baribari

So, yesterday I rode 47 miles and after taking off my shoes I got horrible, horrible foot cramps. So much as moving my toes in any direction made me swear at the top of my lungs.

What could cause this? Bad shoe fit?

I have Sidi road shoes with Superfeet Yellow inserts. Pedals are Shimano SPD-SL. The insoles improved my previous arch pain somewhat, but now I have more forefoot pain while riding.

Is there some way to make these shoes more comfortable? Thinner socks to reduce food swelling? Wedges? Cleat adjustment?

Do I need to try another brand of shoes? Specialized? Shimano?

FBinNY 

This happens. I get it from time to time both after riding and sometimes just waking up in the morning, and every once in a while from touching the bottom one against the other when they're cold.

I suspect that one contributing factor might be the extremely rigid soles on decent cycling shoes. They hold the foot immobilized, vs. the normal constant flexing feet are used to. That and maybe a drop in your potassium levels, or whatever.

I don't know if some people are more prone to this than others, but it's not anything except painful for a short while (yes, very painful), then it passes and all is back to normal. So I just consider it one of those things that I live with (and I don't let my feet touch each other when cold).

BTW- I sometimes would get the same cramp on very long rides, and found the best remedy was to take off my shoes and walk barefoot a hundred yards or so.

Jofu

I'm by no means an expert, but Do you tend to keep your feet fairly flat as you're pedalling or do you tend to point down, therefore increasing pressure on your toes?

I initially was doing the latter, which gave me pain in my toes after longer rides. I then made a conscious effort to switch to the former and, tada! Toes pain was gone

Since then, I developed some pain on the out side of my right foot on rides longer than 50 miles, but I believe I have now fixed it with the proper shoe insert (I have the Specialized S-Works shoes with mid-arch inserts)

hope this helps at all...

Geoff

pdedes

make sure you aren't over tightening your shoes.

StanSeven

Just a guess but do you have high arches?

Machka 

I experience this. I even experience this when I'm not cycling.

For me, it helps to drink lots.

Yeah, I know, the jury is out when it comes to what causes cramping ... but from my experience, there's a direct link between not drinking enough and having my feet cramp.

baribari

I really only tighten the top strap. That said Sidis are pretty narrow...

FBinNY 

I read this and had a quick laugh. Then I realized you meant water.

baribari

I would say medium. I tried green BG foodbets (for high arches) and simply putting the shoes on was excruciating. Cycling with those insoles was a non-starter.

That said I could have used a bit more arch support than the Yellows give.

baribari

I made an effort to drink plenty but it was pretty hot out and I ended up drinking something like... six liters of sports drink.

baribari

Even with rigid soles I suspect it wouldn't happen if my shoes fit perfectly and the cleats were a bit further back.

BoSoxYacht

+1

drink lots, and from my experience, water isn't enough.

Nuun has eliminated all of my cramping issues, and they used to be a major problem.

baribari

I would say I'm more toes down than toes up, but nothing extreme. I still suspect is more the shoes than anything else.

krusty

Superfeet insoles and narrow, low volume Sidi shoes, combined with high arches, are a recipe for foot problems. I have high arches and narrow feet. At one time I was a professional skier, and had (have) several pairs of custom footbeds for my ski boots. Moving them to my cycling shoes was a big mistake. After taking them out of my Sidis and Northwaves, my feet stopped the cramping you describe.

baribari

If anything the Superfeet are more comfortable than the Sidis. I don't even want to imagine what 50 miles on the stock Sidi inserts would be like.

BoSoxYacht

Gatorade/Powerade is crap.

Try Nuun.

It has worked wonders for me.

Also sip it regularly. If you crush a bunch of fluid, instead of sipping constantly, the fluid doesn't absorb like it should.

baribari

It wasn't Whateverade, it was Pocari Sweat and a little Aquarius...heheh

BoSoxYacht

Foot cramps might be caused by fit, but it could also be a hydration issue.

Hydration issues are easy and cheap to fix. I'd try that first.

BoSoxYacht

Mock me if you want, but I'm try to eliminate a problem without spending a boatload of money.

My recommendation may not help, but it won't cost much to try.

Foot cramps are usually a fit issue, but I'd look into a cheap fix first. If it doesn't work you aren't out much $$$.

StanSeven

Cramps are fairly common for people with high arches. Even if yours aren't that high, it still might be the cause. It ties in also with stiff soles.

People's feet need to move some when they press down, even with cycling. It's the body's normal movement and the way it dissipates the force of its weight. So if they are trying to move but are held in place, muscles rebel

colnago62

I have the Vents. I have found that the shoes fit very snug, even without the straps fastened. It is very easy to over tighten the straps. I use the straps to remove excess volume in the shoe, not to keep my foot from moving. That has seemed to help me.

Jofu

Oh! You're in Japan? I was just there for 10 days recently, and rode 100 miles around lake Biwa (shiga prefecture) half in the rain as a typhoon was coming LOL... Super hot and humid! I drank lots of Aquarius, good stuff.

geoff

baribari

Yep. My ride was around a lake too.

HardyWeinberg

What kind of a fit issue? Cramming a foot into too small a shoe? My wife is trying clip-in shoes for the 1st time and she gets crazy foot cramps, to the point where she stopped mid-ride to take her shoes off. Also not a hydration issue, she is a distance runner and has all that squared away. The people at REI (where the shoes came from) not really helpful.

She does also have higher arches.

Bassmanbob

Ok. Are your feet cramping with spasms or do the arches and toes just intensely hurt? i have had the same issues but with no muscle cramps (spasms).

there are a few thing I have done that have helped me
1. Calf, foot and hamstring stretching everyday-- even on rest days. This helps a LOT.
2. Hydration and electrolyte replacement, as many have previously said.
3. Make sure the shoes are not too tight.
4. Add a little arch cookie under your arch, but not too high. You'd be surprised how only 1/8" can make a big difference. If it feels too high, try 1/16". It is possible that any addition may be too much, so you'll have to experiment with that. If your calf muscles are very tight, any addition to your arch height can be very sensitive. It's a bio mechanical thing that would take a long time to explain.
5. Are you bow legged? If so, that means your lower legs are pointing slightly in to the midline of the bike, instead of straight down. I placed a screw washer on the screw closest to the big toe side of my cleats. This caused my shoes (and feet) to be slightly tilted in toward the midline of the bike. Basically it was an external tilt to the shoes rather than a shoe insert with a medial wedge. Caution: I would do this last. I did this, and it helped my foot pain. But it made my Ilio-tibial band syndrome worse. If you try this, do a real short side first, then gradually increase your rides.

Good luck!