Arch pain

[Ana]

I have been commuting in my tennis shoes, with platform pedals and am having some pain in my arch. My commute is just over one mile each way (although construction is making it slightly longer these days). I am considering switching over to clipless but it hardly seems worth it considering I would then have to pack my shoes in my pannier (and it's only about 15 minutes each way).

Do any of you wear tennis shoes to commute and, if so, you have foot pain?

[tulip]

First make sure that the ball of your foot is centered on the pedal spindle. Your arch should not be on the pedal.

If that doesn't work, try some stiffer shoes. You don't need clipless pedals and cycling shoes for a one mile ride.

For one mile, I'd just walk.

[TsPoet]

My coworker, with a 15 mi commute, just switched to clipless for the same reason. He's in heaven, says in the 3 years he's been commuting his feet have never felt better.
Now for my new found "religion" PR (or BS, depending on your point of view) - try Vibrams! I wear my "barefoot" shoes all day everyday and my feet have never felt better. I ride in them on my trike with platform pedals and they are heaven sent for that as well. This is the opposite of Tulip's advice - let your feet work instead of stopping them from working. The VFFs will develop muscles in your feet you never knew existed and, after the original "ouch" of muscle development, your arch will be stronger for it!
Off my high-horse - either platforms or stiffer soles might help as well.

[Ana]

First make sure that the ball of your foot is centered on the pedal spindle. Your arch should not be on the pedal.

If that doesn't work, try some stiffer shoes. You don't need clipless pedals and cycling shoes for a one mile ride.

For one mile, I'd just walk.

The ball of my foot is aligned with the center of the axle (my arch is not on the pedal) but I should have mentioned that I have very flat feet Minor stuff (like heels) causes them to become sore also I think it's the flexing of my arch that is making them somewhat sore. Also, the soreness varies from day to day.

I will try a stiffer shoe or switch over my pedals, I guess. I'll stop by the bike store this week and see what they have to say Of course, they will be in favor of trying to sell me something

[Biciclista]

you can buy a cheap pair of bike shoes and use them nicely on platform pedals. that's what I did for years because my husband was afraid i'd hurt my feet.. they have a stiff sole and protect your arch

[OakLeaf]

Cycling and walking/running are two different beasts.

On foot, your foot is in contact with the ground, and we have a large number of bones and muscles that have particular purposes, including supporting and flexing the arch, catching the body and propelling it forward as you take each step. If your foot muscles get sore when you're on foot, that's a sign that they need to get stronger - just like sore muscles in any other part of your body. The more flexible the soles of your shoes, the better your feet will be able to do their job.

On the bicycle, your feet are transmitting power through a small contact patch between foot and pedal. The size, shape and location of that patch doesn't change from pedal stroke to pedal stroke. When the sole of a cycling shoe flexes, and your arch flexes during the pedal stroke, no purpose is served - your heels and toes go down into empty space, and your foot muscles are stuck scrambling to hold your feet stable in a position they didn't evolve to work repetitively. The stiffer the soles of your cycling shoes, the better your legs will be able to do their job.

Think of holding a plank, because it's really similar. Your spine and core muscles evolved to hold your body upright. Planks are good exercise, because they're asking those muscles to work against gravity in a different direction than they're used to, and that'll help you be stable in motion, when you're not perfectly upright. But could you hold a plank for five minutes... ten... an hour? That's basically what you're asking your foot to do if you bicycle in flexible shoes.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Ana, make sure you are not pointing your toes down as you pedal. Lots of people do that without thinking and it puts undue pressure on the wrong parts of the foot.

One mile? I would never bother to do clipless and have to change shoes for a one mile ride. Um...it's only a few blocks!

[ny biker]

The ball of my foot is aligned with the center of the axle (my arch is not on the pedal) but I should have mentioned that I have very flat feet Minor stuff (like heels) causes them to become sore also I think it's the flexing of my arch that is making them somewhat sore. Also, the soreness varies from day to day.

I will try a stiffer shoe or switch over my pedals, I guess. I'll stop by the bike store this week and see what they have to say Of course, they will be in favor of trying to sell me something

How is the arch support in your tennis shoes? If there's not much, it might help to get orthotics that provide better support. Something like this:

http://www.superfeet.com/products/Green.aspx