Hi, I also get numbness/loss of sensation in the outer toes of my right foot. Sometimes it’s worse and affects more of my foot and I also get other numbness, niggles and pains in leg/knee on that side.
It’s caused, in my case, by wear and tear on my spine and from an operation on a disc many many years ago. Pilates and yoga help.
I’m not saying it may be nerve impingement for you but it may be worth seeing your doctor and getting your back/sciatic/nerves checked out as it may not just be caused by bike fit. Though the fit would likely exacerbate it.
Sample size of one here and not really adding much apart from that it may not just be bike fit related.
I started getting foot pain years ago and it has gotten better and worse over that time.
I can’t get past the three hour mark on the MTB because of it.
I have a bunion on my right foot and it’s pretty much made my big toe useless. The pain is in the second met head and when it flares up, it’s unbearable to push after that.
It also happens when I have to walk a lot.
I was scheduled for surgery, but my insurance was in a fight with the hospital system, so we had to postpone.
It sucks, since that’s about the only thing that bothers me on the bike, but that’s the part that you really don’t want hurting.
I had exactly this on my right foot. I cured it mostly with wide fit shoes (Bont wide fit) and moving my cleat such that the whole shoe was more outboard from the frame.
Used to just be mainly on bike - it started in 2018 when I rode across the UK with a friend in two days and noticed a couple of numb toes after that for a few days that did ease. Sometimes get it off the bike too nowadays though didn’t use to. Not sure if it helps any as we’re all different but maybe just a point to consider.
Hope you get it sorted.
I’d definitely echo what others have said and play around with what you can at home for cheap (stem, seatpost) and then can upgrade these parts for nice if the change is worth making. I feel the short crank phase isn’t for all and also will change the way you interact with the handlebar as you typically will raise the seat for a shorter crank. I think the biggest thing to check into are some insoles, especially now that you’ve obtained new, wider shoes. N of 2 here but in our household there was a shoe switch to Lake wides and he was now able to start running the even more supportive BG+++ insoles with more arch because the shoes had the volume vs having to “settle” for the ++ version which wasn’t supportive and gave “cold toes” because it smashed foot into the top of the shoe. I myself had numbness and hot foot caused by shoe fit/sizing as well so definitely worth exploring IMO.
Have you tried using a tapered wedge under your cleat with the thicker side towards your crank. The problem could be all your power going into the outside of your foot and not spread evenly across the ball of your foot. This worked for me.
Thanks! That could be part of it. The second fitter put 2 Specalized varus wedges in the front of my shoes and I’m wondering now if those are taking up too much space. Going to read up on the link you sent to try to understand wedging a bit more.
I’d definitely recommend PT before trying to “fix” the different leg length problems. My legs get to be different lengths when my sacroiliac joints are out of alignment. PT will help loosen/strengthen everything needed there.
I would echo this, and also generally only make one change at a time, unless it’s a very specific item where two changes may need to be made in unison for it to work.
Take notes or photos of before measurements so you can always go back. Make a change, give it 5-6 rides (less if blatantly terrible) and continue to reevaluate. A digital level for my saddle angle has been worth its weight in gold. I also have a laser level I can use for proper setback dimensions (bought it for other home projects, but works great for this). There’s other accurate means for setback as well.
One item mentioned earlier, if you can ride long hours with your current saddle without discomfort, to suggest anything different is absurd, regardless of any data. Consider that saddle fit a blessing that many will never be able to achieve. That’s the last thing I’d change, unless the modifications to fit somehow impact it, and seem more important than saddle comfort (unlikely). Finding the right saddle can turn into a very costly guessing game.
There are a bunch of phone apps that work pretty well too. I’ve used one on my android phone for saddle adjustments and it generally seems to align well with my longer spirit levels.
