Numb toes.

volvine

i Know this topic has probably been covered before but i don't want to waste money if i dont need to after about 1 hour of riding my toes start to go numb and slight pins and needles and this morning after a 2.5 hour ride yesterday one of my toes is brused as far as i know the shoes are the correct size they are u.k 9.5 and i am a u.k 9 but i do have a insole in them so they seem to fit fine they are DIADORA and i use look pedals any thoughts on a cure welcome.

redddraggon

Either your shoes are too small/narrow or you have them fastened up too tight.

Try loosening them off a bit - I used to have this problem because I had my shoes whacked up real tight.

volvine

i shall try this and see if it makes any difference

volvine

no i have just been out for 1.5 hours and loosened my shoes but still the same i think they may be too narrow at the toe end

on the road

Your feet tend to swell during a ride. Also I've notice with some manufactures that they make their shoes with very pointy toes, I found that out when I bought a pair 2 and a half times bigger then what I normally wear.

Juju_uk_68

I occasionally used to get this, but its always manifested itself in my left foot.

I therefore dont think it can be juut limited to shoes too tight. - I wonder if your using clipless, and you perhaps need to allow a tiny bit more floatto the spd to allow the toes, or rather the ball of the foot just aft of the toes a tiny bit more "wiggle" room.

on2wheels

I have this problem as well, and I have tried 3 pairs of different shoes, clips and clipless with no luck. I think with me its down to blood flow. Tight shoes don't help, I also get out of the saddle which enables more blood flow to the extremities. I also make a point of pulling on my pedals, which has also improved my general pedalling and also helps with the problem

Hope this helps

nodman7

blood flow for me to, if i'm in the saddle too long get numb feet, if i swap to standing for the hills etc no numb feet
on my good bike i've got a saddle with a slot cut out in the middle and i don't seem to get half as much numbing as with my commuter with a normal saddle

apparently the specialized toupe is one of the best saddles for blood flow, not that cheap though

hope this is of some use

scherrit

One of the problems with getting shoes that are simply a larger size is that your foot tends to be held back in the heel by the straps, laces etc. This means that that your foot might be much further back in the shoe than the shoe manufacturers expected, and you may be unable to get the cleats set up far enough back on the shoe for the pedal to be approx under (or forward of, depending on your preferences) the ball of your foot. We do occasionally land up specially lengthening the cleat slots for fitting customers, but a more robust solution is to find a shoe which is wider or more roomy in the toe box area. Also, Speedplay do an adaptor for their cleats which moves the cleat backward (and hence, the foot forward on the pedal).

Tri specific shoes (shimano for example do a few models) tend to have more space in the tor box... so that might be a good area for beginning your quest for a good shoe. Sidi do a "Mega" version of their more expensive shoes which is wider, ditto shimano I think?? Dunno if that info is up-to-date?

I have landed up with shoes that have been substantially modified- and all I wanted was wide shoes with laces and preferably no bulky straps/velcro over the top!
Good luck in your quest.... try on loads of shoes, preferably in the afternoon when your feet are more swollen.
Scherrit.
www.thebikewhisperer.co.uk

volvine

well piss*d off i have bought a new pair of shoes and i am having exatly the same problem the new shoes fit me fine i am thinking now it has to be the cleats any help needed please

on2wheels

As I said before its down to blood flow, try riding in a pair of slippers to prove the point, you will still get numb toes

volvine

so what do i do about it ?????

prkprk1

You are experiencing hot foot!

As others have said, your shoes can be done up too tight or your shoes are too narrow.

I used to ride with Sidi shoes and I am a size 42 normally. I had to buy 44.5s to fit me! I started to get numb toes. I also had some Sidi mountain bike shoes and got exactly the same thing. I got to the end of my tether with trying thin sock, thick socks, tight shoes loose shoes and finally went and bought another pair of road shoes.

I bought some Nike Lance Armstrong pros with a carbon sole - I thought that if the sole was stiffer, perhaps it would relieve my numbness. It did a little, but after 45mins or so i was getting numb feet again.

I looked on the web and found out that the numbness is due to bloodflow in your feet. When you press down on the pedals, your metatarsal bones (top part of your foot above the ball) in your foot compress together and down which causes a restriction of bloodflow to your toes. This is why when you make a conscious effort to "pull up" on your pedal stroke it will relieve the numbness slightly.

The best remedy so far i have found are the Specialized Body geometry footbeds available. Ok - they are pricey at 24.99 but they are brilliant! Go to a Specialized dealer and they have a heat moulding pad that you stand on for a couple of minutes barefoot and it moulds to your foot. The assistant can then match the pattern of your arch imprint and give you the corresponding insoles. I thin there are 3 basic soles, flat foot, normal and high arch.

The soles also have a "metatarsal button" which in essence is a little raised pad just behind your toes that supports your foot when you depress the pedals. They also come with some toe shims to correct knee alignment as not everyones knees go up and down perfectly! (i do not need the shims so i would advise speaking with the assistant BEFORE using them as you may suffer severe knee problems)

I cannot tell you how good they are - I use them in my road and mountain bike shoes and have tried them in my snowboard boots too as i used to get numb feet from drag lifts and they are excellent!

Hope this helps.

myqul

prkprk1 wrote:

I looked on the web and found out that the numbness is due to bloodflow in your feet. When you press down on the pedals, your metatarsal bones (top part of your foot above the ball) in your foot compress together and down which causes a restriction of bloodflow to your toes.

More spinning less mashing.

Because of a hip problem i have I spin like a loony which help relieve it. If i start to mash after a while i start to get a little hot foot.

I never suffer from hotfoot while spinning i guess there less less pressure on my feet when pressing down (well actually it's forward cuz i ride a recumbent).

volvine

thanks prkprk interesting i will look at investing in some of them specialized insoles.
cause the shoes deffo not to tight and they do fit me fine they are north wave.
if these fail i will just have to grin and bear it i suppose