st3venb

This is hard to explain, but I'm going to try and see what you guys think.

When coasting, I usually use one foot to "hold my weight", instead of sitting on the seat and using my sit bones to support my body... This might be the root of my problem, but I'll explain it anyway.

After about an hour and a half, my feet start developing "hot spots"... that's the best way to explain this... around my pinky toe area, and the front pad of my foot. I've google'd the **** out of it, and played with my cleat alignment... Alas I still develop these hotspots. Some suggest new shoes, others suggest my fit is off.

Have any of you guys had similar experiences? Did you get a fit and it was resolved? Did you buy new shoes?

background: I got a rudimentary fit from my bikeshop when I bought my bike.

slowandsteady

Common problem. It can be fixed with insoles with a metatarsal button. Specialized makes some.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr...ighperformance

st3venb

I've seen these and wondered if they really worked, cause... damn they're expensive to play around with.

I've got a significantly high arch, so I would be looking at a "green" set?

slowandsteady

Yes they are pricey but they work. I have a set for my shoes. The green are for high arches. They have the arch-o-meter thingy in stores that sell Specialized. You can get fitted/measured before you buy. At least then you would know if you are getting the right ones. It might make the $50 hurt a little less.

st3venb

Thank you, I'll have to give these a shot.

NWS Alpine

I use Louis Garneau Thermo Cool insoles which are heat moldable and have the metatarsal support bump. They were a huge help in my last pair of shoes and better than the specialized BG insoles. My latest shoes they still helped but not as drastic. I have Bont Vaypors and the entire shoe is a carbon tub that is fully heat moldable. The fit is perfect even without insoles.

st3venb

Was this a custom option? Or do you just use like a hair dryer then stick your foot in and mold them yourselves? Also, the heat on most of my rides is in the 115+* F... would that have an affect / possibility of remolding them?


Also, if you don't mind me asking, what'd you end up paying for your shoes?

NWS Alpine

The shoes and insoles both need to be baked in the oven for about 20 mins at 160-170 degrees. It won't be affected by riding in heat. You can mold the shoes and insoles at home yourself. The Bont Vaypors retail at $399 and you can get a ton of custom options that make the price go way up. Bont also offers a service where you go to a specialist and they mold your feet and custom build your shoes but this is about 1K+ and really best suited for some people with medical conditions or too much money.

Their facebook page has a lot of pics of their custom offerings. You can get speedplay drillings or the entire shoe made of carbon or even laces. The vaypor has a carbon tub that almost fully covers your foot.

This is the older model torn apart. It's all carbon and all heat moldable.Extremely stiff, thin, and light.

uncrx2003

I'm getting a set of custom foot levelers. They are really expensive but insurance it paying for 80% of it. So check with your insurance, you may have orthotics coverage.

st3venb

I think my next stop is the BG Fit... My left hip has been bothering me on longer walks, and I think I might have a leg that's longer than the other... or I'm just a gimp... I dunno.

Machka 

Move your cleats back as far as they will go.


As soon as I did that ... my hotspots were gone.

st3venb

I tried that too.

Looigi

IMO, a lot of issues with hot spots or numbness are cause by shoes that are too tight or narrow. The foot needs to be able to move a little in the shoe to relieve pressure on the sole of the foot as you pedal.

st3venb

Yeah, I have wide shoes and I'm able to move my toes / feet around... even after they've had time to swell.

NWS Alpine

I've found the opposite for me. My feet should not move at all or else I do get hotspots. I can undo the velcro and buckle and my foot will stay still because it's properly molded and evenly distributes force across a wide area. If my foot swells which it normally does I don't lose anything my loosening the upper.

Rob13

I bought some specialized s works shoes and insoles, solved my problem..

gg-madone

yep I used to get that in my feet also. in my case it was the natural angle of my foot. cleat and insole wedges helped. I had 07 specialized BG Pro shoes. but the pain was still there. I deduced that the pain was from the edge of the foot bed. I switched to Bont Vaypors because of the tub design of the foot bed and I have happy feet!

WHOOOSSHHH...

Don't even know my feet are down there..unless it's cold!

trickky

I use Align insoles and had a fit which solved most of my hot spot issues. It was interesting during my fit how my right leg alignment was quickly remedied with the insoles. A simple laser on my pedaling rotation was quick proof. It took a couple of attempts to get the cleats just right, but hot spots are not really a problem now.

I had to use some older Campy pedals recently while my Look's were in for warranty, and I realized the smaller platform of the Campy (profit's) were killing me! For me, a larger pedal platform distributes my weight over a bigger area thus reducing hot spots. Maybe consider the pedals you're using as well?

slowandsteady

Perhaps, but my shoes cannot be any more loose than they are. In fact the other night I rode right out of my shoe because they are so loose. The only thing that has helped is the insoles.

ultraman6970

Have you ever wonder that maybe you feet are swollen after an hour and thats why you get the problem?? Someguys get pain in the toes, other ones get hot spots when the feet are starting to swell.

The specialized insoles are good stuff but there is a detail, if he has no room in the shoes the BG insoles will tight even more his feet inside of the shoe and will be even worse and he will start complaining again

You said the shoes are lose???

What shoes are u using???

.

CJ_Clyde

You'll be lucky if an off the shelf metatarsal button insole fixes your problem. My experience is that the correct placement if this button is critical - front to back, side to side, and height. I've used metatarsal supports from the drug store with a sticky surface that can be moved around, and have also placed a thin pad the size of a quarter under the ball of my foot down from the big toe. Finally had to get a stiffer pair of soles in a SIDI shoe as well. Seems to be fixed for now.

slowandsteady

I know the conventional wisdom is that stiffer soled shoes help, but for me when I went from plastic shoes to much stiffer carbon fiber the issue got significantly worse.

st3venb

The Specialized bg fit insoles seem to be helping... She noticed that I have HUGE arches and that I was probably flattening out my arch under power causing my knees to deflect in... Anyway, they seem to be working for now... Will post back to this thread later when I've got some miles under them.



I have some cheapy specialized r540s or something... they're a 47... and an E equivalent.

ultraman6970

Those have to be shimano... not bad shoes...