five tens and foot numbness

[Anine]

yesterday, i had a bit of a beginner moment, in that the turn was abit sketch and i was going a bit too fast for my initial comfort. but i relaxed and rode it out. All good. The thing I noted, and which reminded me of this thread, was that my left foot's small toe felt abit pins and needles.

 

I think my foot was so jammed to the left riding out that corner, and once i relaxed, so did my position on the bike/pedals, and it went away in a hurry. It was a short-lived experience, but it made me wonder if Anine, your foot is actually flat on the pedal, and not pronating slightly? Runner shoes are built to accomodate pronation to some degree, bike shoes not at all.

just a thought.

 

       

 

I think you've just hit the nail on the head. I didn't even think of that.

Off-bike I definitely do not have a neutral foot position or gait!

 

wow, thank you.

[Capricorn]

       

 

I think you've just hit the nail on the head. I didn't even think of that.

Off-bike I definitely do not have a neutral foot position or gait!

 

wow, thank you.

woa..

[V12man]

I dont find them too narrow no. I tried lacing up tight, and loosely. 

As others have said, I might have too much toe movement up front

Try getting the alignment and placing of your cleats 100% correct - probably 2 things are a factor:

 

1 - cleat too far forward in the shoe - slam them all the way to the heel as a start.

2 - cleat is twisted on the shoe a bit - leads to your foot being in a funny position inside the shoe creating pressure on the nerve. - a small rotation of the cleat can make s big difference to foot comfort.

[Capricorn]

Try getting the alignment and placing of your cleats 100% correct - probably 2 things are a factor:

 

1 - cleat too far forward in the shoe - slam them all the way to the heel as a start.

2 - cleat is twisted on the shoe a bit - leads to your foot being in a funny position inside the shoe creating pressure on the nerve. - a small rotation of the cleat can make s big difference to foot comfort.

 

i think the OP is riding flats.

[V12man]

i think the OP is riding flats.

No stress - thought from the original post they were pedals with platforms around - not flats

 

Flat pedals/shoes creating numbness then you just have to find the contact point that impinges on the nerve - maybe back out the pins to fairly shallow as a start or try different shoes - I struggled to find flats that fit my overwide feet comfortably - in the end went with Adidas's version because 510's dont fit well for me.

 

I guess a decent set of innersoles might also help if the OP has an odd foot - Richard Baxter at Dunkeld cycles is doing custom heat moulded insoles - I have had great improvements to foot comfort from a couple of sets of those for my road and XC shoes - not cheap but can be moved between multiple sets of shoes

[Spafsack]

Resurrecting an old post - hopefully my comments add some value for people with more or less the same problems.

 

I have been riding with flats for around 6 years, from the start with decent five tens. Every time i upgraded bikes i would choose my trusty Giant original flat pedals. Last year though i changed, bought a set of raceface chesters. From day 1 something felt odd. I adjusted pins left right and centre, just did not feel right. Sold them and put on the Giants again. Felt better, why, the slight concave. Guys, this is important. It basically puts your foot into more of a natural slight curve, like a sweet spot. 

 

Felt better from the start as i said, been using those for around a year now. Decided to get fitter, doing 30km rides, lots of climbing, lots of narly descents, i started to notice something, after 1 hour my feet were going numb, especially my front toes, to the right with pinky and the pain.

 

Did not matter how i shifted position, made no difference. Some of my rides ended up being 2.5 hours, by then i was getting really gatvol, just not pleasant anymore. After smashing a few castle lites after  my weekend ride, this Saturday, i came across an article on google. 

 

I felt like when i was riding the edges of my foot, outer edges were not being supported. I have a uk11 sized foot, so not like i am big foot or anything, but after reading the article it all started to make sense. My Giant pedals were not wide enough. Platform size states 100mm, but i measure 95mm as you cant squeeze your foot so close to the inside. 

 

My hunt started, find wider flat pedals with a slight concave, i ended up ordering the Crankbrothers stamp 2, 114mm wide. The 14mm or so is exactly what was short, i could see my foot hanging over the edge. I truly believe this has been an issue for many years but due to my short distances it never showed its ugly head. 

