Balls of feet keep cramping up

[Donna1960]

Hi all,
This is my first pair of cycling shoes. I have about 250 miles on them and the balls of my feet tend to cramp up after 10 miles or so even if I loosen them. First the bike shop I got them at said to allow a break in period and when I went back the other day he said maybe switching out the insoles if they don't get better. it's been pretty hot here but even after the weather broke it still feels the same. The shoes are Giro Solara. I have wide feet but they feel as though there is plenty of room in them. Thoughts? thanks in advance!

[rebeccaC]

If your shoe/cleat/pedal fit and position and pedal stroke are good then orthotics may help. Even small adjustments to the cleat position can help. Do you have a good fitter that can look at your setup? If it’s a nerve pinch then definitely orthotics will help.

You might try lifting your shoe/pedal instead of down force for a minute, alternating feet, and standing once in a while. That helps if I start getting foot discomfort on a long ride.

[OakLeaf]

+1 on checking the fit. It could be something about the shoe/pedal/cleat combination, or it could be coming from higher up in the chain. Do you point or flex your ankles while pedaling?

What kind of pedals? Smaller pedals give some people trouble.

[Donna1960]

Well I "assume" the guy that set me up is good although I do not have anyone else to compare him to. Other customers of his certainly rave about him. He marked the balls of my feet before installing the cleats. I am trying to make sure I am not subconsciously "clenching" my feet especially where I am new to clipless. I will try your suggestions and any other ideas that others may have. I do not race but I do like my long rides of 80+ miles but I have yet to go more than 40 miles with these shoes so far and with the cramping I am worried about being able to go longer:(...thanknyounfor your help

[Donna1960]

Oakleaf I have the "lollipop" pedals which was by his suggestion...

[rebeccaC]

Oakleaf I have the "lollipop" pedals which was by his suggestion...

Donna, I use speedplay's and they work fine for me. Sometimes with a smaller pedal you can get problems, hot spots etc., from mashing so I spin more than mash. If you're confident in the position of the cleat then have the fitter look at your pedal stroke too. Again I'll mention orthotic insoles if the problem persists after you're sure of the shoe/cleat fit and position and pedal stroke is okay. I have a wide foot too and found Carnac's to work well for me.

[Donna1960]

I'll do that Rebecca...thanks for the help!

[Donna1960]

I have tried loosening them as much as possible...if inserts are inexpensive I will try them too. Just a little discouraged because I thought going clipless would be such a great improvement over my toe clips which I never had discomfort with...*sigh*....hoping I can get it all figured out before the century I am planning in a few weeks...

[OakLeaf]

Are you wearing the same shoes you were when you used toe clips? Are you *sure* they're wide enough? I have wide feet too, and IME loosening the fasteners does nothing when the soles of your feet are wider than the soles of your shoes. The parts of your forefoot that are supposed to be weightbearing - the first and fifth metatarsal heads - are hanging over the edge at best (and getting irritated and turning into bunions at worst). The middle bones, that are supposed to be lifting your transverse arch, instead wind up bearing weight and causing all kinds of trouble with your foot mechanics.

If you're not sure, pull the insoles out and stand on them. If any part of your foot is hanging over the edge of the insole, your shoes are too narrow.

Yeah, I have wide feet, and I know WAY too much about this stuff. Sigh.

But those lollipop pedals are pretty small, too. A small platform kind of winds up doing the same thing, especially if your shoe has any flex to it at all - putting the weight onto the second and third metatarsal heads and making it hard for the outer bones to bear weight. I know swapping pedals is an expensive fix, but you might try Look, which is what I've always ridden.

Also, what kinds of foot exercises are you doing off the bike? Yoga? Toe skrunches? Myofascial release by rolling out or walking on pebbles? Other?

[Crankin]

I've been using Speedplay for years. I did have this problem, but it was from wearing Sidis that were too narrow for my average width foot. Then, when I got my new Shimano shoes, the special molded to your own foot insert was so thick and awful (my LBS thought I was nuts), I wore my shoes for 2 weeks without any inersoles, and then went out and got the blue Superfeet ones. I need thin, thin, thin inersoles. I seem to have this issue with my hands, too, hence the need for gloves with no padding or gel. I can't stand anything thick or tight on my extremeties when riding, as it causes immediate pain and swelling, even in cool weather. Not swelling that is visible, no medical cause. Problem solved.
I do get the hot spot a bit, still, with my mtb style shoes and Frog cleats, but only on 40+ mile rides, on the foot with a bunion. But, it was much worse with spd style pedals that had a platform.

[Donna1960]

Oakleaf...I wore good ole sneakers with my toe clips. The shoes are brand new along with the pedals. When I put them on there feels to be plenty of room in them which leads me to beleive that the fit is proper. The shoes are very stiff. I just spent 115 on the pedals and 150 on the shoes. Money that I really didn't have to begin with so I need to try and make this work with as little as possible additional expense but more importantly without damage to my feet..

When I go for my ride tomorrow I will try them without any insoles and see what happens. Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll keep you posted :)

Off the bike foot exercises? I have never done any.....

[OakLeaf]

Here are some foot exercises. http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-prevention-recovery/foot-arch-reset?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunningTimes-_-Content-HealthInjury-_-FootArchReset There's a link in the article to the Phase 1 exercises, but not vice versa, which is why I'm linking to Phase 2/3. :cool:

This is from a running site, but IMO foot strength and flexibility are just as important on the bike as it is walking/running - maybe even more so, since while you naturally get some foot exercise from running, on the bike your feet are locked into position and not bearing your full body weight, and it's really easy to ignore them. The most common cause of cramping is unaccustomed use. "Unaccustomed use" can definitely come from poor fit. But it can also just be what it is.

[Donna1960]

Thank you I will work on these. I did ride without any insoles one day for about 33 miles and it was slightly better. Then I tried the insoles from my favorite sneakers which fit the shoes perfectly and that was even better. Still a slight problem with my left foot which may be due to a bunion of sorts. I wish I could have "tried before I bought". I am going to ask a friend who wears the same size shoe as me to let me try her bike out. She does not have the lollipop pedals. I am curious to see how that will work out. Thanks for all the replies everyone!

[Amazellen2]

Hi Donna,
I've had hot foot and charlie horses for years. New shoes, new pedals, new shoe plate positions, etc... nothing worked. I've started taking Magnesium, and voila.... no more hot foot or cramps. Not sure if it's the same issue at all... but give it a try.
Cheers,
E

[withm]

When I see the title of this thread a fumy mental image comes to mind - picture a ball of string, a ball of twine. Now a ball of feet? :) :D