photonick

FWIW yes i used the search function and read the previous threads.

Since I've been back on the bike heavily my foot numbness has come back. Before I had to stop riding I had the same problem and it apparently isn't going away. When I start riding after about 30-45 minutes my toes and ball of foot go tingly/numb. Sometimes after really long rides I remembered them going totally numb at this point it's just more of an asleep feeling.

I have Shimano RO85 road shoes I picked up for free with my REI dividend so I'm not super attached to them, they paired with Speedplays. I have an orthopedic insert for my super high arches and I've run the shoes tight and so lose my heel was coming out, neither way really helped. I used to have this problem with my Shimano cheap SPD mountain bike shoes. I feel like I've tried everything and nothing has helped I know it's not cold because I've mostly been riding in 80-90 degree weather and it's no better or no worse really than when it's cold. FWIW my seat is a Fizik Arione and I feel like I have a pretty good fit.


What would you guys do, it's beyond HTFU, it makes it unpleasant to train.

johnny99

Are you feet really big? Try moving the cleats backwards a little (so your ball is in front of the pedal axle). If that doesn't work, bigger shoes might be what you need.

mcoomer

Before you buy new shoes try tweaking the cleat placement, try thicker or thinner socks, try a different or no insert, and tighter or loosened straps. Play around with what you've got and you will probably find a setup that works for you. If not then get some new shoes.

I've got problem feet as well (had surgery to fix the arch on my left one) and had a bear of a time finding the right shoes, cleats, and pedals so I feel you. If you do have to get new shoes get something that can be adjusted. Shimano has their customizable shoe that you can vacuum form at home but I bought Specialized S-Works Boas and the bike shop used a heat gun to tweak the soles of those shoes till I was satisified.

Mike

Febs

My shoes caused some numbness in my left foot on longer rides, at first. Thinner socks eliminated the problem. It's also possible that the shoes loosened up a bit as I broke them in.

photonick

I've tried both thick and thin socks, and I have played with cleat playment, slightly. Before I got sick and had to stop riding I got shut down with a knee injury from irresponsibly adjusting my bike fit with no rhyme or reason. I'd just move my seat up and down here, forward and back there, play with the cleats and I ended up not being able to spin on a trainer long enough to get a good fit my knees hurt so bad.
A great fitter at Santa Monica CA Helen's Cycles fit me and fixed the knee pain and I've been hesitant to change anything like seat fore-aft and cleat.

I'd like to avoid spending any money on new shoes if I don't have to, i'd rather save the money for gas to go on riding trips and put away for a new set of wheels.

Also forgot to say I usually wear thin socks, but thick socks didn't help either, and it's a 100% NOT a temperature issue.

MONGO!

If the answer to your question is "Sidi" did you really need to ask?

Captain Slow

No doubt the BF style police will make me turn in my membership card, but here's my suggestion (and you ain't gonna like it):

Try a pair of platform pedals with clips & straps.

I know, I know. There's about 3,000 of you staring daggers at my avatar right now. Oh blasphemy!

Look, I was an early clipless adopter, somewhere around 1991. Had foot numbness problems all through the '90s, figured it was due to super stuff cycling footwear and my much bigger mileage... I just kind of put up with it.

Then in 1999 - 2000, I spent a year working in France. There, nobody other than the REALLY SERIOUS amateurs and pro-grade teams used clipless. Everybody else I rode with, from commuters and casual recreational riders to athlete-wannabes like myself... used clip & strap pedals. So, I did too. My foot numbness went away.

Upon my return to the US, I ordered & installed Performance Bike's small "Bear Trap" style MTB pedals, (not nearly as Fred as they sound) plus their ABS plastic clips & nylon straps on both road bikes and my hybrid. It is possible to adjust them for nearly as much control as I used to enjoy from the clipless pedals, anyway, it's good enough for me.

No need to get ugly, folks... I'd NEVER recommend anybody else doing something so... so retro... so "recreational cyclist" to their bike. All I know is, it solved my problem, 100%

photonick

I appreciate the advice but I just can't go back to clipped pedals, i'd almost rather deal with this. No hate, it's not for everyone, but I just can't do it.

As far as SIDI goes, I'm definitely going to try those for my next shoes, maybe even a pair of Ergo 2's at first I thought it was stupid to pay that much for shoes, but now I realize if you can't enjoy your ride...what the hell is the point?! I also like the looks of DMT's and Times, and I'll probably try the heat moldable Shimanos...but I thought I'd get a lot of life out of these RO85s...to be frank...how the hell do you even know when you need new shoes?!?!?!

Captain Slow

Understood! My reply was halfway tongue in cheek. I salute your dedication.

I know you're not looking forward to buying new shoes, but perhaps that's just what you need. One thing I do know about cycling specific shoes is that they're cut way different, brand to brand. Then there's the problem of what feels okay in the shop and what works on a five or six hour ride.

Maybe you can open a new post, looking for other riders' shoe suggestions. Foot numbness is pretty common among cyclists, I'm sure that there are many others besides us who have problems with it.

Good luck!

photonick

Thanks man, nah no more new threads on this there are so many shoe choice threads I think I'll be fine! I already post too much don't want to clutter the board anymore than I have to. The only reason I posted this is because it seems all the threads on foot numbness I read were having to do with cold weather which is not my case.

