Goodyear welted shoes: these soles are too damn hard!

[MikeHaggarSSBM]

So you're telling me my feet will grow extra skin (or muscles?) underneath my feet to provide extra shock absorbtion? I'll double check that with a doctor and get back to you. It's a waste of time in the pursuit off knowledge but I'll give him a good laugh.

You know what feet didn't develop for?
Walking on asphalt. But now we have to deal with it.

 

[DWFII]

So you're telling me my feet will grow extra skin (or muscles?) underneath my feet to provide extra shock absorbtion? I'll double check that with a doctor and get back to you. It's a waste of time in the pursuit off knowledge but I'll give him a good laugh.
You know what feet didn't develop for? Walking on asphalt. But now we have to deal with it.

Skin? Maybe...ever see the feet of an 'indigenous' person? Perhaps an Australian aborigine, for instance? The calluses on the bottom of their feet are sometimes half a centimeter or more thick. Know why? because they walk on surfaces that are harder, and more abrasive, more inherently injurious than asphalt will ever be.

But I was talking about muscles as much as skin....sit on the couch 8-12 hours a day seven days a week and wear only the shoe boxes on your feet and after a month or so see what happens to muscle tone and substance and structure.

While you're at it, why don't you ask your doctor what the answer for your foot problems are? I suspect a shoe or bootmaker sees more feet and has to deal with the problems that customers complain of, as much or maybe even more than a regular general practitioner and maybe, in some circumstances, on a par with some a podiatrists.

Or you can just rely on the general consensus of people who have no more idea than you do. Maybe a poll?

 

[MikeHaggarSSBM]

I suspect a shoe or bootmaker sees more feet and has to deal with the problems that customers complain of, as much or maybe even more than a regular general practitioner and, maybe in some circumstances, on a par with some a podiatrists.

Do you actually beleive you have superior knowledge in the area?
If you bestow your great knowledge and solve the foot pains off all people, not at the very least old people all over the world you'll win a nobel prize in medicine. I can't wait to see you receive it.

 

[DWFII]

Do you actually beleive you have superior knowledge in the area?

Compared to who? Compared to the vast majority of people who weigh in on these types of questions with zero experience--only subjective (hearsay) knowledge of the foot and little or no understanding of foot structure or function much less materials, processes and the way in which feet interact with shoes? The answer is unequivocally "yes." By any objective standard I am a bona fide expert...by comparison.

Compared to a foot doctor? Well, the answer is more complicated. As you might understand, I deal with foot doctors (not to mention feet) on a regular basis. I also deal with shoes and shoemaking 'technology'...which the foot doctor seldom, if ever does.

Do I consider myself a podiatrist or anywhere near the equivalent? No. Never said that, never will. But I am part, if only a minor part, of that subset of people who know something about feet and shoes and devote their lives to studying and working to solve such problems. And because a good part of what I know and do owes its assumptions and even legitimacy to what medical science has learned about feet, I listen very carefully. I incorporate that knowledge into my work. Because of that, my knowledge overlaps or even extends theirs to some extent, whereas the reverse is not ordinarily true.

You asked a question. No one else could, or did, present an answer that was much more than un-informed opinion. I gave an answer that comes from half a century of objective and informed experiences....take it for what it's worth.

 

[MikeHaggarSSBM]

Despite my snarky attitude I appreciate the input. I will try walking in them as is (and walking more) for a period off time and see if it gets better. Have a good day!

 

[DWFII]

Despite my snarky attitude I appreciate the input. I will try walking in them as is (and walking more) for a period off time and see if it gets better. Have a good day!

You're welcome.

FWIW (and just for clarity), it probably takes years to build up a quarter inch callus on a foot and a similar amount of time to add enough muscle, tissue, fat, whatever to the bottom of a foot to cushion the foot the way a foam rubber insert can. So don't expect to go back to wearing your problem shoes and have it all go away in a week or so. Or even a month.

Chances are better than even that if you've been wearing some sort of cushioning most of your life, you'll never be comfortable without it.

