19 replies to this topic

[pi_agent]

Hi,

Does anyone know of a "Sorbothane" product supplier / stockist in Sydney somewhere? :unsure: I'm after some Sorbothane heel cushions but nobody seems to stock them anymore. I have tried the usual outlets Rebel, Footlocker, etc., etc., with no luck. <_<

[Colac]

Sorbothane seemed very expensive, and no doubt they were a great product, but if you pay top dollars for shoes you expect them to cushion your feet really well...and there shouldn't be a need to buy extra protection.

However, the reality could be different. After 200 kms of shoe wear, the cushioning breaks down until at 600 kms, the manufacturers admit that there is no longer adequate protection for the feet.

There was a time when it was recommended practice to take out the inserts of a new pair of shoes, and slip in better quality ones before you started wearing them.

I know I have a reputation for knocking expensive shoes, but I would be very interested to read any posts about how people found the sorbotane heel or total feet cushions.

I am pleased that pi_agent started this thread
because if sorbotane is a good product, then it needs to be priced sensibly (and available) to enable runners to try it as an alternative to orthotics to reduce injuries.

BI THE WAY:
Giraffes can clean their own ears by sticking their long tongues inside. Now, that's something that those amazing black cows who make white milk from green grass can't do.

If you have a hankering for rabbit pie, then don't chase two rabbits at once..... because your legs will be twice as tired as chasing only one rabbit. Or tired from your body splitting in two to each chase a rabbit in different directions.

Even if you are last across the finish line, be proud of yourself, because you know you gave it all you had - and no Australian can ask more of you than that.

Even if you are last in your marathon, you are definitetly not last, because if you deduct the DNS and DNF, you can see that you were not last by any stretch of the imagination.

It takes courage to keep going against adversity, salty sweat in the eyes, and self-doubt, so you become a winner when you cross the finish line, no matter how long it took.

Every kilometre you run is a kilometre a television addict never gets to enjoy. Is Bart Simpson really better than an endorphin rush ?

Every one has their price, even the people who searched for hundreds of $100 notes in a tank of cow manure in one of Barbara Streisland's movies. A mouthful of smelly cow manure is a small discomfort if you can wash the $100 notes and then buy extra groceries with it. It has all the fun of a lolly scramble. Barbara said "money is like manure, its meant to be spread around".

You have to admire Barbara, who refused to change the shape of her nose to please the cameras. I guess we all have faults, but mostly I keep mine covered up by clothes.

A giraffe can be on the ground and still be up in the trees, but at least they have clean ears and can wipe their tongue on the green rain-washed, juicy leaves at the top of the foliage. Wonder how they would go washing high windows ?

An Ostrict on the other hand, hides his head in the sand. Does anyone know why ? Did he see Barbara's film ? Is it a way of scratching or massaging his head ? or is he just shy of people looking at him ? Perhaps, he got the idea........deep breath, head under, quick feel, grab the money, try and not swallow, then go back for more.

NOW HOW ABOUT SOME SORBOTANE FEEDBACK before I get accused of Hi-jacking ???? Kevin could have his finger on the delete button already, that is the one that wipes out 510 Colac posts quicker than a flash of lightning.

Colac.....Colac who ? Sorry, never heard of him....are you sure its not the name of a bird that drinks from a billabong in the Otways ? Doubt it mate ! but there is a famous town called that, that runs the most successful 6-day race in the world......and its time to start training for this year's race in November.

[pi_agent]

Hi Colac,

Thank you for your reply. I need heel cushions under one foot only, under my insoles, to make up for the shortness of that leg. I have tried a number of different products but I found they weren’t the right thickness or they were made out of some spongy material that wasn’t firm enough. Regarding the price, I know it’s a bit expensive but you always have to pay for quality.
:rolleyes:

[uriah]

I have always thought that Sorbothane was a bit heavy, I much prefer Poron. Poron won't bottom out and always bounces back into shape. Brooks use it in some of their shoes. I team Poron and Orthaheel, but Orthaheel now has a unit that combines both - clever! It's called 'Orthaheel Sport'. About $45.00. Available from a lot of pharmacies.