Campag4life

Numbness is a precursor to nerve damage. Do a search...I dedicated a thread to Numbness and Hot Spots with a lot of great input. Ask me how I know as I am recovering from it right now...Morton's neuroma. Do not ride with numbness. You don't necessarily have to replace your shoes. You need a lot of room in the toe box and you need to support the metatarsal arch underneath such that the metatarsal heads do not crash into one another when you apply pressure. Your foot is likley pronating or imploding which causes a neuroma.
As to the poster that talked about platform pedals. Right on. I know there is OCP backlash riding with friends but if they can't drop you and you have bad foot like I do from riding clipless many years with the wrong shoes then you are fine. I will likley clip in next year but now I am enjoying riding my bike like 95% of the riding population on the planet who doesn't clip in.
I btw have recently tried on a bunch of shoes. The Specialized S-works with rotory thread is an amazing shoe and maybe the shoe I will ultimately go back to clipping in.

6Stringer

I have a pair of the Specialized shoes with the Body Geometry features. Basically the shoes have an bump in them to keep the bones in your foot spread apart slighlty (prevents pinching of nerves and blood vessels) and a slight wedge effect to help line your knee up. I don't recall what model I have, but they cost me about $110 this spring. They've been great.

Are both your feet going numb? Could it be the pedals. Speedplays are small and concentrate the pressure in a smaller area. I've heard a few people complain of numbness that went away when they switched pedals.

TX3.0

lol "train."

photonick

? terse wit isn't needed here.

JoelS

I have the same problem. For me the answer is new shoes. Over the last month, I've probably tried on 18 different brands of shoes, some in a couple of widths. Lots of different sizes. Nothing really fit.

What I'm getting at is you need shoes that fit. Try on every pair you can get your hands on. Something somewhere should fit right. Unless you have feet like mine...

robncircus

I was having some numbness for a while as well. Switched out my Speedplays to Ritchey Pro Peloton pedals and it seems to have gone away (nothing for the last 3 weeks). Might not be your issue but could be worth a try. I have some 105 level Shimano SPD-L pedals you're welcome to try. PM me and let me know.

Rob

Davidlean

This may or may help, but I once had a similar problem. I have Didora shoes that have both laces and a velcro strap. My right foot started to experience numbness. I did all sorts of adjustments, until finally I realized that the laces were cutting off the circulation and nerves to the toes. It didn't matter how loose I tied them. Eventually I found that using the velcro strap alone was sufficient for a secure fit. So one possible guess is there may be some pressure on the top of your foot from your shoe that is creating a problem.

For me, there has never been an issue with my left foot. Only my right.

Steve BT1

I also had very similar problems with foot numbness after about 15 miles. Started riding more seriously about 18 moths ago, with entry level specialized, went to $300 SIDI’s (my opinion very poor foot liner) then added an upgraded specialized foot liner and saw a great improvemnet. Also kept creeping the cleat position back, that also helped. Use Shimano Ultegra pedals.

I now use the Specialized Pro Carbon shoe approx $230, in both the road and trail versions. They are lighter that the SIDI’s in this price range and very stiff. I highly recommend them and they should be considered.

Go out and try on all the brands in the $150 to $250 range and also consult with your LBS for advice on cleat position.

Your feet will thank you.

Steve

kudude

something no one has pointed out yet --
the numbness may be due to poor circulation. A friend of mine switched saddles and his numbness problem went away.

food for thought.

c_m_shooter

I stated having that problem recently and it was just that my insoles were worn out. I got a pair of Specialized BG insoles from one of the loal shops here. They had a thing that you stand on barefoot and compare the picture left to a chart to select which of the three insoles is correct for your arches. I have never felt more comfortable in shoes than I have with these new insoles in my SPD shoes. I may buy more to put in all of my shoes, not just my biking shoes.

photonick

That's interesting because there have been instances when I climbed really hard in my arione i'd get cramps in my inner thighs. Then again I had these tingling and numbness problem with my old bonty saddle too.

jaxgtr

I had some of these same issues with various pedals, both road and mtb, and ended up going with the Time Alium pedals as they have a slightly wider platform for my foot. More of my foot would sit on the outside edge of my pedal even with the cleat adjusted to the inside. I have a wide foot and the the narrow and small pedals were killing me. I also bought some Shimano M122 shoes. I've had 5 rides and about 16 hrs on these pedals now and the numbness seems to have gone away. I'm hoping it stays that way. I opted to go low end on the new pedal as I did not want to dump $100 or more on pedals that might not work. I am very happy with them.

Something else to consider is the Q-factor. I got some pedal extenders and moved my pedals out an additional 18mm and it really helped as well.

photonick

Well I'm going to try those 105 SPD-SL's for a week and see if the pedals are the problem, I really hope not, cuz i got these shoes no money out of my pocket, but the speed plays, that's another story. I really love the speedplay system too. The idea that speedplays give hot spots doesn't make sense to because even though the pedals are super small the cleat isn't much smaller than an SPD-SL or Look cleat and it's really the cleat that distributes the pressure to the shoe. Once the speedplay "lollipop" is clipped into the cleat it's like one giant pedal.

photonick

On my ride home from work I stopped by my LBS and they let me try on some Sidi Genius 5.5's wow i can't believe how different the feeling is from the shimanos, I don't even think i'd need an orthopedic insert in those. They fit so tight and snug, my shimanos have so much space in the shoe and I can always always slid them off. They were also very very flexy compared to the Sidi's could any of this play into it?

Beaker

Perhaps you might benefit from a road shoe w/ a stiffer sole.