Nagging problem with numb toes.
 

So I have tried footbeds, cleats front and back etc. and nothing seems to help. My right foot (toes) go to sleep after about 30 minutes on the bike if I dont unclip. I can deal with this when the weather is warm and I am doing easy spinning but in the cold or during a hard ride this plain sucks. I have posted about this problem before and didnt get much help. Maybe this time someone who had this problem corrected will chime in? My next step is to get really wide shoes like Northwaves and see if that will fix my issue. Thanx for any help.

I don't know if you've had a professional fit done or not, but that might do the trick. I've always had trouble with numb/painful feet and recently I found fairly comfortable shoes but the pain is not gone. So tomorrow I'll have my fit done and report back to you.

Yeah. I get numbness and hotspots when my shoes are too tight across the front of the foot. I like it best when there is a slight amount of room for my foot to move. I also prefer flatter foot beds as apposed to high shaped or contoured foot beds.

I used "wedges" to adjust for pronation and it worked.

Sometimes it can something as simple, as was mentioned, as having the shoes on too tight. Incorrect cleat placement can also be a culprit.

For my longer rides I make a conscious effort to wiggle my toes around at least once or twice an hour otherwise I sometimes experience the same thing.

Im to the point where I dont even tighten up the front of my shoes anymore (LG 2LS). I just very slightly cinch down the top of of the foot.
I wish there was a place where I could go and say " my toes are going numb fix it".... not sure a bike fit would help with this or not.

If the shoes are too tight/too narrow, no insoles, pads, orthotics, wedges or cleat placing will help. If they are wide enough, some additional tweaking with the previously mentioned things might still be necessary - such has been my experience at least.

I had this when my shoes were just too tight. Both length and width. I was told to make sure I got snug shoes when I first started out, so I did. Later realized they were too snug and went up in size. It helped a lot. I would say look into a wider toe box like you said, but also in length.

I'd recommend working with a fitter. I used to have a problem with numbness in my little toes especially in my right foot.

My first fitter used wedges, and it helped a little. My current fitter removed the wedges. They were actually overcompensating. Most brands soles are neutral. Specialized BG shoes already have built in varus (the sole is 1.5mm thicker under the big toe than the little toe). I have specialized s works shoes and don't need any additional compensation.

My toes still go numb on occasion, but it comes on more slowly, and I can wiggle my toes to make it go away.

Just to add to the possibilities, I get numb toes on one foot but not the other. After some time experiencing this (and not figuring it out), I noticed that my toe nails were taking on a more flattish shape. I think that it's a matter of form and loose-fitting shoes - I think that I'm pointing my foot down too much, my foot is sliding forward and my toes are cramming in to the front of the shoe. I'm making an effort to consciously practice better form, but it's still pretty easy to fall in to bad form when tired.

Your shoes don't fit. I had a pair that caused problem on rides over 3 hours. Bought new pair and it's been 7 years without issue.

I have the same issues. Your problem could be a pinched nerve just below your toes. I found a video on youtube under: foot pain on road bike--Camarillo Chiropractor. It offers a few solutions including lowering your cleats and wider shoes.

I just switched to Shimano R260 road shoes (new for 2014). The newer shimano shoes now sport a wider toe box which alleviated my forefoot issues like yourself. I had a pair of Garneau pro team carbon shoes and while the shoe quality and features are impressive the toe box is just too narrow. If your metatarsal compression is too tight you'll get numbness and other related issues.

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Could be insufficient saddle setback which can also cause hand numbness for the same reason. While sitting in a chair tuck your feet close in under it and scoot forward. You'll see that weight is increasingly transferred onto your toes. Too much weight too far forward cuts off blood circulation there. After moving your saddle backwards you might have to lower the bars or get a longer stem.

this problem can actually be caused by a nerve on the outside of your heel/ankle area. I have mostly gotten rid of numb toes with orthotics (metatarsal pads, in particular) and looser shoes. I really don't think that the looser shoes cause me much of a performance loss if I pedal properly. I also try to be careful and never to pedal toes-down.

I solved my toes numbing by placing a separator between two toes on each foot just to keep them space better. My toes are "scrunched" together and my feet narrow. The separator I've been using is these foam single toe things they use for manicures. The ones like these - Amazon.com : Lure Neat Feet Toe Separators (Digits) (Single Pack Assorted Colors) : Toe Separator Salon : Beauty
They work great for me by keeping my toes touching the shoe and not binding up with each other. I notice a big difference when I wear them and better yet, I'm find in it's changing the way my foot behaves. It's spreading out more naturally.

I would say this also. Along with a caveat.

I'm a type 2 diabetic, so that can cause problems. I had a pair of shoes that I used for a year with no problems, but along with the T2 diagnosis I too had problems with numb feet/toes. My doc told me that your feet swell when exercising, but more so when you have diabetes. I went from a 43 to a 44 shoe and all is fine now.

Not to alarm, but make sure you keep up on things.

hows the sizing of the shimano shoes? did you have go a size up from what the size chart shows? Im US11 so I think I would go with a 46 in shimano. Having said that I might as well visit a local shop lol

I'm 10.5 in normal shoes normally. I've been wearing 44 in most cycling shoes so that being said the shimano sizing indicates I should be in 45 shimano but ended up in 44 wide. I could have gotton away with standard 44 or 44.5 but the slightly wider toe box in 44 felt great. If I hadn't tried them on first I probably would have purchased the wrong size initially. I did a full review on these shoes at 1010 Human Performance

I wear a nominal 10.5 US and a size 45 Shimano R170 road shoe fits well.

That cat is surprised, how funny.

It's from mashing, try to spin a higher cadence.

The problem for some people is that their shoes are lower in the center of the toe-area footbed than they are on the edges. This causes a pinched nerve in that area. Shimano footbeds come with a built-in metatarsal pad which is said to correct this problem. In your shoes, you can try to build up the center of the footbed slightly with strips of adhesive tape. Doesn't take much. There are also metatarsal pads available like Dr. Scholl's.

The Shimano R320 and R 260 come with moldable soles pictured here. The bottom has a optional metatarsal stick on pad and has a sleeve for arch pads. You can adjust the arch for 3 levels of support with insertable pads also pictured here. You want as much of the bottom of your foot to contact the sole of the shoe to evenly distribute pressure reducing the load on the forefoot which will cause hotspots.
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