numb toes

shamrock55

before i start my road shoes fit fine and i can wiggle my toes grand when starting off but if i do anything over 20k my toes start to go numb, i did 60kms today and when i got home i couldnt feel my toes they were numb and frozen should i just wear extra socks? does anyone else have this problem i want to do longer spins but i dont think i could with the cold numb toes im affraid im gonna get frostbite:D

irishmotorist

Today was quite wet in most places - are you only getting this when your feet get wet/soaked?

shamrock55

its not from the wet id say although it is worse on a cold day but even in good weather they would go a bit numb when i came home today it felt like id been out in snow:D

solerina

Have you any circulation problems...sounds like your blood is not flowing freely into your toes

shamrock55

not that i know of

redzone

I have Shimano shoes that have a vent hole under the toes just infront of the cleat. My feet use to get very cold aswell , even on a nice day.

I filled the holes with silicone and found this made a considerable differance. My feet still get a bit chilled sometimes but if its 10 degrees or less I'l stick on the overshoes and don't have any problem then.

f1000

I am not an overly experienced road rider. I had a similar problem starting off at first. First few outings I had experienced the same numb feeling only 20k+ in and had put it down to my cleat position as I was on my first proper road machine. After each outing I had adjusted the cleat position ever so slightly until I was able to spend 2 hours+ without getting numb. Only thing I need to work on is my saddle position now!

doozerie

Amongst other things, if you overtighten the shoe straps then that can cause problems. The fact that you have plenty of space around your toes won't guarantee that you'll avoid problems. As one example, my feet differ in size by one european size, and on those occasions where I do have problems with numb or hot toes it is typically my smaller foot that has the problem - probably because I tighten the straps on that shoe more in order to stop my foot from moving too much within what is basically a shoe which is one size too big.

Might be worth having a read of some of the info on Specialised's BG (Body Geometry) system. They claim to address a number of issues with shoe fit and you might find some useful information amongst their blurb. Mind you, they also claim to solve the issue of hot feet with their BG shoe fit, but they haven't in my case as I've been riding Specialised BG shoes for years now and still have problems (only the odd time though, thankfully).

Dubba

I get this a lot too. What I find is wiggling my toes every 10mins or so helps. Or if it gone too far and there is no feeling left I'll take a foot out of the pedal and shake it about to get the blood flowing.:rolleyes:
Going to try adjusting my cleat position and see if that helps.

shamrock55

ill try the cleat position too thats something i wouldnt have thought of could anyone recommend a good warm pair of cycle socks

Canis Lupus

I think I read somewhere that moving the cleats back a bit can help with that although bear in mind you'll have to tinker slightly with saddle height as well.

doozerie

shamrock55 wrote:

could anyone recommend a good warm pair of cycle socks

I like DeFeet Woolie Boolies although I've only worn them on my commute rather than on long spins on the bike. Beware though that if your foot being restricted is part of your issue then wearing thicker socks may obviously make things worse rather than better. The Woolie Boolies are not particularly thick mind you but in my case I think they might be a little too thick to comfortably fit my larger foot in my road shoes (my commute shoes are one size larger than my road shoes), so something to bear in mind depending on how tight/loose your road shoes are.

DeFeet also do ones called Wooleator which I believe are thinner than the Woolie Boolies, but I don't know if they are also less warm as a result. Assos Early Winter socks (plus overshoes) got me through those cold days I was out on the road bike during the winter, but being soft I didn't go out on the worst of the cold days - I think those are a little thinner than the Woolie Boolies though there probably isn't much in it.

LeoD

I also suffered from cold toes but find these Mavic Toe Warmers great. Can't remember where I bought them though...

Hungrycol

I get a numb right foot on anything over 10km. It's likely to do with my cleat position and I keep meaning to adjust it. When I'm cycling in a group and when at the back I'll unclip and do a few foot circles to get the blood flowing again. Loosening the straps during the ride also gives a little temporary relief.

check_six

I had numb toes and a sore knee. To resolve this problem I first repositioned my cleats. To do this I loosened the cleat screws a little on both shoes, sat on my stationary bike and pedalled backwards for a bit. After hopping off I tightened the cleats up.

The next step was to get a pair of Specialized BG insoles. The notes that come with the insoles describe how to make sure your knees are acting in one plane while you are on the bike. You need a plumb line and a mirror. Stand in your bare feet in front of the mirror. Put the plum line in line with the centre of your kneecap, and then bend your knees slightly. You will notice that your knee will move slightly to the right or left of the plumb line. (This movement was making my knee sore cycling over longer distances.) Then you put your cycling shoes on with the insoles in and repeat the test. The insoles should mean that your knees move up and down along the plumb lline with no movement left or right. If you still have movement left or right you can use the shims that come with the insoles to make slight adjustments.

There are three different types of insoles available depending on the shape of your instep. I had never heard of these before I happen to spot them in a shop and I just got the first one that came to hand. I'm not sure if there are similar products by other manufacturers, the Specialized ones are quite pricy (€30 I think). They did the job quite nicely for me, and after my adjustments I had no numb toes and no sore knee.

Dubba

Dubba wrote: »

I get this a lot too. What I find is wiggling my toes every 10mins or so helps. Or if it gone too far and there is no feeling left I'll take a foot out of the pedal and shake it about to get the blood flowing.:rolleyes:
Going to try adjusting my cleat position and see if that helps.

I did 120k today with the cleats moved fully back and straps loosened and had no problem with numbness.
Still need to wiggle my toes every now and the tho to keep the blood flowing.

shamrock55

and at what distance would your toes normally go numb before you moved the cleats?

Dubba

Usually around 1.5hr + depending on temperature.

Its well worth fiddling with cleat position if this is a problem.
I recently bought new shoes and I thought having the cleats positioned as per the old shoe was correct - it wasn't.

shamrock55

ive just movet mine back now and will give them a test run tomorrow

Lawr

Wearing wool-blend socks, moving the cleats back, wearing shoe covers when its wet and loosening up the straps...all helped keep my feet from going numb.

shamrock55

did another 60 kms today with cleats moved back and must say it made a differance so thanks to all who suggested it still a bit of numbness but nowhere near as much

on a side note there was a clicking noise coming from what seemed to be peddal area i thought it might be loose cleats but isnt everytime the peddal made a rotation anybody got any ideas it was grand day b4??

Dermot Illogical

shamrock55 wrote: »

on a side note there was a clicking noise coming from what seemed to be peddal area i thought it might be loose cleats but isnt everytime the peddal made a rotation anybody got any ideas it was grand day b4??

Have you got anything attached to the crank with cable ties? Cadence magnet or similar? That was my last pedal-clicking mystery.

Dubba

Sounds like lose cleats. After re-positioning them they can need re-tightening after the first spin, mine did anyway.

shamrock55

RT66 wrote: »

Have you got anything attached to the crank with cable ties? Cadence magnet or similar? That was my last pedal-clicking mystery.

nothing like that

shamrock55

Dubba wrote: »

Sounds like lose cleats. After re-positioning them they can need re-tightening after the first spin, mine did anyway.

just tightened them again there they were a bit loose alright will have to wait till sat to see if that was the cause;)

pprendeville

get this also. got Endura BaaBaa socks but they don't seem to work for me so I rekon it's definitely my circulation. will probably try the gatorskins over the baabaas and use the overshoes as well.