Now about the giraffes, makes you wonder what their earwax tastes like? If we all had tasty earwax we might develop longer tongues - or is this just me??

:P

[PodRunner]

Is that Abe Simpson?!

Most available sorbothane alternative is SOF soles from Athletes Foot or Rebel. There also a few silicon rubber insoles around.
Haven't seen sorbothane for years. Have read that it lost favour due to weight and that it compresses transversely(on an angle) instead of vertically, making it a bit unstable.

pi agent, consider asking your local pod to make you a dense(400) EVA wedge. It wont compress (much) and will more accurately address your leg length diff. I have a 10mm EVA lift built into my left orthotic for a short leg.

[PurplePete]

pi_agent,

Try

Victor Sports Pty Ltd
4 Hercules St. Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia Phone 9211 0033
Contact: Micah Frank
micah@victor-sports.com

They are a wholesale distributor and importer of sporting medical items, but they will deal with the public.

A few years ago I bought some Spenco soft orthotics (which didn't work for me!!) from them very cheaply.

Cheers

[PurplePete]

pi_agent,

Try

Victor Sports Pty Ltd
4 Hercules St. Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia Phone 9211 0033
Contact: Micah Frank
micah@victor-sports.com

They are a wholesale distributor and importer of sporting medical items, but they will deal with the public.

A few years ago I bought some Spenco soft orthotics (which didn't work for me!!) from them very cheaply.

Cheers

[42.195]

pi_agent, try one of your bigger local chemists.
Around Victoria it has been pretty easy in the past to pick up a pair at a chemist.
I haven't bought a pair for a number of years but there always seemed to be plenty of them available - either full length or just the heel.
Actually, come to think of it I bought Dad a pair a year or two ago from a chemist in Werribee.

[Colac]

Thanks for all the suggestions to help the thread initiator. Kevin, thanks for not expelling me.

[Virtual]

I have a pair of Sorbothane heel inserts that I wore four times in one week while getting better from dual achillies pain, not sure if they were the reason that I got better but they certainly allowed me to run with less pain for a while. I didn't throw them away because they're expensive. Email me with your address and I'll post them to you, gratis. Or give the team at runners world in Kew, Melb a call and I'm sure they will mail order some for you.

Hopefully they work for you too.

Brendan

[John Dawlings]

You could also possibly try a sports podiatrist. Bronwyn Cooper is one in Sydney and I'm sure there are others.

[pi_agent]

Thank you all for your help. PeteW I tried the place you recommended on Friday and bought a heel cushion from them.
Thanks again :D

[Gronk]

Is anybody actually an active user of sorbothane (or similar) insoles ? Do they provide any additional cushioning ? Right now with my shinsplint problems, I need all the help I can get.

Whilst searching for a solution, Google found me this...



Somehow I think its not the answer. :)

Gronk

[Dirk]

I'll be trying Sorbothane insoles for the first time during the Coburg 24 hours in 2 weeks. Will keep you informed!

My feet were in bad shape last year after that race, I hope this makes a difference. After doing a couple of long training runs on them I've got a good feeling about them, but only a hard race will tell if they really make a difference.

I bought them for $30 from Joggersworld in Adelaide, and I was told they should last about 1000km.

Dirk.

[cabes]

you can get them from here too

[hillclimb]

Gronk

I've been using Sorbothane for over a decade and it certainly solved my shinsplint and blister problems. I use the version where there is Sorbothane inlays at both the heel and the forefoot in addition to the entire insole being infused with Sorbothane. I bought these from a UK online shop selling through ebay with cheap postage (3.5 pounds) to Australia.

