Black toes from cycling??

Anyone ever seen this before? I did a 77 mile ride on Saturday (the MS 150). It was exceptionally hot (the only relevant factor I can think of), and now both of my big toenails are turning black. Toes were slightly sore after the ride on Saturday. I wore sandals on Sunday. From searching and reading the threads about running, are my bike shoes too small? I've been wearing the same pair of Sidis for several years now (and I don't think my feet have grown) - though I do think I've done my longer rides in sandals in past years. Could it be a cleat position issue?

On one, it's about 2/3 of the nail (bottom up), and the other is 1/3 to 1/2.

Thanks for any insight.

CA

Wow, that's odd. No, sorry, I've never had that happen nor heard of it from any of my cycling friends, either. I've cycled in all kinds of conditions for varying lengths of time and never encountered anything like that. My first pair of Sidis really was too small (everyone told me they should be "snug" and, as a newbie, I bought too small), and I had toe pain but they never changed colors on me!

You did the New Bern ride? I think I saw it in another post.

Yep - the the New Bern ride. Still haven't posted the full ride report, but it was great. Hot, though. I'm wondering if 1 of 2 things happened: 1) either it was so hot, my feet swelled more than they ever have or 2) one of the Bike Marshalls insisted I needed to raise my saddle, so I did. It's possible I was pedaling too much with my toes down. Either way, I'm not in a hurry for it to happen again!

CA

That is bizarre. Is it painful? Maybe you could check WebMD and see if there's any info on that.

Can't wait for your ride report! I know how hot it was at my house this weekend (about 30 miles north of Charlotte), so I can only imagine what it was like toward the coast!

When it is hot, your feet can swell and could cause the shoe to be a bit too small in those conditions. I can think of no other reason your toes would get black unless they were being rubbed by the shoe. So my guess is, the heat caused your feet to swell and your toes rubbed the edge of the shoe

I had my toenails turn black after a long concert standing in boots. It took weeks to really fully develop, so it was a bit of a mystery until they got darker and I realized it was bruising. Be very careful to keep them protected and clean so you don't get an infection in the damaged tissue. I reinjured my left big toenail before it was fully healed from the bruising- caught it on something and nearly ripped it off- and it's never fully recovered- I still get lifting in that nail a couple years later.

Roller skaters and roller bladers get this problem frequently. They get it because it is crucial to have a very snug fitting boot for serious skating and blading. The result is that sometimes the pressure on the nails is too much and damages them. Sort of like a black eye but worse in a way.
It's pretty certainly due to lots of pressure on the nail.

I have lost many toenails from running. Yes, I have learned to buy shoes bigger, but it's not just the length of the shoe for me but also the toebox height and shape, where seams are/are not, etc... Once I find a pair of shoes that doesn't cause blisters (which I get at the mere mention of the word) or toenail bruises I stick with them until they are changed or discontinued.

However, I would tend to think that with cycling shoes, you would be more likely to get black toenails from shoes that are *too big** than shoes that are too small. Because cycling shoes are very snug, your foot really doesn't move around in them much, thus there is not much opportunity for you to bump your nails. If the shoe is to large and your foot *is* moving around, there is more opportunity to cause trauma to the nail. (OK, I admit that I am making this up as I go along...).

Is it possible that your shoes have stretched???

I keep my toenails ridiculously short because otherwise too much pressure on them causes pain during long rides.

They used to hurt when I had cycling shoes that were so snug that I eventually decided they were too small, and they still hurt with my current shoes which are not at all snug.

I am not sure if my toenails turned black because they always have polish on them (I started this a year ago) and a few months ago, one fell off...then the other. I thought I might of gotten a foot fungus but my second toes are longer than my first and after one ride with thicker socks, I noticed the top of the toes kind of hurt. Now I make sure I only ride with the 'sock guy' type socks not the thick running socks...

CA,

I have had black toenails on both big toes simultaneously from running shoes with too short/small a toebox, but never from cycling shoes, even my Sidis (which I have since sold), which were about 1/2 a size too small for me. I've heard of people getting black toenail from running, hiking, and tennis, but not from cycling. Very curious! I will warn you, it takes FOREVER for the blasted things to get back to normal. I'm over a year out from mine, and they still aren't what I'd call 100% normal. They aren't black but are more ridgy and uneven than before. I was lucky that neither of my toenails fell off, but be prepared that that can happen too. Google "black toenail" for more information than you every dreamed possible!

Congrats on doing the MS 150! :)

Emily

I've lost my big toe toenails more than once and one of the things you mentioned stuck out. You've been wearing the same shoes for several years. Unfortunatley our feet do tend to get larger as we age; not necessarily longer, but a little wider which means needing more space in the shoe for those times we have swelling.

So, next time you buy new bike shoes, try several pair on and go with comfort versus the size you've always worn in the past and, keep those toenails clipped.:)

Hmmm....toenails are usually short (and were for this ride). I put those shoes back on and went for a short ride, and I seem to be lifting my toes when I pedal. Not sure when that started, but I think it's what's causing the problem. I don't think a longer/wider shoe would fit it, though. It may be related to raising the saddle - I'm going to put it back (though I did feel like I had extra power). I did feel all around the fit, and they don't seem too big or too small. Side to side, they're snug, but not uncomfortably so. Lengthwise, they're good.

I think it's time to break my normal ban on nail polish. Especially since I want to actually wear the cute chacos I just bought on sale:)

Thanks for the comments and suggestions!!

CA

Maybe move the saddle 1/2 way back to where it was? How much did you change it? The toe lifting does seem like it could be related o the height. Any other issues related to saddle height? It seems like if the saddle were too high, you'd have other issues over 77 miles.

My DH always has black nails from running - especially after trail runs with big downhills where his feet get shoved forward. I used to get them sometimes from ski boots, back when I used to stride.

Good luck. Fortunately, black toenails aren't a huge deal. Black TOES on the other hand, would be scary!