rbrides

I have always had occasional foot pain when road riding, maybe 1:5 rides, typical distance 50 miles. I believed it was foot swelling due to the heat here in North Carolina so I typically loosed the boa dials and strap which seemed to help. This winter I am mostly indoors on the direct drive trainer with same bike, shoe and kit and a few outdoor rides when possible. For the past 9 mths or so, outdoor and indoor, my feet get numb/painful 4:5 rides but I've not changed the setup, geometry or kit. Two possible, anecdotal, causes in my mind are; my shoes are too narrow OR, because I DO peddle with feet pointing more downward than flat, I'm jamming my toes deeper into the shoe as the miles go by.


I looked for wide fit cycling shoes but have not found anything suitable.


What experience to you have with this and "cures' for eliminating foot/toe pain.

shelbyfv

Seems obvious, but try some different shoes. Just because they were comfortable in the past is no guarantee they will remain so.

CAT7RDR

I went with the least expensive option and purchased a pair of Giro shoes in a size 13 1/2 up from a 13 and a pair of Sole Performance cork insoles with the metatarsal pad.
It is not a perfect solution but no more foot pain for me. As we age our feet can continue growing. Wider shoes were not necessarily the best option as I have a normal D size heel cup.

Inusuit

I was experience numbness, not pain, but still annoying. Three things seemed to contributing.

1. Cycling shoes were laced too tight. I went up a half size on a new pair. That helped.

2. Foot too far forward on pedal. I ride flats.

3. Seat too far forward. I think this contributed to #2.

I still get some numbness on long rides - over 30 for me is long. I suspect it is because my feet swell some over the course of the ride.

I'm a novice rider so other commenters should be kind regarding my naivete on this issue.

Iride01 

In addition to the other usual stuff try exercising the muscles in your feet.

Anytime I've had pain for no other reasons in other parts of my body such as my back I've found that doing exercise to concentrate on those surrounding muscle groups helps greatly.

A couple months ago I was having some foot pain both on and off the bike for no readily apparent reasons. I went a week or two scrunching my toes and foot muscles in every possible way when I was sitting with my shoes off during the evenings or while in bed (which really annoys the spouse). The pain is not there anymore. (the foot pain is gone. the spouse is still here) <grin>

livedarklions

What kind of pain is it? Does it feel like normal joint pain or is it more of a burning sensation?

79pmooney

I ride toes down. Always have, always will. When I buy shoes I do a simple test. Put them on, walk to the checkout counter and with my hands on the counter, stand on tiptoe and learn forward. It become immediately obvious that many shoe don't work.

I've had issues with the straps, becoming severe after I started riding Cycle Oregons on my fix gear. After my first two COs (with visits to the doc for foot issues after each) I cut the straps off and installed eyelets for laces. (Tandy Leather. Get the 2 piece brass eyelets and the tool kit.) Those shoes are now my favorite and have ridden 3 more COs. I know the BOA system is supposed to offer the advantages of laces but my experience with laces says that shoes with more eyelets are better and I've never see BOAs with the number of crossings of my good laced shoes.

My experience with laces goes way back. I was racing and putting in 10,000 mile years before Velcro. My hardest race, I laced them tight at 9:30am for the 10:00 start, going the hill that was going to split the field was at 90 miles. Race official missed his flight and we started at noon. Long after the finish sitting in the van halfway home, I realized my shoes were still on; that I never loosened the laces. And guess what? It wasn't an issue. My feet were just fine. (The rest of me was hammered. The hardest race I rode by far. That hill was worse than I could have dreamed. But I made the split and never thought about my feet.)

Rolla

I find that when my sciatica flares up, I get pain and numbness in my foot. Stretching and anti-inflammatories seem to help.

cyclezen

If you want particular, specific help from others who have had foot problems, it's always best to be as specific as possible as to what you are feeling and 'where' on which foot....
for example, something I have experienced and dealt with quite often over the years...
Morton's Neuroma - excerpt from mayoclinic.org : "Morton's neuroma is a painful condition that affects the ball of your foot, most commonly the area between your third and fourth toes." (between the metatarsals). 'Ball of Foot' reference in this case is to the whole metatarsal region of the foot - but specific to the area between the 3 & 4 metatarsals (toes).
This is not the only possible of Morton's neuroma, but is the most common.
It happens to people who do lots of walking (mulit-hour), or other foot-pressure related activities - long hikes, runs, 'Rides'.... very common for long mileage and frequent hikers/backpackers carrying heavier loads and doing longer/harder miles.
Width is not the only cause, but the footbed shape and any curve (concavity or convexness) in the footbed, placement of the metatarsal within the shoe, will have a large effect.
Sharp burning sensation in that area, like foot is on fire, happens often.
It can be really debilitating, to the point where one can't walk or do anything for longer than a few minutes/miles..
If condition already exists, then changing shoes won't necessarily alleviate the problem. I suffered for many months after getting the condition.
What worked for me (no medications or other treatments worked...) - I made a soft 'bumper' by cutting a short/small section of that thin/soft packaging foam used for stuff like computer screens, other stuff needing a thin protective cushion cover. Rolled into an oblong 'egg' shape (cut to height of toes) and inserted between the 3rd and 4th toe (toes held it in place, no tape needed) and then put on the sock. thickness of foam cushion is about 5-6mm, before compression between toes...
If this is your issue, I can take a pic of foam and how it's inserted to illustrate - if that would help.
This was enough pressure relief of the nerve between the toes, to allow it to heal over time, without further 'burning' incidents.
I still use this method whenever I put on cycling shoes, hiking shoes or boots, ice skates - any activity where 'active' footwear is used.
FYI, I have a very narrow foot. So, by default, most of my footwear is NEVER too tight/narrow. It was the footbed design of a particular pair of heavy duty Vasque mountaineering boots which caused the issue - Vasque being a brand and last shaoe I've relied on since the early 70's for my best fitting outdoor footwear... NOT, I guess in this case...
anyway... the more info you give the better chance that others will understand what you're asking about...
Ride On
Yuri

