clearwaterms

what am I doing wrong? I was out riding this morning and my right foot fell asleep, I quickly stretched out and it was better after that. I have just new balence shoes and the stock flat plastic pedals. I wear these shoes almost exclusively for bicycle riding and for the occasional walk.

My cadence and pace were normal, I wasn't pushing myself in anyway.

solveg

Sometimes my feet do that when I clench my toes...

Or maybe your position was just slightly off so you were on a nerve or blood vessel?

Tom Stormcrowe

Maybe the soles are getting a little flexy? Was it right at the ball of your foot at the pedal contact point that it started to numb from? If so, the sole may be flexing and the padding in the insole may be compacted.

VTRoadie

It could be so many things, possibly not even simply leg related. A poor posture can cause back pain that can radiate into leg pain/numbness. Perhaps checking your fit on the bike, or talking to your LBS might help. Typically a foot falling asleep for me is a poor shoe fit/too tight of a shoe.

Prosody

So the first thing you should try is loosening the shoe. When you first put the shoes on before a ride, keep them a little loose. Your feet will swell during the ride, and the shoes will become tighter.

clearwaterms

my shoes are never so tight that I need to tie them.

They are also fairly new shoes

DC Wheels

my right foot falls asleep too sometimes and a man at a shop explained it. i ride in regular athletic shoes with soft soles. the pressure of the pedal against the same part of the foot can cut off circulation. biking shoes are stiff and redistribute pressure. this was his soft pitch on the advantages of clipless but i am not going spend the money.

VTRoadie

I will also say I used to get numb feet on an eliptical. I talked with the gym trainer about it, and he had me loosen my laces (which didn't help), but also where I was putting pressure. I forget now (as I do it naturally after a year), but I think I was putting pressure on the back of my foot too much? Is the ball of your foot on the petal, or is it more the middle of your foot?

Since I switched to clipless w/ mountain bike shoes (I wanted to be able to walk with them) on my road bike I have not had a SINGLE foot related pain, and I am an extremely picky foot person. Ski boots kill my feet, most hiking shoes kill my feet, but these biking shoes are AMAZING. I love wearing them, they're amazingly comfortable and make biking a dream.

So I would look at your form first (maybe even take a photo and post it?). Second try a LBS. Third try a doctor.

Caincando1

That's my plan. What brand and model shoe did you go with?

joelpalmer

+1 I went through that same thing, switched to clipless and the numbness went away, then the bike was stolen and I was back to street shoes on platforms and it was back. Now I'm trying to decide what to do, because I just don't see clipless on an old skool 3-speed being anything other than cheesy.

VTRoadie

I went with Pearl Izumi shoes.. They have three velcro straps and are mesh on the top, a soccer cleat looking pattern on the bottom.

This is the closest thing I can find to them, but I musta bought an 05 version (hence the 40% off), because they don't look like anything PI currently sells.

https://www.pearlizumi.com/product.ph...duct_id=944315

All the shoes I put on fit like a dream though. I looked at the mountain bike specific ones though as I didn't want road cycling shoes (no tread, most businesses around here have hardwood floors, as does my apartment). I use Shimano 520 pedals I think? They're $49.99 MSRP I believe. They are the doublesided clipless pedal. I went with them due mostly to price, and the cleat matched the spinning machines at my gym. For my money, they've been a dream.

KingTermite 

I've had the same problem since I started riding about 2 years ago. It's gotten somewhat better, but never completely disappeared.

I've found my problem....It's hard to explain it, but I just "know" it. It has to do with the way you shift your weight. I am putting too much pressure on the handlebars and somehow it transfers much of that pressure back to my feet. Right may be worse because I am right handed and that side automatically takes more of the pressure.

You may have a similar issue. I've never fully eliminated it, but understanding what caused it (took me over a year to do that) helped by just being conscious of it.