I use the following. Not the cheapest, but can be used for all sorts of things around the house, aside from just the bike. Saddle tilt can be so finnicky for some people (myself) even with small adjustments, that getting something digital goes a LONG ways, when .25 or .5 degrees can make an impact. On my ENVE seat post, even when I slightly over torque (around 6-6.5 NM vs recommended 5.5 NM), over a few weeks it has a tendency to slightly drift nose up. I may be able to put some carbon paste on the components, but haven’t dug into it too much yet. Tossing the level on it makes it a quick fix.
It’s obviously important to make sure the bike is always in the exact same place every time you measure (ideally a trainer) because even slight variations in a homes floor can make it seem like the saddle might have tilted one direction or another.
On foot pain: I was having a lot of foot pain that started rather innocently. During a 3+ hour ride, my right foot started aching. I just figured it was tired and needed some time off. I finished the ride and all seemed well, then another ride, 2 hours, and it started aching again. I shrugged it off, and kept up my 60 to 90 minute rides and then did another 2 hour ride, and the ache was back, turning into pain towards the end. Then the ache and more pain started into the 90 minute rides. Something was wrong…
I mentioned it at the LBS, and one of their mechanics said to move my cleat(s). I had just bought new shoes but scuffed at the idea. As the pain got more pronounced, I had to do something. I did tweak the cleat, and the pain got worse, so I went the other way and it nearly completely disappeared. Amazing, they were right. (Imagine that, right)
Later I got an Ergon bike cleat template ‘thing’ after running in to one on a trip (I love going into bike shops in town I visit) and it’s served me pretty well over the years. I’ve avoided that pain/ache thing through three new pairs of shoes and a couple of cleat replacements.
Some shops do tester saddles. It means you have to ride round with a bright yellow/purple saddle for a bit but you don’t buy one until you’re happy with it, just return it and get another to try.
I could tell you, but you might be ‘the other way’, so I won’t.
To be honest, it’s been so long, I don’t remember. I just got the ‘ergon thing’ and marked the ‘acceptable’ position, once I found it, and reproduce that on any new shoes.
That ‘thing’ isn’t necessarily going to put the cleats were they should be, but they will measure, from the cleat, what has worked before in relation to the ball of the foot and rotation of the foot on the cleat. See, you can have pain in different ends of your feet depending on how far off your cleats are. Experiment like I did, but see where the centerline of the cleat hits the ball of your foot, and if it’s off by a lot, move towards the center and see how it feels, and adjust accordingly?
I had a revelation with modern plastic shoes a few years ago. I have to start every ride with my shoes basically kind of loose. My feet will swell to fit them. If I don’t do this from the start of the ride, no amount of loosening 3 hours into a ride will help my feet at that point. I never had this problem prior to Boa style shoes.
I also found that Sole brand insoles work for me. I had some luck with Superfeet as well. Recently I got some new Shimano shoes and they were giving me pain in the balls of my feet just from the texture of the insoles.
After riding 175mm cranks for decades, I decided to try some 170s and they are pretty great. I’d just swap parts on your own. Look around for some deals.
I have been chasing a pelvic asymmetry issue forever. The best thing so far has been a SMP saddle. Lots of fitters seem to recommend them. They are kind of ugly and expensive but I swear by them now. My pelvis is still crooked but this seems to be the best solution so far.
Your fitter #2 sounds like a better fitter. How are the custom insoles working?
That’s a good tip on the shoes…I’ll try starting with them a bit looser and see if that helps. It’s nice having the extra volume with the Lakes now I just have to see if they help once it starts warming up again.
I found a crazy good deal on some take off 170mm cranks so I’m going to give them a shot too.
I’m not sold on the Retul insoles though and I think that’s partially a function of having bigger feet I wear a 49 and Specialized makes a footbed blank that’s the right size. The problem is the molding device didn’t appear to be well suited to bigger feet so the fitter really had to do alot of manual adjustments on the footbed.
I wear a 49 and Specialized makes a footbed blank that’s the right size. The problem is the molding device didn’t appear to be well suited to bigger feet so the fitter really had to do alot of manual adjustments on the footbed.