PeteHski

There are so many potential causes of foot pain that we are just guessing here. But shoes being too narrow has caused problems for me in the past, even if they didn't feel too narrow. I had one pair a few years ago that caused a lot of pain on the balls of my feet after a couple of hours riding and that turned out to be just a simple width issue. They were just slightly squeezing the sides of my forefoot and after a few hours it led to the classic hot-foot sensation, followed eventually by very painful foot cramps. Stopping and removing the shoes at that point gave instant relief, so I knew it was the shoe. I moved to a wider fitting pair and the pain never returned.

skidder

Get some flat pedals ($10-$20) and regular flat shoes - tennis court shoes, running shoes, or similar. Try a few rides with those and see if the pain is still there, is less, or disappears. Also don't rule out seeing a doctor if it persists

50PlusCycling

Proper fitment is important. I used to like to wear high-end Carnac and Sidi shoes, which had all the bells and whistles, and looked cool, but I suffered from discomfort/pain/burning on long rides, I thought this was more or less normal. Then I visited a bike shop run by a person who actually knew something about shoes, he took more than an hour to get the right shoes for me. These were not as expensive or cool-looking, but they were comfortable, and I no longer suffered from any foot issues on long rides.

rsbob 

I had a similar issue occur which gradually worsened with time. As we age, feet still grow and become less tolerant to heat and pressure. My solution was Jumping up a size and a half from a 10 to an 11.5. But that was not enough, I loosened the forward most strap to the max - the rear has boa, but loosening the forward most was the key. They are Specialized road shoes. Best of luck.

livedarklions

I've had Morton's Neuroma and gout, both of which give that burning sensation. It really can feel like your foot is on fire.

Outrider1

How about flat pedals and sneakers on the bike for indoor training initially. See if that alleviates the pain.

mihlbach

You might just try wearing shoes less. I was experiencing chronic issues with plantar toe numbness last year in my left foot that turned to pain when cycling for extended periods. Before that, I was on crutches for a good four months related to a serious knee injury and recovery. The foot numbness issue developed as I started to bear weight again. My leg has been 100% back to normal for more than a year, but the toe numbness has continued. In the hopes of resolving the problem without interrupting my cycling, I just stopped wearing shoes whenever possible…at home, in my office, and whenever there was an opportunity to remove my shoes. I didn’t change anything in relation to my cycling habits or cycling shoes. The problem has gradually begun to resolve itself, and I would say it is about 90% resolved and still improving. No more notable numbness or pain while cycling.

Waxbytes

Cycling shoes wear out over time, the sole starts giving more under the cleat. This can cause all sorts of mystery pain in a setup that used to work fine.

jaxgtr

I used to have this all the time and it came down to the shoes. Once I moved to a stiff shoe, the pain was gone. The shoes I had were too flexible and I would get this shooting pain on the outside of the foot, especially my right foot. I changed pedals, shoes, trying to figure it out, but the shoes were never any stiffer than the old ones. Once I dropped some coin on some really stiff soled shoes, boom, that was the ticket. One benefit to that is they last a really long time. Now this might be a correction for you, but it was for me.

rbrides

Thanks. I should have been more thorough in my initial posting. It happens with all 4 pairs of shoes I already have (2 road, and 2 MTB that I wear when gravel riding). Also, I have had a pro bike fit by a very reputable bit fitter and coach.

rbrides

It mostly numbness.

rbrides

Could you recommend shoe brands that make wide (e to eee) cycling shoes that you like?

rbrides

I'll try that. Several posters on this thread have mentioned flats.

rbrides

Congrats to you on your improving health. Seems reasonable way to help your feet to recover.

PeteHski

I'm using Fizik R4 Tempo - wide fit version. There is a standard width version too, so you have to get the right model.
Lake also make a number of wide fit shoes, but I've never tried them personally.

livedarklions

I'm going to chime in here with the disclaimer this may have nothing to do with your foot problems, but I don't know. When getting shoes that fit me, there's other issues besides width and size. In my case, I need an unusually wide toe box, and if my toes get crammed into a shoe that's too small at the front, it doesn't matter how many EEEs are behind the number.

I find that people often have a specific brand of shoes they go to because there just happens to be something about how the brand designs shoes that suits their feet. In my case, it's New Balance. I had my son who also has foot problems try New Balance, and they were a total disaster for him, apparently causing a fasciitis flare up.

Do not be afraid to try "non-cycling" shoes if you can't find a good fit in cycling shoes. Whatever marginal benefit you can get from having purpose-designed shoes is clearly outweighed by ANY pain due to wearing ill-fitting shoes.