I blame my editors – which, yes, they’re me, myself, and I – but this piece about Claire’s new-to-her {read: used} mountain bicycle footwear turned into, first and foremost, an Esker insole overview by me. And, well, here we are cruising into the longest aside ever.
Partisan, partial, and predisposed, I feel like it’s necessary to remind folks of the MEATengines review policy before going any further. Andy, who is the half of Eskar that I know personally, is a rad-dad gear nerd {*chants*: “one of us, one of us“} and I use their products 24/7 x 365.2422 days a year. Fan.
And hey, if your local shop doesn’t stock Esker, maybe give them a heads-up? If they mention MEATengines on their first order they receive absolutely f*ck-all nothing, but I’ll be one step closer to convincing Andy that they need to cut down on packaging by selling bulk three packs {four packs?} of insoles to the converts.
[Aside] Better sweat management in the summer. More comfortable in the winter. Significantly better in the wet-wet-wet. There’s no time of year that I’m not all-in on Esker’s Canadian-Made, Canadian-Wool, insoles.
I‘m getting ahead of myself here, starting with an aside as it were, but I’ve been running the same model in all my shoes for a couple of years now. I mean, it used to be the only model. Now Esker calls it All-Season ArchSupport.
Okay, now I’m getting way, way ahead of myself but the line has grown to consist of four different models now. The original units I’m using and a LowProfile version of the same which offers the benefits of wool for folks who don’t need the support. Plus, two Cold-Weather options, LowProfile and ArchSupport.
{I’ll be writing more about the Cold-Weather insoles soonish.}
Anywho, the insoles last a long time for me. They’re still good when they’re past looking rough. And, I use them in my daily drivers, my mountain bike shoes, and my workshop shoes {where the odour-fighting properties are most appreciated}. I love them, and I’m always surprised I don’t see them hanging {for sale} in every bike shop I go into.
Anywho², with Claire’s feet growing much slower now {Hahaha} and Esker making a low-profile version with the advantages of their material but without the support she doesn’t need, I figured we’d give them a try.
If you’re not familiar already here’s a link to Esker Insoles before I move forward. [/Aside]
Putting my longest ever [Aside][/Aside], well, aside, we’ll add these insoles to the list of articles that Claire owes us once hockey season is over. I can already tell you that the first time we’re soaking wet on a ride the lightbulb is going to go off {I’ve been there}.
The said list keeps growing. It now includes a foray into full-on front fendering. Updates on our MEC Kleversack project now that Gramma shortened the waist straps (thanks, Gramma). There‘s adapting to a wider handlebar, layering notes with some lightweight Merino hand-me-ups from Penny (thanks, Penny), and, of course, Haf-clipping her chin bar on the long gravel climbs. Rocking the Ground Control 27×2.6″ rear tire. I’m certain there’s more.
So, anyway, shoes. I pulled the stock insoles out of Claire’s RC mountain bike shoes and installed the Esker upgrade. She slipped her feet into them, tied them up, looked at me, and said “Papa, now my shoes are too tight.”
Okay, fair, as a result of their structure even the LowPro Eskar insoles demand a bit of extra volume. No problem though, they’ll fit her next pair of shoes when we buy them. So I put the stock flimsy flexy footpads back in, and Claire puts her shoes on and ties them up, and every parent reading this has been here: “Papa, my shoes are still too tight. Wayyyyyyyy too tight.”
But, you were just… they fit… yesterday!… we were… ahhhhh!
It’s after dark and we’re riding the following day after school so there’s no window to track down the next size of shoe. The last size, I’ll note, that we’ll need to buy for a bit as I’m hoarding a couple pairs of Nina’s Five Ten Freeriders from before Claire was born {it’s not a universal experience, but many women I know went up a shoe size per child}.
I head into my hoard and haul out Claire’s next-next pair of shoes, a pair of, fairly narrow, Five Ten Freerider Contacts that Nina rode quite a bit but which are still full of life. On paper, they’re a bunch bigger, especially as the RCs fit small, but sole to sole they don’t look that huge.
Here’s the plan, kid. Try them on, choose too big or too small, suck it up for tomorrow’s ride. We’ll make time to track down the tweener size before our next ride after that.
I install the insoles. Claire slips the shoes on, laces them up, and smiles. Perfection. I would love to be excited but this doesn’t represent a savings of a pair of mountain bike shoes so much as an announcement that every other pair of footwear she owns just became too small.
C’est la vie? Or, look out Nina, Claire’s coming for your kicks?!?
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