Originally Posted by
fietsbob
anecdote offerers, to the contrary, tell the OP your secret?
I did, shoe volume. Particularly in the front of the shoe. Plus, the OP is long gone, this is a seven year old thread.
The shoes I am using right now are Giro HV mid-range MTB shoe. They probably are relatively stiff through the center of the sole, but I can feel them flex when walking.
One strange thing about shoes is that they can irritate the front of your foot by being too high or pinching at the ankle. There are two nerve bundles that go into the foot, and one of the easiest places to pinch them is at the ankle. I had some shoes that seem to give problems there.
The person that resurrected this thread mentioned his wife had problems after wearing high heels. I assume these caused her feet to swell. Hard to see another mechanism.
I also use prescription orthotics with a metatarsal bump. The bump spreads the toes so the nerves going to the toes don't get pinched. I don't get numb toes any more, but I don't think people describe numb toes as hotfoot. You can get add-on metatarsal pads or insoles with them built in.
Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
I do think there is something to saddle height in general, though. Left to my own devices, I've tended to adjust my saddle a little too high, and that results in toes-down pedaling that repeatedly pushes my feet toward the front of the shoes. Lowering my saddle so that my feet are in a relatively flat position helped a little with my foot pain situation.
I tend to pedal toes-down when I'm tired. My seat is probably a bit too high, but no more than 4mm. Pedaling toes down has the effect of moving it down quite a bit. Not sure it's worth messing with, I just try not to smoosh my toes too much. I have a lot of bad habits after 300km, I try to keep things together the best I can and practice good form while training.