying, by mile 50... I have to consciously think about something else, and try my best to ignore it. By mile 60... it becomes unignorable and starts to degrade my pace. By mile 70, the pain is debilitating and I have to either stop, take my shoes off and let them rest for about an hour, or finish the ride. These seem to have fixed that for me. So far I've done a 12mile (maximum effort sprint pace) a 17mile (again max effort with some steep hill climbs) and a 30 mile (max effort with more climbing) rides. On the 12 mile ride - no hint of the heat (and by extrapolation, the other symptoms that would follow it) On the 17 mile ride - no symptoms, no hints of impending numbness. On the 30 mile ride - no symptoms. No heat, no numbness, no impending pain. All three rides left my feet feeling as if I had just been walking around in a good pair of supportive hiking boots for a few hours. Ie: normal. Usually my first priority after a ride is to doff my SPD shoes... like ASAP. Not now, on return it's no longer a "OMG get my feet the @#$% outa these @#$%ing shoes" kinda deal for me. I'm very confident that these insoles may have licked my problem. Time, and a couple of 60 mile + rides will tell for sure, but right now. They are worth a shot if you have similar problems as I have on the bike with your feet. That metatarsal button is the real deal. It might feel funny at first, kinda alien, not uncomfortable... just really weird. Ignore it. Think about something else. Your body will adapt to them. And you'll be happy it does. I'm 100% convinced It's the key to pain free riding if you get nerve impingement at the metatarsal heads. EDIT: update, completed a 70 mile ride today, 17mph average speed, 3100 feet of climbing. Really putting the spurs to it for me. Finished ride with ABSOLUTELY ZERO PAIN, NUMBNESS, OR DISCOMFORT in my feet. Legs were kinda tired, back a little sore, hands a little numb... the twig n' berries a little numb.... feet? Absolutely symptom free. Ice bug is the real deal, as far as I'm concerned. If I could, I'd give this product 6 stars. I had to trim mine, since my Giros are narrow at the forefoot, and I bought the size 12 insole, and trimmed to 11.5 (which is about what a 45.5 comes out to) I accomplished this by lining up the heel cups and tracing the OEM insoles (which are actually pretty decent... with removable and adjustable arch supports... just no metatarsal button) with a sharpie onto the ice bugs. I then carefully trimmed them to match the tracing with a fresh exacto knife, and inserted them into the shoe footbed. Easy peasy. Again, these may not be for everybody - but if you experience the symptoms of metatarsal nerve impingement when riding... they may be your best purchase all year.

I've been cycling for over forty years and these are definitely the best insoles I have ever had in a pair of cycling shoes. When it comes to cycling, I have problematic feet. They're wide, so I either have to find wide shoes (rare), or wear a half size to a full size up to get enough width to prevent my toes from being squeezed. I also have high arches and a weak ankle (the result of an injury many years ago). Without a massive amount of arch support, my weak ankle allows my foot to roll inward effecting both my foot's position on the pedal and my pedaling motion. In recent years I've taken to putting plastic arch supports beneath the stock insoles in my shoes. This has helped, but not solved, my problems and keeping the supports in place is a pain. I did some research and found a suggestion regarding metatarsal support for cycling insoles. If you don't know what this looks like, it takes the form of a "bump" in the insole directly behind the ball of the foot. I did some more research and found excellent reviews and pictures of the Icebug insoles. I decided to give them a try. They're pricey but, out of the box, you can tell they are well designed and well made. I bought a size 12 US to fit a size 47 Shimano road cycling shoe and they fit with minimal trimming on both sides of the toes. The length was perfect. The arch and metatarsal bump are both very pronounced. They look like they'd be uncomfortable, but they conform to my feet perfectly. And they seem to work. I only have two thirty mile rides with them so far, but my foot comfort is much improved and I don't have to fool with separate arch supports. If things continue to go well, I'm going to buy a second pair for my mountain bike shoes.

