I thought my shoes were adjusted so that the clip was at the ball of my feet, but it seems that my toes throb while I'm rideing. I still have a little room to slide the mount back on my shoe. Should I do this, or do I possibly need new shoes?
My toes hurt!
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no they seem to fit fine. I checked and my toes aren't pushed up against the front of the shoe at all. I just got back into mtb'ing so it could just take some getting used to. I am trying to eliminate any pains so I can ride longer and faster though.
Sock Puppet...
What kind of socks are you wearing when riding?
Sometimes bulky regular white athletic socks are just a tad too meaty and thick and can cause discomfort because they can "sag" and the material can bunch up towards the front of the foot.
So if you are wearing such socks, ditch'em and try the thinner tighter fitting cycling style socks.
What kind of socks are you wearing when riding?
Sometimes bulky regular white athletic socks are just a tad too meaty and thick and can cause discomfort because they can "sag" and the material can bunch up towards the front of the foot.
So if you are wearing such socks, ditch'em and try the thinner tighter fitting cycling style socks.
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I'd actually say it sounds like your shoes are a bit too loose or deep.
If they're too loose then you end up pushing down harder with your toes and screwing them up to try and keep your feet in place whilst riding.
For cycling in they should be a far tighter fit than trainers or normal shoes. If you've got lace up clipless cycling shoes they won't hold your foot in place very well either. The shoe needs at least velcro straps and/ or ratchet bindings to fasten down properly.
Putting an extra insole in may help.
Cycling shoes tend to have hard foot beds as well and a bit more cushioning can work wonders sometimes.
Hope that helps.
If they're too loose then you end up pushing down harder with your toes and screwing them up to try and keep your feet in place whilst riding.
For cycling in they should be a far tighter fit than trainers or normal shoes. If you've got lace up clipless cycling shoes they won't hold your foot in place very well either. The shoe needs at least velcro straps and/ or ratchet bindings to fasten down properly.
Putting an extra insole in may help.
Cycling shoes tend to have hard foot beds as well and a bit more cushioning can work wonders sometimes.
Hope that helps.
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go to www.wellfeet.com. It has some good info.mbogosia said:
Also do a search at www.roadbikerider.com for more info.
There are lots of reasons why toes hurt, go numb, burn, etc.
I've had the problem for more than 10 years and have been actively trying different things for the past year.
I am an overpronator, which puts a lot of stress on the ball of my foot causing my big toe to go numb. I just got some custom orthotics. They are 3/4 length. I am not sure about them yet. I am still getting hot foot, but I need to reserve full judgement till after 6 weeks to ensure break in period. My mtb shoes are also small on my right foot causing some complications
I will say however, that I have seen a very noticeable increase in power to the pedals.
Here are some things to try before dropping the cash on custom orthotics.
-Get rid of the standard sock liner that comes with most shoes They suck. Use an aftermarket insole like Superfeet, Sole, down unders, or even a spenco or Dr. Scholls.
-Move your cleat rearward to decrease pressure on the ball of the foot
-try specialized shoes with the body geometry insole and design.
-Try bigger shoes, try smaller shoes, try shoes with a bigger toe box.
some say that bigger shoes create too much friction causing hot spots, or like the one post above suggested that you have to push down too hard.
-Try thin liner socks
-Try cycling socks like Defeet
-try wool socks.
-try bare feet.
-Bottom line for me is that none of the above worked, and I'm going the route of custom orthotics. This first pair I got from an outfit that I think didn't listen to my needs. I'm going to give them a few more weeks, than will call they guy at www.wellfeet.com. He is a cyclist and has treated some big names, so I think of anyone he will understand what needs to be done.
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You can get some very nice looking custom road shoes moulded to your feet with carbon soles but there isn't much offered in the way of custom MTB shoes.
Custom shoes cost a fortune too. I'd buy some if they weren't so much.
Something else to remember with typical SPD pedals is that all the pedalling pressure is concentrated in a very small spot.
Something like the Shimano M545 Platform SPD spreads the load over more of the shoe and might help reduce hot spots.
Custom shoes cost a fortune too. I'd buy some if they weren't so much.
Something else to remember with typical SPD pedals is that all the pedalling pressure is concentrated in a very small spot.
Something like the Shimano M545 Platform SPD spreads the load over more of the shoe and might help reduce hot spots.
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