Hi Everyone.
I am new in this forum.
I have a problem with my spd shoes. After 1hr 30mins of cycling my toes starts hurting and eventually get numb. Could it be the size of my shoes are abit small?
By the way, my pedals and shoes are shimano.
Regards Andrew

Most common cause for feet numbness after a short time is the shoes are too tight. Try to loosen them a bit and see if that helps.

Feet tend to swell a bit after you've been on the bike a while. It helps if you have room to loosen them up. I've been using some nice Sidi mtb shoes with SPD cleats for several years now, and I've not had any trouble with numbness of hot spots, even on the longest rides. But I have needed to loosen them a time or two during the ride.

Thanks...I guess I need to buy another pair of shoes then :)
What does MTB stands for?

mtb = mountain bike. Sometimes numbness can be caused by poor cleat placement under your shoes. It has been my problem with a pair of crappy pedals that I dug out of the "salvation can" in my local bike shop (lbs, you'll see that lingo quite often also): I just could fit the cleats in one specific angle so they would engage on the pedals. For a quick commute, I didn't mind, but for long distances = totally different. You can try different cleat position under the ball of your foot to get proper alignment/pressure/power. It takes a little time, but once dialed in.... sheer pleasure!

Thanks! I will try that also!
If I buy for example sidi spd shoes, will the shimano cleats be compatible with the shoes?

The most likely culprit is that your cleat is making you pedal with your toes. Move the cleat back a bit and see if that helps. Even the bike shop experts can place your cleats too forward for you. Where the pressure exerts itself can depend on how you pedal, even if the cleat appears to position the ball of the foot right over the pedal spindle.

The most likely culprit is that your cleat is making you pedal with your toes. Move the cleat back a bit and see if that helps. Even the bike shop experts can place your cleats too forward for you. Where the pressure exerts itself can depend on how you pedal, even if the cleat appears to position the ball of the foot right over the pedal spindle.

This was the biggest help for me. I wear Forte (Performance house brand) MTB shoes, and even though they're not the priciest of footwear, they're comfortable for all day on the bike. When I had my fitting done at the LBS, they moved my cleats back based on the fact that I was planning on more long distance riding.

Thanks! I will try that also!
If I buy for example sidi spd shoes, will the shimano cleats be compatible with the shoes?

Yes, the bolt pattern is the same for all spd style cleats. The outer shape of the cleat however is not always the same. That is why they sell the cleat with the pedal and not the shoe. That way the cleat is guaranteed to fit the pedal, and will still be the same bolt pattern to fit any shoe that is spd style.

If I buy for example sidi spd shoes...

Try all the other suggestions first, and don't look at new shoes until you're sure your current shoes are too tight. Then you might wear two pair of socks when you go try in the new ones. :)

I had the same problem with my SPD shoes, I bought another pair of Specialized MTB shoes one size larger and that solved my problems. And Walter is right, your feet do swell up and you may need to loosen your shoes during the ride. I've seen guys in the Tour de France loosen their shoes.

mtb = mountain bike.


Huh! Some reason I thought it was 'mountain terrain bicycle'.

Ok then I will try to position my cleats backward. If problem persists I will go for a 1size larger spd shoes.
Thanks for your great help guys!