Dead toes

cobby1970

After doing 35-40 miles my toes are completely dead and my big toes have gone blue
has anyone else suffered this problem and what if any was the solution to it?

MarksMintness

I think I get the same problem. I have blocked the vent hole in the sole of my Shimano R540's, that helps and good cycling socks appropriate for the weather helps too. Other than that slackening off the tension of the shoe closure system helps as well. Sometimes it's easy to over tighten and forget that the feet swell slightly over longer rides and this will cause circulatory problems. I still get numb cold feet though, painful when you hop in a hot shower after the ride!
Any other ideas for us would be very welcome...

Simmotino

Over tightened shoes is certainly a possibility, particularly over longer rides, so worth starting out with the shoes a little looser than you think is right to allow for the foot to swell.

As for cold feet, shoes or toe covers will help reduce the airflow in to the shoe to keep your toes warmer.

cobby1970

I dont think my problem is caused by the cold but the tightness of the shoe is a definite maybe , I dont think I "overtighten" them but do like them snug and I suppose with a bit of swelling that could restrict the blood flow

Any more thought on this is welcomed as this problem is really putting a dampener on my rides

Simmotino

If you have them snug from the off, they'll definitely tighten as your feet get warm.

One thing to try next time you put your shoes on, stand up in them rather than sitting down and scrunch your toes up before fastening the straps/buckles.

That'll make sure your feet are at their widest and the 'scrunching' will provide a little more room in the shoe for your foot to swell.

If that doesn't work, it *may* be that you need some orthotic inserts to keep the metatarsals spread, or even wider shoes.

alpineaddict

I have this issue, but with the middle of my right foot... I start with the shoes quite snug, but always have to loosen them after about 10 mins, sometimes to a point where they can be quite lose...

Personally, I think it is the shoe thing...

cobby1970

I will certainly try wearing my shoes looser and hope that the solution is that simple

thanks

Rigged

I sometimes find that I curl my toes inside my shoes as though I'm trying to grip the pedal. Pretty quickly my big toe in particular becomes numb but making a conscious effort to keep the toes relaxed relieves the pressure from them in just a few minutes and blood flow returns to normal. Perhaps that's a possibility?

MarksMintness

Good advice Simmotino, I'll try that next time I put my shoes on before a ride. Also I think toe covers is a good shout and worth getting a pair to see if it helps. Cheers!

cobby1970

Just another thought , ive not had the bike long and have been using mtb spd's till I can get some road pedals, do you think the small surface area of the spd could be causing a pressure spot on the sole of the foot restricting blood flow?
Tight shoes is more likely but worth asking anyway

Simmotino

It's certainly possible, yes.

There are a myriad of things that can cause problems with feet when riding, some are free to remedy, some aren't.

Always best to try the free ones first

kev77

It used to happen to me too,

I slackened off the straps on the shoes and the numb big toe problem was resolved.

I also used too experience bad bad migraines because i had my helmet ( that i put on my head ;-) ) strap to tight, slackened it off problem solved.

giant_man

You have to give those piggys room to breathe, you know? Tight shoes are not good.

Kingy911

I wore some toe warmers yesterday for the first time and they really made a difference, I also find that when I realise my feet are starting to hurt I also have to remember to pedal through the full stroke ie; pulling back up on the stroke as well as just pushing down, this relieves so much pressure on (my) feet it's unbelievable. As I am a newbie I think its just a case of 'braintraining' to go through the full peddle stroke. It works for me anyway

rake

if they are dead they are of no more use for cycling, do like ranulph feinnes did and cut them off.

cobby1970

well I slackened my shoes right off which gave slight improvement by way of I rode further before the numbness set in
Ive since put on road pedals and cleats which have made a noticeable difference but not eliminated the problem

alihisgreat

cobby1970 wrote:

Just another thought , ive not had the bike long and have been using mtb spd's till I can get some road pedals, do you think the small surface area of the spd could be causing a pressure spot on the sole of the foot restricting blood flow?
Tight shoes is more likely but worth asking anyway

Improper cleat positioning can cause numbness in your toes -> if the centre/hotspot on the cleat is in-front of the ball of your foot, you'll get numb toes.

shimano road cleats have a marking to show where you should be aligning with -> not sure about SPDs though.