 

Another interesting fact about flat pedals versus foot placement is how completely different it is to cleats. Your foot ball must sit a tad in front of the pedal axle. On downhills move your feet upwards, if you strike something your feet push against the pedals, safer this way.

 

I will give you all an update once i have fitted the stamps. I have attached a pic of what a 'to small pedal versus your shoe size' looks like. The difference you see here is exactly what i had. 

 

[Corrieh]

You should get Specialized footbeds. The issue is not the peddals or shoe. It is your actual foot. It all depends on the arch of your foot. Low arch, medium arch or high arch. The inner soles the shoes come out with does not support your feet the way it should be. Let the Specialized bike shop measure your foot arch and based on that you will get the correct footbeds. Good luck!

[DieselnDust]

You should get Specialized footbeds. The issue is not the peddals or shoe. It is your actual foot. It all depends on the arch of your foot. Low arch, medium arch or high arch. The inner soles the shoes come out with does not support your feet the way it should be. Let the Specialized bike shop measure your foot arch and based on that you will get the correct footbeds. Good luck!

 

 

 

Sorry but this is just Spaz marketing BS. If your problems extend to requiring new foot beds then you have problems that need a medical practioner to check what's going on.

With flat pedals and non cleated shoes like 510's the shoes fit (width) is more important than ever

[Spafsack]

Hi guys, girls. I am actually getting really gatvol. Just went for a quick 20 kay ride. 5km road to get to the off road, after 10km my feet started once again. This is after i decreased the pin height, try to make it concave, like my old giants. Nothing is working. I now suspect my 5 year old 5 tens could be the problem, sole is not as rigid as it used to be, can this really cause the numbenss?

 

I swear i am going to fit my old giants, see how they feel, then i honestly dont know what to do anymore.

 

On a side note, these platforms are wide, dam wide, i am a uk11, so not a giant, excuse pun. But when i push hard, straights, stand up, sprint, it honestly feels like my foot is not normal, as if it is kind of falling outside, if this makes sense.

 

There must be an explanation to this as now matter how much i google, it seems bike hub has more threads about this issue than anywhere else. Tried laces tight, laces lose, tried new pedals, wider pedals. I am almost at the point of removing all the pins, but whats the point then?

 

I dont want to buy new shoes and then end up with the exact same problem, and it is dam irritating, you only getting started, here by 18km my feet dont feel a thing, but i still have the means to cycle for another 10, so its just crap, rant off, hope someone figures this out.  

[MORNE]

Sorry but this is just Spaz marketing BS. If your problems extend to requiring new foot beds then you have problems that need a medical practioner to check what's going on.

With flat pedals and non cleated shoes like 510's the shoes fit (width) is more important than ever

I agree that most of spaz marketing is BS but in this case i dont. You must be someone with a pretty neutral foot then that fits a stock standard insole just fine lol. When you wet your foot slightly and make an imprint on something dry...what does the shape look like. Im guessing you are a platvoet lol? Mine on the otherhand leaves an imprint of the toes, front pad and heel...with almost no connection between the heel and toes...just n thin line.

I have high foot arches and need insoles for most of my shoes except variaties of the running type...they naturally have more support under your arch. Coincidently it is much worse with flat soled shoes for me, since they usually are dead flat inside too...things like converse or skating type sneakers.

 

I was struggling with the exact problem as originally posted in this thread...except on cleats. And a higher insole/arch support took the problem away. I needed the highest of the 3 spaz type ones...thinks its the green ++ or something. The stock shoes come with a relatively flat insole.

You get these in plenty brands, at pharmacies, cape union mart etc etc. They arent just cycling specific. I got spaz ones for my spaz shoes...since they are actually cheap compared to sone of my other insoles that can go for as much as R600 a pair.

 

Ps: and before I get branded for buying spaz shoes...i had to. They were the only ones that had a shoe in my size haha. Ended up needing a size 14 haha.

Edited July 18, 2020 by morneS555

[Spafsack]

Hi Morne. Perhaps it is all about the sole stifness. All i can do is try. I am also flat foot, could be that as well. I might have a pair of raised arch inner soles, can give that a bash. I was even tempted to go back to clip in and see if get the same problems. I will def post updates for whatever i find.