Numb toe update — the new shoes worked

October 6, 2009 at 9:38 pm | In Equipment | 1 Comment
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Long-time readers will remember about a year ago I used to regularly carp about a problem with my feet. Specifically, my left foot. More specifically, the little toe on my left foot. It would go numb after riding much more than an hour, and bother me for the rest of my ride.

I tried a number of ways to deal with it, including fastening my shoe straps as loose as possible, adding arches of various sizes and shapes, and even cutting a gash along the side of the shoe. Nothing worked.

I finally concluded the problem was not with my foot, but with the shoe. They were cheap Chinese-made shoes that I bought when I first took up biking. Fine for rides of an hour or less, I just couldn’t keep wearing them on the distances I wanted to ride.

My wife came to rescue, when she bought me some new shoes for Christmas. They’re by Specialized, and are one of their premium models with a rock-hard carbon sole. I exchanged them for a larger size, figuring that since feet swell with exercise, a larger shoe would minimize the toe numbness.

Well, after nine months of experience in the new shoes, I can report that they work. I haven’t had a numb toe since I first put them on.

Wouldn’t a larger pair of the old brand have done the same thing? I can’t say for sure, but I know those shoes don’t come with carbon soles — just nylon. So there’s going to be some flex in the sole, and that could lead to the same problem. More likely, it would lead to a hot spot on the foot. Either way, the old adage rings true once again: You get what you pay for. When it comes to my feet, I’ll pay the price to keep them comfortable.

Cleat position

February 19, 2009 at 10:13 pm | In Equipment | 7 Comments
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Some things, I just can’t stop experimenting with. Like ways to make my feet feel fine after a long bike ride. Yes, this is sort of another post about my ongoing numb toe problem — but I think I’ve come to grips with that.

This time, I want to tell you about something I’ve tried with the cleats on my biking shoes. When I first complained about numb toes last summer, I got a suggestion to move the cleats back about one-quarter inch. I did, but didn’t see much difference, and with those older shoes, it didn’t help my numb toe any.

When I got the new bike shoes for Christmas, the bike shop installed the cleats, and put them right over the ball of the foot. That was okay, but the toes pointed just a little bit to the inside, and I could feel strain on my knees when I rode.

My feet naturally splay out a bit when I walk, and something I read somewhere (I gotta do a better job of citing my sources — in my real life I do academic research, after all) said your cleats should place your feet in a way that matches your walking gait. So I fiddled with the cleats a bit, and now my toes point ever so slightly outward. But then I remembered something else I read somewhere else (this would never get through peer review) that said just go ahead and move the cleats all the way back. So I did.

shoe1If you look closely, you’ll see the little ruler markings right behind the cleat. The photo was shot from slightly behind the cleat; if you looked straight down at it, you wouldn’t be able to see the marks at all.

I’ve been on several rides since doing this, and I can hardly tell the difference. Some riders seem to think you get more power to accelerate and climb with the cleats this way. Maybe — I can’t vouch for that. I can vouch for there being no negative effects from the cleats back this far.

And there are some who say that even all the way back in the slots isn’t back far enough. Endurance cycling coach Joe Friel takes what I might would call a radical view. In a post on his blog from two years ago, he said you should mount the cleats as far back toward the heel as you can. He’s mounted cleats below the arch of his foot, and thinks you’re likely to get even more power if you mount them back farther still.

That’s not me. I was uneasy doing the cleats back in the slots thing, and even though it seems to have worked out fine for me, I’m not going to drill holes in the soles of my shoes and play around with cleat placement. I’m still unsophisticated when it comes to training — I just ride — and for now, my cleat position suits me just fine.

Those new shoes are working out

January 22, 2009 at 8:54 pm | In Accessories, soreness | 1 Comment
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It’s been a month now since getting my new cycling shoes, and they seem to be providing the relief my chronic numb toe needs. I can think of two reasons for the improvement: the shoes are a size larger than the ones I’d previously used, so there’s less squeezing of the foot when they swell with exercise, and they have a more adjustable strap system.

They use a rachet tightening strap at the top. I’ve been finding through trial and error that while it’s tempting to snug down that strap, it’s probably not the best idea. On a recent ride, the foot was bothering me when I stopped for a rest, and I found that the strap was just a little too tight. It seemed fine when I started out. Loosening it a couple of clicks did the trick.

I’ve concluded that the problem is with my left foot itself.  There must be something in its physiology that makes it a little different from the right foot.  It may be something that I have to live with.  However, it’s not giving me anywhere near the bother it used to with the old shoes, and for 90 percent of my riding, my foot is now fine.  So the shoes are working, and it looks like I won’t have to resort to any cockamamie solutions like slashing the mesh upper to ease the pressure on the foot.

