# Building Custom Heel Hold + Instep Padding



## BC Snowbeard (Dec 12, 2016)

Hi Everyone,

I've run into a problem with my Adidas Tactical ADV. They fit well width and length wise (thanks to WiredSport and the other wide-foot riders here). Unfortunately, the instep height is on the tight side. I had a bootfitter punch out the tongue a bit, which has helped, but I still get occasional numbness and a hot-spot right over my instep (roughly on the navicular bone and medial cuneiform, for those of you who know your anatomy).

I found that I can get the space I need to alleviate this hot spot if I tie the lower half of the boot a little looser, but then I end up with some pretty significant heel-lift, due to the gap between the top of my foot and the tongue of the boot. 

I figure I can remedy the heel lift with the normal additional J-bar solution, and by adding some padding on the front side of the ankle/instep to push my heel back into the boot a bit further. With the right material, I figure that I can resolve the instep pain as well, if I can distribute the pressure a bit more evenly across my instep.

I was just curious if anyone else here has tried something similar, and if they found that any particular method or material worked best? 

I'd just buy a set of Intuition liners (or just new boots) to see if they would remedy the heel-lift and padding issue (as the stock Adidas liner is quite thin and pretty lacking in the padding department), but I'm a master's student and don't have the $400 to drop!

Any input is hugely appreciated - Thanks!


----------



## Mig Fullbag (Apr 15, 2014)

If the length and width are perfect, you can find everything you need to customize the fit of your boots for pretty cheap here:

Tognar Boot Fitting Page

Several predefined foam shapes will help for the heel lift. You will have to choose which one fits your need better, or buy a couple of different ones. If you have a specific instep pressure point, cut some donut shapes from the sheet foam pads and put them around the pressure point to help distribute it. Don't put the foam directly on it.


----------

