Tread Labs Insoles

[kingnike12]

Hey all. I wanted to start a thread for insoles and one of the best ones that I have tried is insoles from a company called Tread Labs. It is a semi-custom orthotic, meaning that there are 4 arch heights to choose from (low, medium, high, extra high). The pace insole is made of high grade plastic and the dash insole is carbon fiber. I use the dash for my tennis shoes and the pace for my work shoes. I have been experiencing foot and calf pain for a few years now. I am a teacher so I have to stand on my feet all day and many of the shoes have been hurting my feet at the end of the day. With the tread labs insoles, it has helped a lot. Also for tennis, I have some balky calves and the insoles have helped me to not get injured because it puts my foot in proper alignment. The reason I also really like these ones over things like superfeet or powerstep is that the top cover is replaceable. Once you ruin or wear out the superfeet or powerstep, you have to purchase another one. However, since the arch and the top cover are held together by velcro, if you want to just replace the top cover, you can do so and you can just simply purchase the top cover only from the tread labs website. They also have a million mile warranty so if there are issues, you can call and they will take care of you. In addition, if you didn't purchase the proper arch height, they will be glad to replace that for you for the proper arch height. I really wanted to share my experiences with the community because I feel that this company is not getting the recognition that it deserves. These are the small companies that I feel deserve our hard-earned money that can help thousands of people like me. From reading the forums, it is hard to find decent orthotics that people have tried that actually work. I wanted to shed some light to help people like me who are struggling with foot and lower body pain.

 

[antony]

Ordered a pair. Placeholder for review. I wish shipping was quicker. Takes about a week.

I'm suffering from sudden overplaying and my inner shins (medial tibias, I think) are hurting. A Chinese massage therapist I saw pressed on them (ow), said that they were at pressure points that are connected to my liver and kidneys and that they were weak, and that I needed to rest and better my nutrition. I read it was because I might not have enough arch support. I've been using Superfeet Carbon but they only have low arch support and the top cover of one pair has worn at the big toe and heel areas. I went to The Good Feet Store today and found that I was a medium arch. They tried to sell me on two pairs of insoles for $450 each pair. Passed. I'd rather spend that money on custom orthotics, though the salesman pulled out a box of old custom orthotics that said customers threw away in an effort to sell me their insoles. Still waiting on shipping for the Tread Labs Dash though. Taking a day off tomorrow to rest. Saturday's mail can't come soon enough.

EDIT: recommended. They don't prevent tender shin spots if i press on certain areas but my legs are doing a lot better with the tread labs dash insoles and my mobility is improved. my recovery time is less and I can play longer than when I used stock and Superfeet insoles

 

[PaddyDutch]

I'm suffering from sudden overplaying and my inner shins (medial tibias, I think) are hurting. A Chinese massage therapist I saw pressed on them (ow), said that they were at pressure points that are connected to my liver and kidneys and that they were weak, and that I needed to rest and better my nutrition.

sounds like shin splint. Rest and more supportive footwear should fix that.

 

[antony]

sounds like shin splint. Rest and more supportive footwear should fix that.

I’ve started to increase my protein, calcium, vitamin D, and joint supplement intake, implementing more rest periods, and ordered some medium arch insoles.

 

[PrinceYonex]

Has anyone tried these yet?

 

[antony]

Has anyone tried these yet?

I ordered 8-8.5M insoles but my 8.5 ASICS pair is a 42 EU which is actually 9-9.5M for Tread Labs. So I had to order another pair. I had to run to REI yesterday to try different insoles out to get me through until the new Tread Labs insoles arrive. I was there for like an hour. Got the Superfeet blue from REI for now. I think they help a little more than the Superfeet carbon (which has low arch support—I’m medium arch) but I wonder if I could do better.

 

[18x20 ftw]

I got the tread labs medium arch and the arches felt a lot higher than their comparable superfeet in green and orange (all listed at 30mm). They were very polite in exchanging for the low. I’ll let you know my findings when they arrive. I thought they were good quality and had a comfortable forefoot.

 

[antony]

how do I know if i need thin or regular top covers? i wear Asics usually

 

[PrinceYonex]

how do I know if i need thin or regular top covers? i wear Asics usually

It’s hard to know unless you’ve already tried one or the other. If you got the regular but find your foot is squeezed much more than with the stock insole, then you probably need the thin.