Sorbothane is made under licence in Australia by Nylex Industrial Products P/L and they seem to have lost interest in it judging by the designs of the insoles and the product itself which haven't changed since the early 90's. The US and UK markets have seen new versions of sorbothane with better rebound properties and new insole designs.

I have tried the Sorbothane heel pads and would not recommend them in running shoes as they raise the height of your arch which brings in other problems. The best option is to to get an entire insole with the Sorbothane placed at the heel and forefoot areas.

[runninlate]

I bought a full length sorbothane insole - brand is Sorbolite @ $29.99 (outch!) from Rebel last year.

I had to get one specifically for a shoe that had low arches (before that it felt like I was going to get Plantar Fasciitis by running in this shoe).

Besides preventing PF, it did make the shoe cushier/softer but it added a little bit of weight as well.

[Peter_Sorbothane]

Hi All,

I happened upon this forum while performing a search for our products on the web. I am the owner of Sorbothane Australasia, and I hope I can provide a bit of information here that may be useful to you. As correctly noted by one user last week, Sorbothane was previously made under license by Nylex (BTR Kennon) in Australia. Around 2 years ago, myself and my partner purchased the trademarks and licenses and now produce Sorbothane for the Australian market (and parts of Asia) through our company, Sorbothane Australasia Pty Ltd. As also noted, the previous owners did seem to lose some interest in the line, and as a result no product development or updates were implemented for quite some time. Since taking over the production and distribution of Sorbothane products, we have made many changes to the company, most of which to date have not been visible to the consumer.

Sorbothane was, and still is, the premier compound for shock absorption. It's characteristics are unique, and while many other products claiming to offer similar benefits have come and gone over the years, Sorbothane has stood the test of time. (Don't worry, that's the only sales spiel you'll get - I'm sure most of you already know how well our products perform!)

Sorbothane insole products are available from nearly all pharmacies (those who do not carry in stock can almost always order through the major pharmaceutical distributors), and sporting stores such as Rebel Sport, Sportsco, Footlocker, Athlete's Foot, etc. Anyone who is experincing difficulty in obtaining any of our products, please contact me and I will personally sort something out for you immediately.

We are currently working on two major projects within Sorbothane. The first is to rectify distribution problems throughout Australia, to ensure that our products are readily available to everyone in every state. We take literally dozens of phone calls every week from customers wanting to purchase our products but who cannot seem to find them close to home. This is obviously of very high importance to us! The second major initiative is our new product range, which will be ready to launch by the end of this year. This has been developed with the aid of new manufacturing techniques, assistance from leading podiatrists, distributors and sporting companies, and includes improved performance, new designs, colours and packaging.

Information about our current product range, and the physical properties of Sorbothane can be found at our newly updated web site, www.sorbothane.com.au We can be also contacted on our toll-free phone number 1800 640 096.

Sorbothane Australasia is also undertaking new promotional activites this year including sponsorship of both professional and amateur sporting teams and associations. Please feel free to contact me with any sponsorship opportunities that may arise.

I am happy to answer any enquiries any of you may have about our products. Thank you for your interest in our products, and I look forward to further contact with you all.

Best regards,

Peter

[pi_agent]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your reply.
[indent]quote:

---

Sorbothane insole products are available from nearly all pharmacies (those who do not carry in stock can almost always order through the major pharmaceutical distributors), and sporting stores such as Rebel Sport, Sportsco, Footlocker, Athlete's Foot, etc. Anyone who is experincing difficulty in obtaining any of our products, please contact me and I will personally sort something out for you immediately.

---

[/indent]I have tried all the places in the Eastern Suburbs mentioned by you and you'd be surprised by the responses I had. Including, "What is it?" "Never heard of it" "The company closed down" "We can't get it anymore" "Too expensive to stock" etc., etc.! Could you please let me know who stocks your product and what suburb? :unsure:

[7201]

sorbethane have done nothing but give me blisters, and interestingly, seem to exacerbate any heel strike or impact bruising.