My numb toe posts have gotten a lot of traffic over the past few months, continue to do so.  I don’t have any revelations that will help with the problem. For me, it turned out to be the shoes. So, I guess the only real advice I can give is: Don’t skimp. Buy one of the top name brands. Do your research. Road Bike Review is a good place to visit, and Performance Bike customers can leave reviews for each piece of equipment that outfit sells. Yes, they’re only anecdotal reviews, but taken as a whole, you can get a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Latest numb toe remedy — new shoes!

December 28, 2008 at 10:40 am | In Accessories | 6 Comments
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After my experiences with numb toes on rides this year, I finally came to the conclusion that the only way to deal with the problem was to get new shoes. I must have dropped some well-placed hints, because under the Christmas tree this year, there they were!

shoesThey’re the Road Comp model by Specialized. Mrs. Noob has worn Specialized shoes for two years, and loves them. I’ve also heard good things about the brand from other bikers. Yes, I know everyone lusts after Sidis, but they’re a little too pricey. And these weren’t cheap.

Santa must have thought you wear the same size for biking as for your everyday street shoes, because he brought size 42.5 (9 1/2 US). They were a tight fit. My feet tend to swell during exercise, and I always buy sport shoes a size larger than my street shoes. My LBS happily made the exchange for size 44, and while I was in there, they even mounted the new cleats.

One of the main features I was looking for in a new shoe was a carbon sole. I figured the stiffness of carbon would help control the numb toe problem. These soles are as hard as rock.

I’ve worn them on two rides since Christmas. The leather tongue is a little long, and hits my instep right where it curves up into the shin. I think that will work itself out with a little more riding. They’re snug without being tight, because of that ratcheting fastener for the top strap. I like Specialized’s Body Geometry line of equipment anyway — they seem to pay attention to our anatomical needs.

While we’re talking about bike things for Christmas, I also got that seat post-mounted dual water bottle cage I posted about last week, a pair of yellow biking socks (“Because you don’t have any socks that match your yellow jersey.”), and a new long sleeve jersey. So it was a good biking Christmas for me.

The title of this post might be a bit misleading. Whether these shoes will fix the numb toe thing is still undetermined. Both my rides in the new shoes were fairly short — 15 and 17 miles — and I really didn’t get a sense of how the toe is behaving. I’ll have to report back on that in a future post.

Some new numb foot advice

October 14, 2008 at 7:02 pm | In Accessories | 3 Comments
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Something is going on out there with all sorts of riders, and it’s not good. It has to do with foot numbness. I’ve noticed that some of my more recent posts aren’t getting as much readership as I thought they would, but some older posts I’ve done dealing with my numb toe problem continue to get readers on a daily basis.

So what’s up? Are we a community of sore-footed cyclists?

I’m at the point where I have decided to tolerate my numb toe situation. I like to stop for a break every hour or so — maybe a little longer — and when I do, my numb toe problem solves itself. Even when I was smarting the other day after my crash, and my toe was screaming at me in agony, when the group stopped for a break and I walked for a few minutes, the problem was gone (of course, I was so sore in other places that I really didn’t stop to think about my feet until later, when I realized the toe had stopped burning).

Here’s a little something that might help some folks out there. It’s an article from Road Bike Rider, a web site I visit on at least a weekly basis. They’ve got several ideas about foot pain — they call it “hot foot” — and they invite bloggers to reprint their article. So here it is:

How to Solve Painful ‘Hot Foot’

By Fred Matheny for www.RoadBikeRider.com

In cycling, it’s known as “hot foot” — a burning pain in the ball of the foot, perhaps radiating toward the toes. Severe cases feel like some sadistic demon is applying a blowtorch.

Hot foot occurs most often on long rides. It may develop sooner or more intensely on hilly courses because climbs cause greater pedaling pressure. The pain results when nerves are squeezed between the heads of each foot’s five long metatarsal bones. These heads are in the wide part of the foot (the “ball”) just behind the toes.

My worst case of hot foot occurred on a 3,400-mile, 24-day transcontinental ride. With an average distance of 140 miles per day, no rest days and more than 100,000 feet of vertical gain, my dogs were smoking by the third week.

My RBR partner, Ed Pavelka, remembers being in agony near the end of one 225-mile ride early in his long-distance career. It was his first experience with hot foot, and the problem plagued him that season until he changed to larger shoes. Feet always swell on long rides (more so in hot weather), causing pressure inside shoes that normally fit fine.

“Hot foot” is actually a misnomer. It’s not heat but rather pressure on nerves that causes the burning sensation. You’ll sometimes see riders squirting water on their pups in a vain attempt to put out the fire.

Besides tight shoes, another risk factor is small pedals, especially if you have large feet. Small pedal surfaces concentrate pressure on the ball of the foot instead of spreading it the way a larger pedal will. If your cycling shoes have flexible soles like most mountain bike shoes, they’ll be less able to diffuse pressure.

