Foot Pain

More specifics? Where is the pain, is it in both feet, does it happen during the ride or after, etc. If the shoes are a reasonable fit, you should consider putting in some Spenco or similar inserts -- a good running store will let you try them against your arch before you buy. You may just need extra support. Stretches always help. Changing position occasionally during a ride helps, but that's not usually an issue for mountain bikers, since you're up and down a lot.

The pain is in the "ball" and sides of both feet. It will start a few miles into a ride (like it did this morning) and get worse as I go. After a hard ride my feet are throbbing. I've adjusted my straps and shift in my saddle from time to time but nothing seems to help. The shoes are a good fit and are fine to walk in......Maybe God is telling me I should just walk.......Thanks again

What kind of pedals are you using? You may want to try a pedal with the largest platform you can buy, as the smaller pedals tend to cause problems for some people. As carljohnson said too, maybe try some extra padding underneath the balls of your feet as well to see if that helps. Good luck!

Jeff

I have the same problem. Shoes are DMT Ultimax RSX and pedals are Campagnolo Pro-Fit. I use a small, gel insert right at the pedal axle, about the size of a fist. A large, sporting goods store should have them. The pain does not go away completely, but it's much, much better than before. Before I tried the gel insert, I would constantly move my feet inside the shoe to keep the pain at a reasonable level. Needless to say, it made for a less enjoyable ride.

I think a thicker gel insert will stop the pain, and I'm looking for a thicker insert I can carve up.

As martin_i001 suggested, I do agree that a different pedal with a wider platform might help. I already have 6 sets of Pro-Fit pedals, so the investment to change them all would be quite expensive. I'm hoping the gel insert will work.

Lastly, carbon sole shoes are nice, but they have a tendancey put your feet to sleep. They are not for everyone.

-Wm.

I think before I invest $200-$300 on some new shoes/pedals I'll try the inserts. If I have to go with a new set-up would a Look pedal/cleat combo be the right direction?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by deez2nuts
I think before I invest $200-$300 on some new shoes/pedals I'll try the inserts. If I have to go with a new set-up would a Look pedal/cleat combo be the right direction?

Look, Time, Shimano SPD-SL (or whatever ones are a carbon copy of Look) would all be good. Many pedal manufacturers boast the largest platform, but Look would be a good place to start. I use Time Impact and I have yet to have any problems with foot pain and/or numbness (I'm an insulin dependant diabetic too, so the feet are considered a problem mine field). I prefer these over Look for the amount of adjustability and "free" float.

Jeff

Thanks for all the feedback. I'll try the inserts and go from there.

Thanks once again........deez2

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by deez2nuts
Thanks for all the feedback. I'll try the inserts and go from there.

Thanks once again........deez2

I helped my foot pain a lot by adjusting the cleats on the shoes so that the axle of the pedal is aligned back more toward the center of the foot. Pencilvienia, eh?

A pround citizen of the Commonwealth...I just looked at my cleats and they are more towards the back. I purchaced some inserts today, so maybe if I move the cleat forward and use the inserts I can find some relief....Thanks

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by deez2nuts
A pround citizen of the Commonwealth...I just looked at my cleats and they are more towards the back. I purchaced some inserts today, so maybe if I move the cleat forward and use the inserts I can find some relief....Thanks

To all:

Just to be clear, foam inserts did nothing for me. Gel inserts helped a great deal. Mine are made by "SOF~SOLE" (www.sofsole.com), $4.99 for two (2) pair. Under "Inserts," last image on the right.

I plan to go one step further and purchase a full gel insert, and cut it in half, using only the front portion.

Hope the above helps. Regards,

-Wm.

Yes, cleat position can be huge. So can the angle -- if your foot is rubbing too much on the outside or inside of the shoe, your angle is incorrect. I would agree that foam alone is worthless. If you have a high arch, you need the arch support because even when biking, your arch is getting flattened. Also, in my experience, foot pain doesn't start in the foot, so calf stretches and hamstring stretches have been essential for managing my problems, which have been in the arch and heel.

I moved the cleats forward without putting the inserts in and felt a very, very noticable difference! The pain has decreaced at least half. I will try the inserts on my ride Thursday and post back...BTW...I noticed that my riding postion felt a little more comfortabe while holding the hoods. Maybe I just imagined it...Thanks again

Miles, miles, miles....

I remember when I first stated using clips from straps, I had the same problem and it would hit me at between 30 and 40 miles sometimes, other times it would start earlier and sometmes it would never start. The pain was so bad, that sometimes I felt like walking the bike. I would back off of riding for 3 or 4 days or more and then start again with short rides and work my way up. Now I routinly do 65 to 100 miles rides on the weekends with no issues and I use spd's, shimano road pedals and speedpays. I think that the more miles you do the more your feet get use to the position their in and the less the pain. Also, try using the pull up part of your stroke more when siting to take sme pressure of the foot, making perfect circles also helps. Most people don't, not even the best.

Well I tried the inserts and I'm still having a problem with the right foot. I've decided to buy a pair of Sidi Genius 4 Mega size 43 and some Shimano Ultegra SPD-SL pedals. My L.B.S. could no longer get the 2004 Sidi's so I found them on Ebay For $164.00 brand new. Same with the pedals, $95.00 new in the box. From what I've been reading on this forum, Sidi makes a fine shoe and the SPD-SL's get some thumbs-up as well. Thanks for the feedback....Crossing my fingers & my toes!