Numb toes

Camcycle1974
Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
edited September 2018 in Training, fitness and health
Since changing to Fizik shoes and spdsl pedals I get a numb left big toe which now appears to be bruised. The right foot feels fine and no numbness.the shoes feel fine when I put them on and not tight etc. Anyone got an idea what might be causing this and how to stop it happening? Might have to go back to spd shoes/pedals. The Giro shoes I had before were OK though, no pain.

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,556
    could be the insoles
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Bottom briquettes
    Bottom briquettes Posts: 198
    The toe is banging into the stiff sole, and the insole isn’t cushioning it well enough.

    I use these in my stiff soled road shoes, they work brilliantly.

    https://www.boots.com/scholl/scholl-gelactiv-insoles
  • david7m
    david7m Posts: 636
    Fizik look great, but to me they look narrow. Are you sure they aren't a bit too tight?
    Dave
  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    It could be all three to be honest. The insoles are thin and maybe the toe box is a bit narrow for my wide feet. I'll check out those insoles though as we have a big Boots in town. Cheers for the suggestions.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Not sure how your toe could be 'banging into the stiff sole' without you noticing it? I would ignore such nonsense...

    Most likely to be a fit issue as mentioned. Presumably your left foot is slightly bigger than the right? Feet are rarely symmetrical...
  • Bottom briquettes
    Bottom briquettes Posts: 198
    Imposter wrote:
    Not sure how your toe could be 'banging into the stiff sole' without you noticing it? I would ignore such brilliant advice.


    IFTFY
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Bottom briquettes wrote:
    Imposter wrote:
    Not sure how your toe could be 'banging into the stiff sole' without you noticing it? I would ignore such brilliant advice.


    IFTFY

    Troll :roll:
  • Bottom briquettes
    Bottom briquettes Posts: 198
    Imposter wrote:
    Bottom briquettes wrote:
    Imposter wrote:
    Not sure how your toe could be 'banging into the stiff sole' without you noticing it? I would ignore such brilliant advice.


    IFTFY

    Troll :roll:

    I’ve experienced exactly what the OP described ( through experience) worked out what caused it, and offered a solution that works. How is that ‘trolling’?
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Bottom briquettes wrote:
    Imposter wrote:
    Bottom briquettes wrote:
    Imposter wrote:
    Not sure how your toe could be 'banging into the stiff sole' without you noticing it? I would ignore such brilliant advice.


    IFTFY

    Troll :roll:

    I’ve experienced exactly what the OP described ( through experience) worked out what caused it, and offered a solution that works. How is that ‘trolling’?

    LOL you are a bell end though Briquettes

    OP please ignore the various spewings of Bottom Briquettes
  • zefs
    zefs Posts: 484
    Move the cleat 10mm to the back and see if the numbness goes away. Does it happen from the start of your ride?
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Try the above but sounds like you need better fitting shoes. Ifou d specialized to come out as pretty wide.
  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    zefs wrote:
    Move the cleat 10mm to the back and see if the numbness goes away. Does it happen from the start of your ride?

    I already have them as far back as they will go. The pain starts about 10 miles in and gets worse until my foot goes numb. My other shoes are Specialized and no such issue so maybe Fizik just aren't a good fir for my feet. Frustrating that the right one is fine though! To be clear I think the big toe is rubbing on the stiff section at the end of the toe box as the nail is now bruised. The insoles are thin and flimsy so maybe changing them will help?
  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    cougie wrote:
    Try the above but sounds like you need better fitting shoes. Ifou d specialized to come out as pretty wide.

    Agreed, my commuting shoes are Specialized and I have no problems with them.
  • zefs
    zefs Posts: 484
    Camcycle1974 wrote:
    zefs wrote:
    Move the cleat 10mm to the back and see if the numbness goes away. Does it happen from the start of your ride?

    I already have them as far back as they will go. The pain starts about 10 miles in and gets worse until my foot goes numb. My other shoes are Specialized and no such issue so maybe Fizik just aren't a good fir for my feet. Frustrating that the right one is fine though! To be clear I think the big toe is rubbing on the stiff section at the end of the toe box as the nail is now bruised. The insoles are thin and flimsy so maybe changing them will help?

    Then it's the shoe. If you feel the toe when you wear them it's either too small size or not wide enough for you(or both) . Insoles that are less thick on the front part like giro supernatural can give more space to the toes but I don't think it would help in your case because it happens very early on your rides.
  • david7m
    david7m Posts: 636
    Specialized here also and no problems:)
    Dave
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Camcycle1974 wrote:
    To be clear I think the big toe is rubbing on the stiff section at the end of the toe box as the nail is now bruised. The insoles are thin and flimsy so maybe changing them will help?

    If your toe is rubbing anywhere on the shoe, then the shoes are simply too small. If the insoles are already 'thin and flimsy' then fitting a 'thinner and flimsier' insole is probably not an option. While fitting a thicker insole is likely to exacerbate the problem anyway. Put them on ebay and buy something bigger...
  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    Imposter wrote:
    Camcycle1974 wrote:
    To be clear I think the big toe is rubbing on the stiff section at the end of the toe box as the nail is now bruised. The insoles are thin and flimsy so maybe changing them will help?