Before Ed figured out his shoe-size problem, he tried to solve the pain with cortisone injections. That’s an unnecessary extreme in most cases — and it’s not fun to have a doctor stick a needle between your toes. Here are several better solutions.

  • Adjust shoe straps. It’s the top strap nearest your ankle that stops your feet from slopping around in your shoes. Tighten it as much as necessary, but keep the strap nearest your toes loose for maximum room.

  • Use thinner insoles and/or socks. This will give your feet more room to swell without restriction, especially helpful if your shoes are borderline snug.

  • Re-focus the pressure. Many riders solve hot foot by moving their cleats to the rear by as much as 8 mm. Long-distance enthusiast may go back as far as the cleat slots allow. They might even drill new rearward holes. After using this remedy, lower your saddle by the same amount if you moved your cleats backward 2-4 mm. If more than 4 mm, lower the saddle about half the amount. So, if your cleats go back 1 cm, put the saddle down 5 mm.

  • Add metatarsal buttons. These foam domes are placed on insoles (or are built into them) just behind the ball of the foot. They spread the metatarsal bones so the nerves running between them aren’t pinched by pressure or swelling. You can find these products in the foot-care section of drug stores.

  • Switch to larger pedals, for the reason mentioned above.

  • Buy new shoes. Look for a model with a wider-and-higher toe box, a stiffer sole and an anatomical footbed with a metatarsal button. One model that meets these specs is the Specialized BG, with versions for road and off-road.

  • Purchase custom orthotics. These plastic footbeds are supplied by podiatrists or sports medicine clinics. Among their biomechanical benefits are built-in metatarsal buttons. Be certain the practitioner understands you’re a cyclist, because orthotics for runners are not what you need. Cycling is a forefoot activity, not a heel-strike activity.

For more information on hot foot, orthotics and other foot-related issues, see “Andy Pruitt’s Medical Guide for Cyclists,” available as an eBook in the online eBookstore at RoadBikeRider.com.

Receive a FREE copy of the eBook “29 Pro Cycling Secrets for Roadies” by subscribing to the RoadBikeRider Newsletter at www.RoadBikeRider.com. No cost or obligation!

I’ll be interested in hearing if these suggestions help any. I’ve been kicking around several ideas, such as wider shoes, switching to touring style pedals with a wider base and SPD-compatible mountain bike shoes. Let me know what works for you.

Possible toe solution

September 23, 2008 at 10:37 pm | In Equipment | Leave a Comment
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OK, several posts ago I hinted that my doctor may have come up with a solution to my numb toe problem.  At my recent physical examination, I described what was happening — numbness after a certain time on the bike.  Turns out, the problem is not in my toe after all, but in my foot.

The doc says a nerve running along the side of the foot is being compressed by the shoe.  That’s what leads to the numbness in the toe.  The way to fix it, he said, is to apply a corn patch to the side of the foot, back from the toe.  Putting pressure there will ease the pressure on the toe, and should alleviate the numbness.

Interesting idea.  I haven’t tried it yet.

Why?  Because lately, the toe hasn’t been bothering me as much.  After my ham-handed homemade remedy of a few weeks ago, the numbness has flared up only a couple times.  I’ll still get it, but it’s not the bother it was, and it doesn’t happen on every ride.

In fact, on my ride this evening, the numbness started, but I discovered it was because the tongue of the shoe had wrinkled a bit, and was putting pressure on the toe.  Once I stopped riding and took off the shoe to fix the problem, the numbness disappeared.

So, I guess I have a new remedy in my back pocket, should I ever need it.  Besides, the doc isn’t making any promises.

“If it works, I get the credit,” he said.  “If it doesn’t, it was just another one of your hairbrained schemes.”

Sometimes home remedies work — sometimes not

September 7, 2008 at 12:22 pm | In Equipment, Rides, training | 1 Comment
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It looks like the cut on the shoe helped the toe numbness — but just a bit. I got the tingling sensation at about mile 24 of today’s ride. I’ve got some additional treatments for the shoe lined up, but whatever I do, it’s going to ruin the shoe in the long run. So I expect that new shoes are in my future at some point. And they’ll have to be wides. By the way, do most bike shoes come in widths? Or do only a few companies make different widths? I really haven’t paid much attention to the different makes and models out there.

Autumn is trying to sneak up on central Texas. The official overnight low was 72°F (22°C), but it felt like the 60s when we started the ride. That made for great riding conditions, and the ride itself was very encouraging. It was the Fitzhugh Road route again — one I enjoy, but one I have had trouble with in the past because of its rolling hills. I had hoped several B riders would join up, so we could ride the rollers without trying to match the pace of the A riders.

But I was the only B to show up today. I told the ride leader I would turn around at Ranch Road 12, where the group takes a break. They continue on for another 10 miles or so.

