Recumbent - Numb feet riding my 'bent

Hi Everyone,

I am newish to recumbent riding and have found that after about half and hour of riding my feet develop pins and needles and then go numb. I currently have platform pedals on my bent, while I learn to ride it. Does anyone know what is causing my feet to go numb and how I can cure it? I like riding my bent as it is faster and more comfortable than my old upright.:)

Hi Everyone,

I am newish to recumbent riding and have found that after about half and hour of riding my feet develop pins and needles and then go numb. I currently have platform pedals on my bent, while I learn to ride it. Does anyone know what is causing my feet to go numb and how I can cure it? I like riding my bent as it is faster and more comfortable than my old upright.:)
Do a search here and on BROL and you will find MANY variations on cures. The short prescription is clipless. cleats all the way toward the heel, and keep your shoes/sandals loose.

Chip

Do a search here and on BROL and you will find MANY variations on cures. The short prescription is clipless. cleats all the way toward the heel, and keep your shoes/sandals loose.

Chip

Agreed. Your feet will swell a little as you ride, which puts added pressure on them. I usually curl my toes and arch my feet as I tie the laces on my shoes, which gives enough space for me. While I'm riding, if I feel my feet going numb, I can either stop and re-tie my shoes so they're looser, or I just curl my toes for a few minutes (without stopping) which usually clears things up for a while.

It also helps to spin the pedals rather than mash. I try to keep my cadence around 90rpm. This also helps, because you never put too much pressure on your feet. Clipless pedals help tremendously when you're spinning.

Finally, you may want to add a piece of open-cell foam to the bottom of your seat, this may help relieve any pressure that it applies to your tailbone, and the nerves around it.

Hi Everyone,

I am newish to recumbent riding and have found that after about half and hour of riding my feet develop pins and needles and then go numb. I currently have platform pedals on my bent, while I learn to ride it. Does anyone know what is causing my feet to go numb and how I can cure it? I like riding my bent as it is faster and more comfortable than my old upright.:)


When my feet go numb, it's time to stop and get up and off......usually just by changing my position, is enough to relieve the feet.

Nice bike there. But in your case it may be that your pedals are higher than your seat.

On my bent, my pedals are slightly below my seat and I still get numb feet like you describe. I'm adjusting the seat angle to see if that has an effect. But I may try a better, more comfy seat also.

Nice bike there. But in your case it may be that your pedals are higher than your seat.
On my bent, my pedals are slightly below my seat and I still get numb feet like you describe. I'm adjusting the seat angle to see if that has an effect. But I may try a better, more comfy seat also.
If it really bothers you, you may have to get a bike witha lower BB.

There are "sort-of" ways around the numb-feet issue (different shoes, going clipless [which lets you lace your shooes looser], wiggling your feet inside your shoes) but the main factor seems to be how high the BB is relative to the seat. SWB's, low- and high-racers are the ones commonly asking about this problem. LWB's and CLWB's usually have their BB's set fairly low, and it's rare to hear a LWB rider complain of numb feet. And of course, upright bike riders have their BB's set really low, and it's extremely rare to hear of a recreational upright rider ever having the problem, at all.

And that includes me: my first bent was a SWB, and I did get the problem with numb feet. For other reasons I got a LWB, and never get numb feet on it.
~

Thanks for the info. It looks like I will have to save up and buy a set of clipless pedal and a new (wider) pair of shoes. I probably have had my shoes tied to tight as I used to occasionally get numb feet on my DF. I have to ride more so that I get used to spinning.

I always got hot feet after about 30 miles or so - anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. Getting at the 60 mile mark usually caused two toes on my right foot to go NUMB. On a whim before the Hotter N Hell I bought specialized inserts for my SIDI shoes, and POOF, no more hot foot. I didn't get off the bike for 60 miles, and did a total of 108 that day, with no discomfort whatsoever.

So it could be you need to replace the crappy insert in your shoe :) Mi SIDIs are now even more comfy than my sandals.

I did a century yesterday and the "hot feet" hit me again around the 60-mile mark. I came here last night, searched the forum and found this link:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=219330&highlight=Hot+foot+hot+feet
and even looked into the "Superfeet" product (premium insoles for any activity). Their site recommended the gray model that is made for cyclists, hockey/figure skaters. The site wasn't clear on whether there was a difference between a road cyclist and a recumbent cyclist. I went to our local REI, but evidently the "gray" insole is a new product they didn't have yet. So, I got talked into the "green" insoles, but would still like to know (I can always move the "green" insole to some hiking shoes). Anyone have insight here?
Thanks,
MikeB

Metatarsal arch supports did it for me. bk