How much time to give

kerry4sam

Just wondering how much time you should give to wearing in new shoes!

When going for my bike-fit he adjusted both sets of cleats on the shoes for what's deemed scientifically suitable for my dynamics.
Only trained with my new shoes upto 80km before the recent Ring of Kerry Cycle and by Sneem my toes had gone numb. Took a few minutes seated while having lunch before feeling came back ; by Kenmare they were getting sore again but a few minutes sitting on the wall outside the BrookLane Hotel had the feeling back again.

Not sure if new shoes need breaking in more or adjustments need to be made. He had been very accommodating in making an appointment for me tomorrow to check the fitting/angles but said with the new shoes, could just be they need more time.
The ball of the feet was where the pain was stemming before eventually escalating to numb toes.

How long for new shoes to be worn in before the comfortable feeling? My older shoes were okay but with the other changes in the bike-fit, I opted to get the cleats on both shoes adjusted also.

Many Thanks,
kerry4sam

ROK ON

Hi
The bike fit industry in Ireland is growing but I have to say that apart from general tips on bike positioning which can help I am deeply sceptical of the benefits of bike fit. I know of a few people who did not adapt well to the changes.

Now to your question as to how long to give: if you are in pain then don't give it another moment - go back to your set up when you weren't in pain.
If it is numbness however it might be down to the shoe as opposed to the cleat positioning.
How will you know - a few tips:
How tight is the shoe - is the numbness related to bloodflowmrestrictikms from an overly tight shoe.
Some materials are better at alleviating numbness. I used to get bad numb foot/hot foot. I changed to a stiff carbon soled shoe and I now no longer get numb feet.

If the shoe is not overly tight then experiment with cleat positioning. Most shoes have cleat markers that are spaced 1mm apart. Try moving both up and down 1mm at a time - go for a ride and see if this helps.

These may not be the reason but are worth trying. Hopefully others will have more tips.

Kavrocks

kerry4sam wrote: »

How long for new shoes to be worn in before the comfortable feeling?

My experience is if you buy the right shoes and have them set up correctly than immediately. In my opinion if you have numbness or pain whilst cycling something is wrong with your setup, cycling style or biomechanics.

It might be a good idea to go back and have your cleats looked at or go elsewhere?

H.E. Pennypacker

Are both feet equally numb?

Do you feel that they're a narrower shoe than your previous ones or did you wear them with no issues before the bike fit?

If you wear them without socks is the numbness as bad?

Could you go back to the old shoes but with the new cleat position?

kerry4sam

^^^ Many Thanks for your replies above. The new shoes are the exact same as the originals, only 1/2 (half) size bigger for what I was going for, bit more comfort.

Numbness was in both feet/toes. Even tonight on a short/high intensity cycle my feet were getting anxy, new shoes.

Loving the height of the saddle and the adjustments to my handle-bars and drop-down bars. Just love the feeling of cycling with them now after the bike-fit once the feet are okay. Maybe just the cleats need re-adjusting as everything else since the bike-fit feels incredible cycling

Many Thanks,
kerry4sam

H.E. Pennypacker

Its likely to an issue with seat height and/or most likely cleat position (a change to cleat position may impact on your correct seat height). You might need a bit of time to adjust to a new setup but an issue like foot numbness is a sign that something needs to be changed - its not going to go away on its own.

saccades

tight at the top, loose at the bottom?

always works for me.









aka - top strap near the ankle (where you would tie shoelaces) tightish.

v loose everywhere else.

kerry4sam

^^^ Thanks Again.

Going soon for my appointment. I'll also try the tight at top, loose at bottom with my shoes after adjustment.
Whatever changes he makes today I'll trust him & keep and try it out on a long-distance spin this week-end If ever an excuse was needed for a long spin, this is it!

Thanks Again,
kerry4sam

kerry4sam

John in Performance BikeFit, a gentleman of the highest order! Once the cleats were slightly adjusted I felt immediate change in the feeling in my feet. The pressure was on the toes, but now since the change, pressure is gone. He even had a chart that showed where the pain was stemming from, very common issue.

Thanks a Mil!
I've recommended before on forum and via pm and will continue without hesitation. My own Late Loving Dad had his same Patience in abundance; just a pleasure working/dealing with John.

Thanks for your replies above,
kerry4sam