Foot Pain Issues - 2 bolt SPD vs. 3 bolt SPD SL or Look

Equipment
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BLUF: Could switching from 2 bolt SPD pedals to 3 bolt SPD SL or Look pedals alleviate outer right foot pain/imbalance due to the cleat or wider platform.

BACKGROUND:

  • Since I started seriously cycling 3 years ago I have been struggling with pain on the outer side of my right foot. This is present in both MTB and Road cycling.
  • I am using Favero Assioma Pro MX-2 Power Meter Pedals. My power pedals regularly report a Platform Center Offset on the right pedal around +15 mm average, sometime as high as +20mm which strongly correlates with pain buildup on the outside of the right foot. My left foot does not have the same pain and the Platform center offset generally averages 0mm to +5mm platform center offset. The pedals have generally reported about a 15 - 20 watt difference in power balance between my left and right side (the lesser being on the right) and I greatly feel the asymmetry in my pedal stroke.
  • I have preferred to use SPD pedals on both my MTB and Road bike due to being able to have just one power meter for both, the dual sided nature of SPD, and the walkability of the SPD system.
  • I had a bike fit 2 weeks ago and the fitter staggered the for/aft position of the cleats (right cleat as far back as it will go, left cleat 13 mm forward of most rear position). He did this because his observation is that I am presenting a shorter right leg. (The physical therapist I am seeing, see below, measured and did not find a structure leg length discrepancy but noted a collapsed arch) This has seemed to help bring left/right power balance closer (around 4% difference according to power pedals which feels pretty good). He also rotated the right cleat to allow that foot to sit slightly toe out which is how that right foot wants to naturally sit. Prior to the bike fit and cleat adjustment there were times when the pain build up near the pinkie toe and 4th and 5th metatarsal of the right foot got so bad that I had to end a training session. Since the cleat adjustment this has somewhat improved although I can still feel pressure building up during long intense efforts its just now in the right outer midfoot instead of the forefoot. (makes sense since the cleat was moved far aft). Platform center offset is unchanged. The fitter also lowered the saddle height.
  • For 2 years I was wearing a Shimano XC-502 (composite sole) shoes in size 43 normal width. I recently bought Lake MX239 Gravel (full carbon sole) in size 42.5 (correct size as assessed by the bike fitter) in normal width.
  • I am using G8 insoles which were also setup by the bike fitter during his foot analysis
  • I have a history of serious ankle sprains on my right ankle that has affected it’s stability. I am undergoing physical therapy to treat the ankle instability and collapsed arch which contribute to the foot wanting to roll to the outside.

I’ve never used traditional 3 bolt road cleats/shoes so what I am wondering is if the larger platform of a SPD-SL or Look pedal could help stabilize the right foot at all in conjunction with these these other corrections? Thanks for the advice.

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In my experience . Maybe. Changing platforms should not change the amount of pressure exerted on the outside of your foot unless the carbon shoes allow the fitter more adjustment options. Sometimes the case with 2 bolt shoes vs 3 bolt. Your old shoes could be worn to the point of not supporting your foot . In this case new shoes can make a difference. Did he look at your old shoes while fitting the new ones?

I think you are going in the right direction by having a fitter make cleat adjustments. Wedges and shims can also be used to correct imbalances. This worked for me. If you recently made these changes, your foot may still be irritated. It can take some time before it heals.

I’m coming from Lake wide road shoes with G8’s to a Bontragger soft spin shoe with 2 bolt cleats . This was due to me having a stress fracture on the 5th metatarsal . Too much pressure on the outside of my foot cracked the bone. Some times riding thru pain is not a good idea. :man_shrugging:

Hopefully soon I’ll be back in my pricey road shoes. They do wear out cleats when hike a bike on gravel.

Good luck with the foot.

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Maybe go with the wider shoes? I had all manner of foot pain problems on the outside of my foot and finally shelled out the bucks for the Lake MX238s in Wide fit. I will never wear another shoe again. 8hr gravel races, zero pain. Haven’t had any foot pain since except for times when I’ve accidentally over-tightened one of the BOAs. You could also check that out… how hard are you cranking down the BOA ratchets? I found that there is definitely such a thing as too tight sometimes. Even if it feels nice and snug it can be a recipe for slow developing pain. Let your foot breath!

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N of 1 but I sometimes get severe foot pain on the outside of my left foot while cycling and have for about 10 years, not numbness or “nerve” type pain and not related to any injury. I have very narrow, low volume feet (below the “narrow” width on the Lake Shoes scale for my length) and think it could possibly be related to having to crank shoes down to get a tighter fit but it happens sometimes when the shoes are not cranked. Right now I’m in S-Phyre MTB shoes (902/903) and road Shimano RC702 and the issue happened on both 2 and 3 bolt setups for me. What DID help was running the cleats all the way back on the track, siding them in all the way (so I had the widest stance), and adding a pedal washer. What we think was happening in my case was I was pedaling on the outside of my left foot causing pain, widening the stance on that side distributed the pressure throughout. Interesting as my left leg is also suspected to be shorter when knee angle measured but I also have a larger left foot.

TLDR; I had a similar problem and changing to 3 bolt shoes/cleats didn’t help but sliding cleat back and running cleat inboard and with pedal washer to create a wider stance on that side, did help.

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Thanks for the feedback everyone. Some great ideas to try