jjguitars

I have just purchased both my son and myself new cycling shoes and we both are experiencing the same problem - the problem is a pain in the right foot just under the rear of the small toe and extending down the side of the foot, almost like a cramping type pain. I presume this is caused by improper placement of the cleats. The cleats seem to be in the same place on both feet.
Any suggestions as to how to remedy this would be appreciated. It only happens after about 1/2 hour of riding, and does not go away.
Thanks

kleng

Cleats may be too far forward towards the toes, I've found 1cm behind the metatarsal joint to be the best position for me.

brad06ag

It almost sounds like the shoe is too narrow or too tight across that part of your foot. I had a simliar problem with running when i had to wear an ankle brace. The first brace I had was too tight on the foot and would cause a similar pain after about a half hour. A different brace and the pain never came back. Try riding with the strap across that part of your foot a little bit looser.

Are these shoes a different brand than before? Some brands run considerably narrower than others.

kytyree

Did you switch pedals when you got new shoes? And what pedals/shoes are you using?

There are a few particular combinations that have some common problems when put together, but they can be fixed.

It usually takes me a bit to get used to new shoes and get comfortable, that depends some on what they are made of. Some bike shops can help you fit your cleats and make adjustments. If thats not an option I would go with a starting point (for most pedals and shoes) of cleats at their most aft position and centered and adjust from there in small (mm at a time) increments as needed.

Also you might sort through the cyclingnews.com fitness QA history of questions as they have answered several questions regarding shoes/cleats over the past few years.

edzo

could be the footbed or lack of footbed

elemental

Do you have wide feet? I had this exact pain when I tried non-Mega Sidis.

jjguitars

Thanks for all the suggestions.
Both of us have wide feet and the shoes are not tight across the width. The cleats are forward of centre so I will adjust them backwards.
The shoes are The shoes are Exustar and the pedals are Ritchey (very small and light with low centre) and the other pedals are Wellgo. Both are SPD.

seppomadness

Exustar are brutal on your feet IMO. They take ages for your feet to adjust too. Thats my experience. Sidis rule.

Unless you have 'known' issues with how your feet contact/strike the ground then I would setup your cleats in a very neutral position and just 'ride out' the pain you are getting right now. IMO its likely to go away in time with natural adjustment to the position. The more you play around with cleat position the greater the chance of having ongoing pain.

Give your feet time to adjust to the new environment. Or write a letter to Hogg.

RT

I have a pair of Exustars and they're my most comfortable pair. Firmest sole of all my shoes. I'm not a wide-footed person by any means, my feet aren't narrow either.

classic1

Exustars aren't bad shoes, very good value, but they have very narrow lasts IMO.

jjguitars

I went for another ride today and paid particular attention to the feet/shoes/pedals etc. The left foot (no pain) seemed to be able to rock left to right evenly (as much as the cleat would allow) but I did notice the right foot (aching one) had a tendancy to want to rock inside. I looked at the cleats again and the right foot cleat is slightly to the outside of the shoe causing the foot to want to rock to the inside. I will adjust the cleat tomorrow and go for another ride to see how it works out.