Numb toe!
 

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same. When riding my right toe becomes numb. I'm assuming it has something to do with sitting on the seat. Maybe it's cutting off blood supply or pinching a nerve :eek: (be nice!)

If you have experience this and found a solution, please post. Thanks.

I often have my foot, or sometimes both feet fall asleep. This goes hand-in-hand with mashing up a tough hill, and lingers for a long time after.

My solution to it, while riding, is to try to get pressure off the pad of my foot by pedaling for awhile with a "pull-up" motion. I avoid pushing down on the pedals at all. This gets the weight off my foot, and gives me a bit of space to then start wiggling my toes. Once the blood is flowing again, the feeling returns to normal.

Sometimes I confuse the numbness with just plain cold.

Having good shoes helps alot. Since I got better fitting shoes, this has been much less of an issue than it was in the past.

I had that problem when I was using gym shoes on platform pedals. Since I've gone clipless and gotten proper shoes I've had no problems

I used to get numb-toes too. What often worked for me was to lighten up the load on that foot or click out and wiggle it a bit. However, one day, I had loaded my bike in the hitch rack for a long drive to go check out a nice area for some riding. Once I got there, I realised I had forgotten my socks (I was wearing sandals). I quickly located the nearest bike shop which happened to be an REI. When I strolled over to the section of the store that sold cycling socks, I was confronted with a wall of different brands and colours. I started looking for the brand I already owned, Pearl Izumi. Upon finding them, I picked up a pair and on the packaging was a sizing chart that equated shoe size to the sock size. It suddenly dawned on me that I had been wearing a small when I should have been wearing a medium. I purchased 3 pairs of mediums (it was buy two, get one free) and went riding. Surprise! No more numb-toes at all. And I haven't had a case ever since. Something else to think about...

Do you ride clipless? When I first switched over from platforms, I noticed a numb toes problem. I realized that I was putting too much pressure on the balls of my feet, causing the numbness. I guess it telegraphs through the thin road shoes more easily than a pair of 'regular' shoes on platforms?

Anyway, I've since trained myself to keep my toes loose as I ride, wiggling them every so often to make sure the blood circulates. Think 'circles' when pedaling which uses a more uniform push AND pull effort. It relaxes my feet and improves my pedaling cadence, too! :D

In my case, it wasn't a problem with the socks.

Well, it's not cold here - I thought it was something I was sitting on! :eek: (nerve, blood vessel)

Yes, i'm using tennis shoes and platforms.

Every time my toes become numb it is because I have laced too tight. I stop, release, and the numbness goes away. You would think I would have learned by now!!:o

This is especially interesting to me...my toes get so bad that as I add on more miles as the weather improves, the toenail on both of my fourth toes actually falls off. Talk about numbness! I ride simple platform, no clips or cages, and I take care to buy the right size shoes and socks. My saddle is a Terry Raven and I love it-- no numbness there.
I have been considering trying cages for the first time but I'm nervous about being "attached to the bike". I realize practice will help with this, though.
Any advice?

Try superglue - :p - j/k

In my opinion, clipless is much safer than clips or cages.

I'll second that. I'd recommend clipless or stick with platforms but I'd avoid toe-clips and straps. I'm on the fence about PowerStraps as I've not had long enough experience with them to see if they're worth it.

I used clips and cages for a few weeks last semester...I fell at every stop. Partly because I was used to twisting my foot out..Which you can't do with cages.