?

 

[MikeHaggarSSBM]

That's good to know.
Since I rotate between GYW shoes and rockports/eccos (they're like running shoes internally as far as i know, extremely shock absorbing and cushiony) I'll probably rely on inserts after all.
Cheers!

 

[Neo1]

If you're used to foam insoles, chances are that you're feet will never be comfortable in a 'better' shoe...more specifically in shoes with .....

That said, when I first started wearing men's shoes (as opposed to boots) I had terrible blisters on my heel. Just took time to get my feet used to the pressure of the stiffener.

Finally, given a good fit and a well designed last (by no means guaranteed in either respect) some people just have feet that are never comfortable esp. when it comes to the plantar surface. Maybe 'too little meat on your feet'.

Hey maybe you can help me with this. Putting aside all of the painful breaking in, heel rubbing etc, this is a different issue. I've always had trouble walking / standing for long periods of time due to my legs/joints aching and just feeling tired/lousy. I'm a pretty small & lightweight guy (I wear 28" W pants) so this isnt a weight issue. I have never felt good in athletic sneakers either.

When I switched over from "crap" to AE, my reaction was .... whoa. I could walk again! I gravitated towards double oak, double danite, double JR used on the shell styles. Eventually the single oak and Blake started giving me the same problems as before.

I recently bought 6 pairs from Grant Stone. These are about as stiff as I've ever felt. But now AE's double JR soles don't even feel that supportive and I find myself reaching for the GS over and over.

What's going on - should I pick up some lunar grand **** to break out of the trend?

 

[DWFII]

What's going on ?

I don't know. As I said above, I am not a podiatrist. More importantly, I've never seen your feet.

The whole problem sounds almost systemic to me--your tiredness, etc..But, if I had to speculate, with absolutely no data or evidence to support it (a wild guess, IOW), I'd have to wonder if you've got (pathologically?) fallen arches.

In any case, I'd advise you to see a podiatrist / foot doctor. What you describe is way outside 'normal.'

 

[Blake Stitched Blues]

That's good to know.
Since I rotate between GYW shoes and rockports/eccos (they're like running shoes internally as far as i know, extremely shock absorbing and cushiony) I'll probably rely on inserts after all.
Cheers!

The leather footbed in your Loakes/Meermins will eventually mould to the shape of your foot but the biggest problem here is the outsole - leather is hard and unyielding and Dainite is even worse. If you can't get used to it you could always send them off to a cobbler to be resoled with a soft Vibram gumlite sole. I did that with a pair of suede derbies and now they're the most comfortable shoes I own.

 

[taxgenius]

The leather footbed in your Loakes/Meermins will eventually mould to the shape of your foot but the biggest problem here is the outsole - leather is hard and unyielding and Dainite is even worse. If you can't get used to it you could always send them off to a cobbler to be resoled with a soft Vibram gumlite sole. I did that with a pair of suede derbies and now they're the most comfortable shoes I own.

Is it the leather footbed that’s molding to the shape of the foot or is really the cork underneath that is being displaced and hence gives the feeling of molding?

 

[Blake Stitched Blues]

In my experience, it's both the insole and the cork that take on the shape of the foot. Sometimes I see people claiming that the (leather) outsole moulds to the foot also, which is strange and not something I've ever seen/experienced.

 

[taxgenius]

In my experience, it's both the insole and the cork that take on the shape of the foot. Sometimes I see people claiming that the (leather) outsole moulds to the foot also, which is strange and not something I've ever seen/experienced.

I guess one way to tell is to send the shoe for repair and have the cork replaced and see if the insole is still molded as before.

 

[TheChihuahua]

Might take a little while to break them in, but they will get better over time.
One of my favorite pairs of Aldens, took a while tk break in. I thought there was something wrong with them, they hurt my back a bit during the break in period.
years later and after a resolethey are by far my favorite shoes. (They were broken in way before the resole).

just give them time.Have a rotation of a few shoes and ease into the stiffer pairs. Use bandaids at the first sign of a blister.