Insoles in SPD's.

Wheely GR8

After buying all the gear and being genuinely happy with it ,I noticed my feet got a little numb every now and again using spd's.
I bought MTB spd's and double sided pedals ,but I'm not sure if MTB shoes are a little harder because they're designed for a softer ride ?

I was looking at those gel insoles that are available and wondering if something like that makes any difference.

Raam

Cycle harder, when your quads are burning you won't notice your numb feet.

Wheely GR8

Good man ,thought it was my shoes

Surveyor11

Gel insoles might help, the problem with the SPD's is that the load on the foot is concentrated through a relatively small area, and MTB shoes' soles are not as stiff as road shoes. You can try put in the gel or some thicker insoles - I swapped the ones that came with my specialised tahomas with a pair from hiking shoes - this sorted the problem for me. Also look at the set up of the cleats - you can adjust these, and experiment with a few differnt positions that put less stress on the balls of your feet.

In the end, I bought a pair of road shoes - much stiffer soles and more comfortable for longer rides. But I use the tahomas daily for commuting and find them great.

Wheely GR8

I have the cleats very near centre ,so my legs aren't stretched far. I'll probably try them further up the foot ,but I'll be sitting more forward then and I'm still getting use to the hard saddle and shorts

I'll probably have a decent road bike before the year is out and a more comfortable bike. I'm using 8 year old sirrus at the moment ,tiagra rear mech on it.

Surveyor11

Is the Sirrus the right size for you? wouldn't get to stressed out about the age of it - I'm using Giant that is 5 or 6 years old, but also hoping Santa will be kind to me as well:D. If you are investing in a new bike, I would suggest having yourself fitted and measured - it will cost small beans relative to the cost of the bike, but you will feel more assured that you are probably set up. Oh, and saddles haven't gotten much softer either!:eek:

Lumen

Wheely GR8 wrote: »

I have the cleats very near centre ,so my legs aren't stretched far. I'll probably try them further up the foot ,but I'll be sitting more forward then and I'm still getting use to the hard saddle and shorts

You should not use cleat position to affect your leg extension or fore-aft saddle position.

Sort things out in this order:

1. Cleat position, for the comfort of your feet and calves
2. Saddle fore-aft, for general balance/weight distribution
3. Saddle height, for correct leg extension

1/2 can be done in either order, but if you change either of those you'll need to adjust the saddle height to compensate.

check_six

I have MTB shoes and spd pedals. The insoles that came with the shoes were not good. They started to creep up around the back of my heel. This combined with my preference for having the cleats positioned relatively far forward meant I was getting numb feet after longer rides.

I got a pair of the Specialized BG (Body Geometry) insoles at the beginning of the summer and they have proved very effective at eliminating the numb feet. I got mine in Swords, but I think Cycleways on Parnell St might do them as well. Unfortunately, I also started messing with my cleat position which left me with one sore knee!

In summary, good insoles will eliminate numb feet.

Wheely GR8

I'm hoping to exhaust all problems on the hybrid ,before I even look at road bikes.
I know I won't get thee bike the first time ,but at least I can try my best at it.

Thanks.

Wheely GR8

Surveyor11 wrote: »

Is the Sirrus the right size for you? wouldn't get to stressed out about the age of it - I'm using Giant that is 5 or 6 years old, but also hoping Santa will be kind to me as well:D. If you are investing in a new bike, I would suggest having yourself fitted and measured - it will cost small beans relative to the cost of the bike, but you will feel more assured that you are probably set up. Oh, and saddles haven't gotten much softer either!:eek:

Its probably on the small size ,it's a compact frame anyway. It's helped me loose a lot of weight ,so I can't really complain about it

doozerie

Good insoles may or may not resolve the problem of numb feet (there are other relevant factor such as how the shoes fit, your bike fit, etc.), but they should help. What you want is an insole that supports your feet properly, and the stock insole might or might not do that. For example, I have relatively high arches and the stock insole in my Specialized BG shoes is for people with low arches, the end result being alternately numb and extremely sore feet for me. Insoles with a higher arch support eliminated the pain but not entirely the numbness (that lingering problem could be because I need a higher arch support again, could be something else).

If you are looking to buy new insoles, it may be worth considering ones that you mould to your feet. They are more expensive, but depending on the alternative "standard" insoles the difference in cost might not be that significant. The Specialized insoles, for example, are over 30euro, wheres a heat moldable Sole insole is available from here for 45euro (incidentally, that brand has been recommended to me but I've not tried it yet, and I'm not sure if that site's price is good, bad, or indifferent, it was just the first that I spotted from a quick search - also, Sole do a number of different types of insole, not just that one).

Wheely GR8

Thanks doozerie ,the heat moulded insole sounds very comfortable.
The shoes I got are lizzard pro and the insoles are very thin. If the insoles didn't work for me ,I could always throw them into a pair of walking shoes.

chakattack

check_six wrote: »

I have MTB shoes and spd pedals. The insoles that came with the shoes were not good. They started to creep up around the back of my heel. This combined with my preference for having the cleats positioned relatively far forward meant I was getting numb feet after longer rides.

I got a pair of the Specialized BG (Body Geometry) insoles at the beginning of the summer and they have proved very effective at eliminating the numb feet. I got mine in Swords, but I think Cycleways on Parnell St might do them as well. Unfortunately, I also started messing with my cleat position which left me with one sore knee!

In summary, good insoles will eliminate numb feet.

I have a pair of these for sale in adverts if anyone is interested