Clipless and now numb toe - why?

[ang75]

Hi there,
I have a new giant bike, so I had to go clipless.. (why do they call it clipless it you are clipped in?? )

Anyway - I had a ride on my windtrainer yesterday and today, and both times my little toe in my right foot is going numb after 2 -3 minutes.

I have diadora shoes (if that means anything)..

What can I do to prevent this? Is it just a matter of wearing in the shoes?
Help!!!

Cheers!
Ang

[runnergirl]

numbness is just a part of this sport-or at least that's what Lance said on TV the other day...

I had problems with my whole foot going numb after an hour or so, I moved the cleat position on the shoe about 2 mm, and the numbness has been reduced. Try moving the cleat, and also make sure you don't have the straps too tight!

[KSH]

Yea... I have 3 toes on my left foot that go numb.

Not sure how to fix it. I just ignore it and pedal on.

[RoadRaven]

If the shoe is not too tight, and the shoes are not fixed to far in/out/forwards/backwards... then I just suggest you wriggle and flex your toes often ...

Shoes with cleats (yes, I know, cliplesss, so silly - I started a thread asking just that question!) but shoes that clip in are hard and your feet have little room to move, so you need to make the effort to keep the blood circulating

Wriggle and flex... flex and wriggle...

[Grog]

Don't ignore the problem!! You don't want to cause any long term damage in that precious area... Plus, why suffer if you can fix this?

As everyone said: cleat alignment but above all I'd say shoes too tight. Your feet get a little bigger as you ride, so loosening the velcro after 15 miles may be a good idea. Wiggling your toes once in a while (like: every time you drink?) and stopping for a little walk when possible is also a good idea...

Enjoy!

[Trek420]

Glad you brought this up, I'm having the same problem too. My right big toe has a sprain that needs more time to heal so I kinda expect that but the left? Now it's numb too.

I use Shimano ATB shoes with the smartfeet insoles, never had a problem before. But following the Tour from the bike in the living room lately-ouch. Is it better with more float?

[singletrackmind]

Sometimes I'd curl my toes up when I'm making an effort without realizing it and I was also velcro-ing the strap over the ball of my foot too tight. I've relaxed both of those things and now no more numbness for me.

I've never had to wear in bike shoes, nor have had any shoes that cause discomfort ever changed their ways. Would you be able to try out others, possibly return these if they are the culprit?

[CorsairMac]

You could also try different insoles. I had problems with pain in my feet - to the point I would almost cry it hurt so bad. I took the insoles out and put in running insoles with arch supports. Last time I rode 75 miles my butt hurt and I couldn't figure out why as it had never hurt before: until I realized my Feet didn't hurt so I hadn't taken any time to stop and get off the bike!! LOL

[Geonz]

They're called "clipless" because the funky plastic harnesses that I still have (I'm a cheapskate) are called "toe clips." So when you graduate to just you & the shoe and the pedal, you're "clipless" - so perhaps grammar purists should start a movement and start calling it "clicking in."
You could always go back to toe clips :-) (or take better advice from folks who've been there & done that

[abarensfeld7]

Ya, I had the same problem! Just bought new Diadora shoes to FIX THE NUMBNESS PROBLEM I was having because of wearing plain old sneaks with my toe clips! (besides wanting more power)...
I loosened the front velcro strap A LOT and loosened the rear ratchet strap a little bit to get through the first ride on the shoes. Then I moved my cleats back towards the middle of my foot (had started out with them closer to the toes) and it helped HEAPS.
Also a word about my Diadoras: I was worried when I bought them that they were a bit loosey-goosey on my feet, but I'm glad they are, since my foot spreads out a lot when I'm on the bike...

[bikerchick68]

yup... your feet swell as you ride... so about 10 miles in loosen them up a bit and it should help a TON! I was having the same issue when I first started riding and someone gave me this advice... no more numbness (at least in my feet! )

[Lynne]

This could just be me, but as a "newbie" I figured out that I'm not pulling nearly enough. I push way too much. I was finding that my right big toe was not only going numb, but was white when I took off my shoe and hopped in the shower after a ride. I've found that working hard on doing more pulling on the pedals (to get that sweet round stroke) gives my toes more circulation. While my toe still isn't always perfectly comfortable, it's not usually white anymore either.

[bikerchick68]

Lynne... yep and a good way to learn how to pedal "circles" so that you are both pushing AND pulling is to unclip one side and use only one leg to pedal for awhile, then switch....

I did this for months on the flats until I had a consistent cadence where I am smoothly pedaling no matter the gear I'm in... it really helps!

[han-grrl]

I was told that because bike shoes are pretty flat inside, that your foot doesn't have real support, so...numb toes.

[BikingAt50]

I was told that because bike shoes are pretty flat inside, that your foot doesn't have real support, so...numb toes.

That's true. I recently read that since cycle shoes are so flat and ungiving (non flex), that your toes vibrate. This causes tingling and numbness. This book suggest inner soles in the toe area to reduce vibrations. It also warns against tightening shoes too tight.