[ericp_ca]

I regularly do over 75 miles on my rides, occasionally going over 100. Two main problems arise, saddle sore (but who isn't) and toe pain. It usually starts at the 40th mile or so, like if something would pinch my big toe on the nail and bottom. Pain stops 5 or 10 minutes after I'm off the bike. Sometimes, it does not happen, but I have remarked that it almost automatically triggers on hilly courses, but not necessarily on the toughest portion...

I have been professionally fitted on my bike, I use clipless Shimano with high-end Sidi leather shoes with stiff soles, size 14, I wear professionally molded custom orthotics (flat-foot). I have done indoor training with coaches where I learned how to push and pull correctly.

My cadence seems to be slower than others, with a tendency to push big gears. I never really focused on this problem, but considering a long trip next year, I'd like to fix this. Anyone having experienced such toe pain ?

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[G Boehne]

YES, I have experienced the same pain for the past 6 weeks, since my long rides have lengthened to more than 40 miles. Comparing other notes, the pain does not start before 40 miles or more and disappears quickly after I get off the bike. It is a terrible burning pain, almost exclusively on one foot. I too wear custom orthotics. I wear Shimano shoes that give me no problems other than this. The long rides that aren't particularly hilly, don't seem to cause much problem. I have had surgery to remove a neuroma on that foot but I don't think it it related, then again I don't know what to blame this on.
Frustrating, since I want to do a century ride Sept 15 and this is my only concern. So I am looking for the same help you are! I am considering two measures, the first is Ibuprofen before I start and then after 40-50 miles and the second is to stop for 10 minutes or so and massage my foot when I feel the onset of pain. BTW, I am 61 so I guess that isn't working in my favor.

Gerry

[cycle2work]

Yeah, I get very bad pains in my feet - not in the toes themselves but around where the toes connect to the balls of my feet. The pain also seems to start after at least 30-40 miles, and it goes away for awhile after a 10 minute rest. It's definitely worse the harder I press on the pedals. I find pulling up on the pedals helps when the pain gets bad.

I'm new to clipless pedals (used them for about 600 miles) and am ready to toss them and my shoes in the trash, and go back to toe clips and running shoes.

I'm using a Lake mountain-style (SPD) shoe. (I went with Lake because I have a wide 13EEE foot and they're one of the few shoes that have an extra-wide width.)

I started with Shimano M520 pedals and guessed their relatively small contact area was contributing to my pain. I just put on a cheapo set of Nashbar 'sport' SPD pedals with a wider contact area. Seems better than the M520's but still excruciating pain around the 35 mile mark. (After that, rest off the bike 10 mins, then ride another 20 miles or so, repeat until end of ride.)

Tried moving the cleats back. Tried moving the cleats forward. Tried all sorts of inserts in the shoe. Believe it or not, I even went to the extent of cutting out inserts out of 'masonite' wood to give the most solid platform I could think of. Maybe solid steel inserts would do it?

Hmmm.... toe clips and plain old shoes were fine....

I wonder for those of us who have not been lucky with the first clipless pedal/shoe selection, how many dollars have you spent trying different shoes, pedals, inserts and so on?

Has anyone given up on clipless because of pain issues that couldn't be resolved no matter how much money you threw at the problem?

[truman]

Wiggle your toes for 15 seconds or so every couple of miles - it helps.

[Hezz]

Here are a few suggestions to try. If using SPD type clipless pedals try the kind that are built into a platform pedal. This should give a lot of extra contact area for the shoe. Some mountain bike shoes don't really have a very stiff sole. Usually only the carbon fiber ones have a really stiff sole. Expensive but worth it when you can get them. Make sure your shoes fit and are comfortable.

Try a orthodic if you haven't already. Try getting off of the bike and walking for a couple of minutes when the pain starts. This helps to get blood circulation in your foot better.

Most likely the shoes you have don't fit your foot well. I can't imagine running shoes working better than bike shoes even on a platform pedal. The soles are too soft. But it is possible to have a small bone spur that is aggravated by stiff sole shoes. Softer soled running shoes may give in the place where the spur is.

If the biking shoes are too narrow it will squeeze the bones of your foot together and combined with the pedaling motion can cause pain.

Another option is to try wider free ride shoes that have SPD mounts on a SPD platform pedal. These shoes might run wider and have a more flexible sole.