Took my new Giro for a 16 mile ride yesterday and couldn't feel my toes after about mile 11.

I recall reading about other folks having the same issue here, so what's the solution?

Thanks!

Couple suggestions. One, move the cleats as far back toward your heel as you can on the shoes.
Two, try reclining a bit more as that will change your pressure points.

Yesterdays ride was in sneakers...I was afraid to clip in I'll wear my riding shoes on my next ride (Probably Christmas Day) and see how they work out. If I still have the problem, I'll give your suggestions a try.

Thanks.

There is a good precentage the reason for this is the fact that your shoes are too narrow. For some stupid reason cycling shoe mfg are not willing to admit that Americans have shoes wider that the A width.

In the non cycling world, with my very high instep and wide foot I need a double E width shoe. I have never been able to find a cycling shoe that has a reasonable price that is this size.

Loosen your shoes. The primary cause of numb feet is too tight shoes. See if that works first.

VACaver - there is no single cause, but the item emphasized above, is what caused it for me. As I got more experience, and reclined my seat, the numb toes went away. The couple times I briefly went back to a more upright angle the numb toes came back. It was only then did I realize what had caused it in the first place. Putting a lot of weight on your butt can sometimes cut off circulation or compress a nerve.

Remember though, if you recline the seat without moving it forward a little bit, you'll be increasing your reach to the pedals. So, be sure to do both at the same time.

Tennies can be a problem, too. Not enough support for the foot.

When you and Steamer say "recline the seat", do you mean rotate it back, ie lift the nose? I never heard the term "recline" used in conjunction with bike seats. Thanks.

Ben

It means to make the seat back less vertical, and more horizontal. Typically this is measured in degrees. Zero degrees meaning one's torso is totally horizontal. 90 deg. meaning vertical.

This is standard recumbent bike terminology. Or did you post here by accident?

Oops, I didn't realize I was in the Recumbent forum. Makes sense now. (I visited because I have had ongoing issues with my little toe tingling. In a recent ride, it was really noticeable. Then I looked down and realized my toeclip buckle was hard on the side of my foot and not over on the top. Stopped and tugged and it was far better.)

I am another rider who would like to see wider shoes. My feet are getting wider as I age.

Ben

That's ok. In your case, look at:

Cleat fore-aft position.* Shoe width (not too narrow). Sock thickness (not too thick). Shoe strap tightness (not too tight). Insoles (hard to give specific direction here - sometimes more arch support helps, sometimes less. sometimes the insole needs more cushioning, as most bike insoles suck and are hard, thin, and crappy).

*If you move your cleats back, you may need to move your saddle down.

Recumbent bikes have seats.
Upright bikes have saddles.

On my Tour Easy AND my Mountain bike,
ALL my foot problems suddenly vanished when I got these:

Review: Specialized 2FO Flat shoes - Mtbr.com

Tennis shoes on a pedal, may as well be in flip flops, very bad support, very bad energy transfer

The 2FO's, 2 models, Flat AND clipless,
and you can actually walk in them, Broke my flats in by wearing them a whole week at work, very very comfy.

$130,,I've about decided to just wear them at work all the time, get a second pair for the bikes...

When I got my most recent street shoes, I was chagrined to note that I've gone from a perfect 10D to a perfect 10E. I guess getting old beats the alternative! Anyway, my bike shoes had been bothering me for the past year and I didn't know why, so I got a pair of Shimano R088-LE, which is 'wide.' I rounded the size up to a 45. They fit me perfectly, so I turned around and got a pair of M088-LE too. I never knew the wide sizes existed but I'm glad they do.

Bookmarked. Thanks for the link! I haven't seen that brand in any of the local shops around here.

I bought a pair of Specialized Tahoe's and so far they are working OK. Having laces instead of three velcro straps really helps adjust how snug they fit on each section of my foot.

VACaver, take a look at Lake shoes online, they have a variety of shoes in EE sizes you will never find in stores.

Yes by all means use some sort of cycling shoe with a stiff sole.

I bought a pair of Specialized Tahoe shoes and like them much better than my other Specialized MTB shoes. The laces on the Tahoes allow me to "fine tune" the fit better to help prevent my toes falling asleep.

Wiggle your toes on a regular basis. This one change helped my feet more than any other! Seems simple but trust me, wiggle your toes every 15 minutes or so and your feet will thank you! Doing this keeps the blood flowing in your feet and reduces the tension in your feet/toes.

Wide shoes,,,SIDI makes em, Dominator fit Mega !

Sidi cycling shoes fitting guide | Wiggle Buyers Guides

SIDI

Laying your seat back more will help a lot with toe numbness.