Son of a gun, when we got out to Fitzhugh Road, I was still in the middle of the pack. The hill routes I have been riding recently must be working. I was mentally patting myself on the back for the next couple miles, when suddenly I looked up — and I was alone.

I don’t know when they kicked it up a notch, but evidently I didn’t get the message. Lucky for me, the ride leader considers it his job to be the “sweep,” and he was off the back of the pack, too. We rode the several miles to Ranch Road 12 together.

The group takes a break at Ranch Road 12. This was where I turned around.

The ride back was routine — heavier traffic on Fitzhugh this morning than usual — and when I got to the corner of U.S. 290 and Fitzhugh I noticed the numb toe thing. A short walk around the convenience store parking lot, a brief break to drain my water bottle, and off for home.

Totals: 33.5 miles, 15.1 mph avg speed. Next week is the metric century warmup for the century ride in October.

Numb toe home remedy

September 5, 2008 at 9:35 pm | In Equipment | 12 Comments
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That numb toe problem of mine is back again — in fact, it has been for awhile. Very bothersome on last weekend’s long ride, but I feel the numbness even on rides of 12 miles or so.

It bugged me again this evening after about 15 miles, so when I got home, I decided to do something drastic: I took an old filet knife and slashed the side of the shoe where the little toe presses against it. Not a big slash — maybe a half inch.

I made the cut along the yellow line.

It seems the little toe on my left foot is shaped differently than the little toe on my right foot, and it sticks out sideways just a bit more. So I think the shoe has been putting pressure on the toe, which causes the numbness (Yes, I make sure the bottom strap on the shoe is fastened loosely. The only one I keep snug is the top one, so I can pull up on the pedals).

To those who had offered ideas about handling the problem, many thanks. Most didn’t work in my case. Some offered a temporary solution. Moving the cleat back helped some, but didn’t solve it.

So, I’ve got another longish ride coming up Sunday. Will Bike Noob’s toe go numb again? Or did the slasher get the job done? I’ll be sure to let you know.

Little change = big difference

July 18, 2008 at 7:29 pm | In Accessories | Leave a Comment
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After my complaint about numb toes the other day, I got several pieces of advice from readers. One suggested the problem was simply the position of my cleat — that if I moved it back a tidge, it might resolve things.

So last night, I finally got off my duff and did it. I moved the left cleat back just a little bit — less than the 1/4 inch suggested. I figured that I’d take a cue from bike fitters, who move saddles around just a little bit at a time.

Today I went out for a ride of a bit over an hour. Covered 16.6 miles at an average speed of 16.3 mph. The route included hills and long flat stretches.

Ta da! The foot felt great. I had wondered if moving the left cleat to a slightly different position than the right one would cause some discomfort, but it didn’t. In fact, I never noticed the difference.

The acid test will come over the weekend. I’ll be riding both Saturday and Sunday, and we’ll see if more time in the saddle than usual will affect the little toe. But for now, I’m one happy pedaler. Thanks, Jeff!

Numb toes

July 13, 2008 at 2:40 pm | In Accessories, Rides | 8 Comments
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Did a nice ride of 32-and-a half miles this morning. It was the same route where I had some difficulties a couple of weeks ago, and I had none of those problems today. The advice I’ve gotten from my commenters on proper hydration and nourishment must be paying off.

But I did run into a little problem that seems to crop up on just about every ride I take: the little toe of my left foot goes numb.

It doesn’t hurt, but it can sure be uncomfortable. I never even feel it coming on, but suddenly I will realize that the toe is tingling, and I have a heckuva time trying to get rid of the sensation.

It also comes on at inconsistent distances or times. If I’m doing my quickie 15 mile circuit of the Veloway, I have had it within six miles or so. But on today’s longer ride, I didn’t get it until 20 miles. Today wasn’t much of a problem, since I usually stop for a brief rest break at 22 miles anyway, and I could pull off my shoe and massage the offender. But the numbness came back at about 31 miles.

I have dealt with this nuisance a number of different ways. Besides massaging the toe, sometimes just getting off the bike and walking a bit will help.

I have loosened the lowest strap on my left shoe, and pull only the top strap really tight.

I make it a point to pull up with my left foot while riding, to relieve downward pressure on the toe.

I try to wiggle my toes in the shoe while riding. Not very effective.

Dealing with the symptoms doesn’t address the cause, and I haven’t yet figured out what the cause of the problem is. Although it might be my cheapie bike shoes. I don’t have this problem with any of my other shoes, and I am one of those rare folks whose feet are both the same size, so there shouldn’t be a difference in the way the left shoe fits as opposed to the right shoe.

My numb toe is the last thing I think about when preparing for a ride — in fact, I never think about it at all. I’m getting a bit irritated, though, that it keeps cropping up.

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