 

[antony]

It’s hard to know unless you’ve already tried one or the other. If you got the regular but find your foot is squeezed much more than with the stock insole, then you probably need the thin.

I was looking at Superfeet which fit perfectly in my ASICS and their thickness at the heel is a little more than 5mm and >3mm at the forefoot. I think I need the thin top layer from Tread Labs. Probably have to return two pairs of insoles now.

 

[PrinceYonex]

I was looking at Superfeet which fit perfectly in my ASICS and their thickness at the heel is a little more than 5mm and >3mm at the forefoot. I think I need the thin top layer from Tread Labs. Probably have to return two pairs of insoles now.

Do you know what the heel and forefoot heights are for the treadlabs (regular and thin)?

 

[antony]

Do you know what the heel and forefoot heights are for the treadlabs (regular and thin)?

Almost two mm for the insert and 5mm and 3mm for regular and thin resp.

 

[antony]

I was looking at Superfeet which fit perfectly in my ASICS and their thickness at the heel is a little more than 5mm and >3mm at the forefoot. I think I need the thin top layer from Tread Labs. Probably have to return two pairs of insoles now.

well, I received the 42EU regular thickness, medium arch Dash insoles and they may be a little too thick for my Asics GR8. I'm sure with time they'll flatten out and be nicer. I also put them in new shoes so the shoes probably need to break in a little as well. They were a little wide so I had to trim the sides of the top layers to fit my shoes (which was a new experience new to me, but was easier than expected), but the 9-9.5M insoles (41.5-42EU) were the right length for my 8.5M (42EU) shoes. Fairly comfy. Playing tonight. I will have to return the 8-8.5M insoles.

I am thinking of ordering another pair of Dash insoles with thin padding to see the difference. If all goes well I hope to have two pairs of Dash insoles and maybe a couple pairs of the Pace ones as well.

But I'm not sure if it's worth ordering Pace at all if Dash seems to be good

 

[antony]

Has anyone tried these yet?

got some court time with them. The 5mm top cover had more cushioning than stock or Superfeets blue and carbon, and I think my Gel Resolution shoes may be best fit with thin top covers. Playing with the 5mm top cover was fine though, just feels like it has a touch too much cushioning and I had to subtly adjust my footwork to dig in more. Will probably get better with time. No real complaints so far. I feel like they have good support. The carbon fiber insert is extremely rigid and I feel like it does a better job of dispersing forces over the foot versus stock and both Superfeet carbon and blue insoles. My feet did have to adjust to the support of the Dash insoles and it took me a set to do so. At first my feet muscles felt a little achy adjusting but they felt fine pretty soon. Will have to see how the insoles perform over more time. My shin splints subsided since the previous week and playing with the Dash insoles I have not noticed any new discomfort.

 

[antony]

My shin splints were not staved off for long with the Dash insoles. They’re back.


Edit: however, though the shins are tender my legs aren't as bad and I'm still able to play no problem. overall helpful. also, the 5mm cushioning may have packed down now

 

[antony]

okay, final review. they are a tremendous help for me in terms of extending my playing time and helping reduce my recovery time. the Dash's are an improvement over any Superfeet that I've used so far. I still get tender shins from hard long playing days BUT they are not as bad as before and I can play a lot more than I used to. Other possible factors are that I've learned to rest better and possibly have bettered my nutrition as well.

30% off tread labs sale going on right now. I just ordered another pair of Dash's and a pair of the Pace's with some shearling covers too. I will have a total of three pairs of Dash and one pair of Pace insoles. Thank you for the recommendation on these.

 

[PrinceYonex]

okay, final review. they are a tremendous help for me in terms of extending my playing time and helping reduce my recovery time. the Dash's are an improvement over any Superfeet that I've used so far. I still get tender shins from hard long playing days BUT they are not as bad as before and I can play a lot more than I used to. Other possible factors are that I've learned to rest better and possibly have bettered my nutrition as well.

30% off tread labs sale going on right now. I just ordered another pair of Dash's and a pair of the Pace's with some shearling covers too. I will have a total of three pairs of Dash and one pair of Pace insoles. Thank you for the recommendation on these.

Thanks for telling us about the sale! The Dash has been great for me.

 

[antony]

Thanks for telling us about the sale! The Dash has been great for me.

It was great combined with the 25% off discount for reviewing one of their products