I bought these to compare with the Powerstep Pinnacle Plus Full Length Orthotic Shoe Inserts, which I've used in the past. The Icebugs seem equally well made, with similar arch support and padding. The main difference is in the placement of the metatarsal pad. The Powersteps place the pad near the center of the foot, just behind the ball. This matches the placement of the pad in my custom made orthotics designed to relieve the pain associated with dropped metatarsals. The Icebugs place the pad farther forward, directly under the ball of the foot. While this is less effective for my condition, it may be perfect for other foot problems. If you've never used this type of insole before and aren't sure which is right for you, note that both are available from Amazon with free returns, which means you can order both and keep the ones that work for you. You can even try out the different arch sizes available for the Icebugs. Amazon pays the return postage. Just make sure you save all the packaging and avoid cutting the insoles to fit small or narrow shoes. Thank you Amazon!

These arch supports are the best I've ever used and I am middle aged and have had custom orthotics made by a variety of sources ever since I was a kid. Flat, highly flexible feet and therefore over-pronation are a family trait so the kids that inherited this, got arch supports as we were developing in an effort to minimize the consequences. I noticed one of the top-rated reviews complained about the fabric covering; I don't think her experience is common. I have these insoles in all of my footwear, slippers, tennis shoes, river rafting shoes, hiking boots snow boots, etc. and have had zero issues with with friction wearing out my expensive wool socks either ultra lightweight or heavy expedition weight. Neither have I had any friction or heat issues against my bare feet in my tennis shoe style river rafting shoes, even after a 3 day rafting trip. Since the flat feet is a family trait and I have a large family, I've recommended them to many family members and all of them really like them, too. Another negative review mentioned that the heel is too wide for women's tennis shoes. My feet are narrow, an A width, so I usually wear Nikes tennis shoes as they tend to run narrow and I don't have any problems fitting these into my shoes. My husband has a totally different kind of feet, originally high arches, that have fallen, moderately flexible, with significant metatarsal damage from dropping a 70 lb. tractor weight on his foot 35 years ago. He's a construction surveyor in Montana and Wyoming and hiking 15 miles a day over very rough, mountainous terrain is very common for him. These are the best arch supports for him as well, in fact far better than the custom made supports the podiatrist talked him into buying years ago. Correct fit is definitely important though and to get the medial longitudinal arch (the long arch on the inside of your foot) in the right position he has to buy a size 13 arch support and trim it down for his size 10 1/2 foot. He has sensitive skin, clothing tags and laundry detergent frequently cause discomfort, but he doesn't have any issues with the fabric covering of the Icebugs either. And his merino socks don't wear out unreasonably quickly either.

Relief bump is very helpful for preventing numb toes

My right knee had been bothering me for months. The pain was sharp and only at a certain angle. It always felt like my knee area was really tired and over worked. I stopped cycling for a few weeks and thought the pain came from driving a truck all day. I only got these insoles because I wanted to fill my cycling shoes more as there was a bit of play on my foot inside the shoe. With thin cycling socks my foot was moving around and thought and insole would solve the problem and save me some money from buying a new shoe. After reading the reviews on the ice bug and seeing people recommend it for cycling I bought it and after the first ride (30 miles) I felt my knee was instantly better. It’s been 3 long rides with these insoles and they have aligned my knee back to normal. I had no idea they would fix my months of knee pain. So glad I gave them a try.

I hadn't heard of ICEBUG before doing some research on insoles for an expensive pair of carbon fiber sole cycling shoes. I took a chance and ordered them based upon the positive review I found online. I'm so glad I did! they are perfect for my high arches. The best thing I can say about them is that after thirty miles of biking I didn't even think once about my feet. I plan to order another set for a second pair of shoes.

I use these in cycling sandals and other water-tolerant bike shoes with flat pedals while navigating my prop drive/pedaled catamaran on long 30-40 mile day trips on the ocean. My feet have become intolerant of narrow shoes, and I have developed some forefoot neuropathy after decades of cycling. These tolerate frequent drenching without the adhesives separating, are thin enough to take minimal space inside a shoe, have the metatarsal bump, and a decent heel cup for stability. They work. Not as padded as thicker insoles, but I need maximum toe box space inside my shoes. I'd run the thicker version if I could, but most cycling purpose shoes that can tolerate immersion run a bit narrow, so I need something thin.