Need Advice: Sidi Doms or Genisis 5???

[smittykitty]

Riding STP this July. Its 200 miles over two days. From Seattle to Portland with just 10,000 other riders.

In a nut shell do I need to upgrade to Sidi Genisi 5 and SPD -SL cleats to alleviate numb toes? I would love to keep my Eggbeater Candies and upgrade to the Doms. I love the Candies ease of clipping in/out and the ability to ride on them unclipped.

My toes from the ball of my foot forward get numb/cold after 10-15 miles. Use Superfeet insoles, toe covers, wools socks chemical foot warmers. (Thanks ladies for the recommendations, they all helped a bit)

I've been 3-4 yrs with Egg Beater Candies and entry level Shimano Mtb shoes.
I'm ready to upgrade to Sidis in hopes of alleviating toe pressure discomfort.

I'm a very cautious rider. I unclip both (yes both) feet at the slightest possibility of having to stop.

DH made the upgrade to SPD-sl and Sidi Genesis 5 this past Sept. He previously had the same set-up as me. While he felt there is definitely a much bigger learning curve, he has been very happy with the upgrade and it completely took care of his toe problem. I believe he has plantar fasialitis (sorry about the spelling) or something like that. He thought I should also move to road shoes to help my numb toes.

We rode yesterday in Seattle (we live way out in the country - flat, not much traffic). He went down pulling on to a very steep hill from a stop trying to clip in. I was able to clip in/out then walk up the short hill after checking on him.

He is now a little worried about me moving to road shoes for our upcoming STP ride. He did admit that he was probably feeling a bit gun shy after his fall and not being accustom to all the traffic stops. But I have to agree, there will be plenty of stopping/starting especially the first 20-30 miles, a couple of short but steep hills and thousands of riders to navigate around.

So ladies, I don't know how many of you have experience with Eggbeaters and Sidi Doms but would love to hear from you with regard to numb toes. I think the road set-up would probably fix my toe problem, but would love to stay with my pedals if that would work too! I'm pretty sure the problem is from the pressure of the smaller cleats over a road cleat. The classic complaint! My podiatrist didn't feel I need a special orthotic. Just don't know how much the stiffer sole of the Doms would play into the mix.

I know I need to make the change right away if I'm going to. I could always ride 75 miles a day with numb feet, but prefer not too!

Sorry for the long post.

[Veronica]

I've been riding Sidi Doms and eggbeaters for several years. I obviously like the set up. I never had numb toes, but use to get hot foot on really long rides when I had cheaper shoes.

I did try the Genius when I switched and did not like how slippery they felt when I put my foot down at lights.

Veronica

[zoom-zoom]

Smitty, are you sure your shoes aren't too small/narrow? I had to sell my Doms...I kept getting numb, pinched toes. Eventually I started having nerve damage on my larger/wider right foot (in the form of a deep itching sensation that only went away once I switched to a significantly wider men's LG shoe). If your numb issues are from a shoe that is too narrow, then I would HIGHLY recommend against any Sidi women's shoe. And unless you have a really wide heel I don't imagine that the men's version would work, either. I had issues with heel slip on my Sidis. I have duck feet, though.

[smittykitty]

Thanks for the quick responses ladies. I'm petite and don't have wide feet, size 6 avg. width. My current shoes aren't loose by any means, but don't feel too narrow either. They feel more like there is pressure coming from cleat area.

[pinsonp2]

The Specialized footbeds (http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...1009&scid=1137) worked for me when the Superfeet did not. You might look into those.

Good Luck,
P2

[Wahine]

If you came to me at my clinic and said the same things you've said here these are the possible causes/hypotheses I would have:

1) You could maybe relieve the pressure by moving your cleat back as far as possible
2) Your calves might be tight, forcing you to flex more through your fore foot instead of your ankle during your pedal stroke
3) Your pedal stroke may be uneven and doing some one legged drills would help to figure that out
4) It may not even be just your feet, or even your feet at all, it could have a lot to do with your lower back and hips

Does any of this strike a cord with you? If you like the Candies, I would explore some of these other options first before switching and I would try the specialized BG inserts as well.

If you are tiny, your cranks will have your feet positioned outward relative to your hips more that the average person and that makes you collapse inward at the foot. The Specialized BG inserts have a forefoot wedge that helps with this. You could also more your cleat as far to the outside of your shoe as possible (moving your feet inward). I'm not that familiar with the cleats so I'm not sure if that is possible. If it isn't, I think there may be a model of the Candy pedal that has a shorter pedal axel, but it's the really expensive racer version.

[oldwhatshername]

These shoes are about as easy to walk in as anything else for me.

[smittykitty]

Thanks for the help, but unfortunately walking isn't my first concern. Right now the bottoms of my feet feel just plain beat up after an hour long spin class in my running shoes on Wednesday followed by an hour of riding today.

On my ride today, my feet were getting numb after about two miles. By mile 6 they were completely numb and by mile 9 they were just big fat blocks from toe to arch.

When I got home and pulled my shoe, thin wool socks and chemical warmers off, my feet were not cold to the touch at all, thus I would call it numbness.

I will say they felt pretty snug through the front of the shoe, not rubbing, but snug. Probably a little crowded in there.

My LBS has ordered a couple prs of Specialized road shoes in my small size for my to try tomorrow. (Seems they aren't really carrying Sidis right now). They want me to bring my bike in and put me on the trainer to see what my current set-up looks like and try new. They really are pushing the spd-sl. They contend the large contact area of road pedal vs the two skinny eggbeater clips are even more important than the shoes with regard to pain.

Will see what tomorrow brings. I'm soooo confused!!!!

[Reesha]

I feel like I just read somewhere online that SIDI shoes have 3 different widths. BUT I AM PROBABLY CRAZY. But it's a feel.