    If your toe is rubbing anywhere on the shoe, then the shoes are simply too small. If the insoles are already 'thin and flimsy' then fitting a 'thinner and flimsier' insole is probably not an option. While fitting a thicker insole is likely to exacerbate the problem anyway. Put them on ebay and buy something bigger...

    Sadly I think this is the best course of action :( It's surprising how bad a pair of ill fitting shoes can make you feel on the bike. I have tried to ignore it but the nagging pain is really annoying. Also tempting to sell the pedals and just go back to the SPD's I was using before with no issue!
  • zefs
    zefs Posts: 484
    Road shoes are better if you are doing a lot of km's and give a wider platform cleat. Some say cleat size doesn't matter because of sole stiffness, but I guess you would need the stiffest mtb shoe (like Shimano XC9) to compensate which could be as expensive as road shoes. But if the mtb shoes weren't giving you any issues then no reason to change.
  • Bottom briquettes
    Bottom briquettes Posts: 198
    The gel insoles I talked about earlier certainly help me. With the standard insoles, no matter where I positioned the cleats, after a hundred miles or so, my feet and toes got achy. With the gel insoles, and exactly the same set up, on the same route, I got all the way round ( 160 odd miles ) with no aches.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Bottom briquettes wrote:
    The gel insoles I talked about earlier certainly help me.

    Gel insoles are not relevant to the OP's problem. His shoes are too small.
  • Bottom briquettes
    Bottom briquettes Posts: 198
    Imposter wrote:
    Bottom briquettes wrote:
    The gel insoles I talked about earlier certainly help me.

    Gel insoles are not relevant to the OP's problem. His shoes are too small.

    Possibly, but even so, unless they are massively too small, the gel insoles would help ( in my vastly superior experience)
  • navrig2
    navrig2 Posts: 1,844
    I tend to prefer slightly broader shoes and have Specialized to be a good fit (MTB shoes and now on 2nd pair of Spesh road shoes). My 2nd pair of road shoes gave me hot spots after 50 miles or so but this was fixed with Specialized Footbeds.

    I now avoid narrow brands such as Shimano, Fizik, Giro etc.

    North Wave winter boots were more roomy but I used a thicker orthotic insole to take up some volume.

    I doubt that the toe bashing on the stiff sole is the issue. I'd suggest the toe box is too narrow.

    Stick Specialized.
  • alistaird
    alistaird Posts: 290
    IMHO - and having experienced numb toes through cycling and skiing - normally caused by compression from the sides causing pressure on one of the nerves. For me Fizik are one of the best as they have a very high instep which prevents my instep from collapsing under pressure - spreading the toes and then causing the nerves to be pinched. Solved the problem in ski boots with similar type of cork insole to support the instep.

    I also can get numbness in the toes through pressure on the ball of the foot for similar reasons - so I would try different options - it could be the high instep is causing some pressure elsewhere and in the toe box so a new insole might help with a lower instep?

    A
    Alistair


    Best Weather Bike - Time ZXRS
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  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    Thanks for the suggestions. It may be that I need some expert advice with footbeds etc. Funny that I don't have an issue with my right foot but that could just be the fact that my left is larger.
  • david7m
    david7m Posts: 636
    Draw round them on paper like at school :D
    Dave
  • photonic69
    photonic69 Posts: 2,423
    You could try and find a local Specialized stockist that carries the BodyGeometry range of footbeds. They have a range of 3 for different arch support. I recently replaced my Shimano stock footbed with the middle support model. It really helped my knee issue I had when fatigued my knee would track inwards.

    The stockist will also carry a range of shoes you can try in conjunction with the footbeds to see if you can find a perfect fit for your feet. I think you will find a better solutiuon this way rather than on-line buying and trying and ultimately wasting money


    Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly.

  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    I do like the Spesh footbeds, despite the pricing.
    No rhyme or reason, but my S Works road shoes, need a green in the right shoe and a red in the left.
    Self diagnosis, 3 years ago , when I got a burning knee pain after an hours ride with a red in both.
  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    PhotoNic69 wrote:
    You could try and find a local Specialized stockist that carries the BodyGeometry range of footbeds. They have a range of 3 for different arch support. I recently replaced my Shimano stock footbed with the middle support model. It really helped my knee issue I had when fatigued my knee would track inwards.

    The stockist will also carry a range of shoes you can try in conjunction with the footbeds to see if you can find a perfect fit for your feet. I think you will find a better solutiuon this way rather than on-line buying and trying and ultimately wasting money

    Handily enough my LBS is a Specialized Body fit Centre. Might go in with the shoes and try some footbeds as a first option.
  • david7m
    david7m Posts: 636
    Leisure lakes Wolverhampton have a heat reactive plate you put your feet on to measure contact area, then you match to picture to identify insole needed. I was also medium blue, but didn't ride without them.
    Dave

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