Hot feet advice
 

I went to a Look pedal system last winter to solve a hot feet problem I used to have on long distance rides. I combined that with purchasing a new shoe with a stiffer sole.

Unfortunately I am still having a problem. It doesn't come up until mile 60 or 70 of a long ride, sooner if I am doing a lot of hard climbing.

I have tried moving the cleats back, so that more of my foot is centered over the pedal. My feet have a fair amount of sideways movement inside my shoes, but I don't know if tightening the shoes is the answer or if leaving them even looser is.

I am interested in hearing from some of you about how you solved this problem.

I was having the same problem and did the same as you. Switched to the look pedals from some old stb's I transfered from a MTB. Thinking a bigger platform might help. What I actully found to help after experimenting with a number of solutions is starp adjusment on my shoes. I have a pair of Sidi's with three straps/buckles. The top one (closest to ankle) I can have tight to keep the shoe on but not cut off circulation. The middle one is loose and the bottom one is even looser. It's worked pretty good so far. Hope it helps.

not a solution as much as an avoidance of the problem, but if you spin faster & use less force, your feet will prob hurt less.

CADENCE!

B.

Thanks for the cadence advice, but I already do that. That's probably why the problem doesn't show up until deep into my longest rides.

If your current socks or insoles have no padding, try something different. A little padding will help to even out the pressure on the bottom of your foot.

In most cases of "hot foot", it is not actual temperature that is causing the sensation, but compression of a nerve that runs along the bottom of the foot. It happens on longer rides because your feet tend to swell over the course of a ride, increasing the pressure.

As such, you might find that loosening the toe-box section of your shoes will help. I also find that focusing on pulling up the pedals (instead of pushing down) and wiggling my toes can relieve it. In very bad cases, stopping the bike, taking my shoes off and quickly massaging, walking around, & wiggling the toes helps a lot. I also use SuperFeet footbed inserts which seem to stave it off longer though that may be psychological :)

Things that generally don't work include dousing your feet with water, tightening the straps, different pedals, etc.

My feet started going numb at 6-7 miles and by 12 miles I had to pull over and take off the shoes. Adjusted cleats, loosend straps, changed socks. Got fitted again, and again(LeWedges added), and again(Serotta). got orthotics and new shoes. Orthotics seemed to cure the numbness but the outside of the foot hurt much worse. adjusted cleats some more. Threw away evil orthotics as the pain was worse. Visited podiatrist who said there's nothing wrong with my feet. Went back and had the LeWedges added back to my shoes. Rode trainer for 11 miles in shop, no pain. Went riding for another 10 miles, started to feel pain on the outside of foot. Adjusted cleats as far to the outside of the shoe as possible(moves foot closer to crank). Been riding around 10-12 miles so far and can feel the numbness starting. Considering searching for new shoes but in the meantime I believe I'll shove some new insoles in there; maybe the gel kind.

I use Ultegra pedals, currently with Nike shoes. I weigh less than 160lbs. so nobody thinks carbon soles will help but if anybody can tell me otherwise I may go for it; having your feet hurt sucks.

I don't believe going to a carbon sole alone will solve the problem. I have always heard that the stiffer the sole, the more prone to hot spots one will be. Some degree of flex in the sole may be a good thing in your case.

Here's an article from Roadbikerider.com with more info about solving hot foot.

As I mentioned above, I had no luck with larger pedals but some people swear by it. Makes no sense to me because I first had the pain on large pedals, then switched to looser toe straps and smaller pedals and the pain went away...makes sense especially with stiffer soles...the pedal size becomes less relevant the stiffer the soles are; you're pushing against the soles, not the pedal area.

my ultegras use to make my feet hurt over long distances, after i played around with the cleat position for a couple rides my feet feel good on even the longest days. id try playing around with adjustments before buying new things.

Been going through a similar problem - takes 2-3 hours to show up usually. It's worse when I really crank hard or climb. Got the Specialized footbeds and I think they help quite a bit (my old insoles were toast), but did not totally resolve the problem. Lately when I feel it coming on, I pull up on my feet, either with the pedals fixed or while spinning; I can really feel the blood flowing back or nerves decompressing -- similar to standing after you've been in the saddle for a while. Still looking for a better solution...

Do you suppose "hot feet" is any different on a roadbike vs. a recumbent?