numb and cold at the tips of your toes

[buddha_bellies]

I recently got a road bike (Specialized Ruby Elite) after years of riding tanker bikes handed down from my younger brother. My LBS had the bike fitted to make sure everything looks good. Even my other bike friends think it fitted good on me.

But I'm getting numbing/coldness on the edges of the toes. It stops once I get of the bike and walk a bit. Is that a fit issue or am I just cold and need a shoe cover? I talked to the LBS guy and he said it could be the seat so I switched to a harder seat but yesterday when i went out for a ride with the new seat, my toes felt cold after about an hour. Any suggestions? Am I just not used to clipless pedals perhaps?

[alpinerabbit]

Sounds like there's some pressure issue on the balls of your feet that is cutting off circulation.

The guy I went to get fitted (I wasn't all happy with the fit but with this I was) told me this -
Try to cradle your feet flat in the shoe instead of pushing with the ball of your feet. But do not turn this into a strained foot position, don't dig your toes into the footbed.

Dunno if it helps.

Shoe covers are an asset in the fall though.

[Grog]

It was chilly in Vancouver yesterday. Despite the "official" temperature being 13C, I wore gloves to go for a walk in the late afternoon.

Toe covers are great, inexpensive, and make a big difference.

You don't say exactly what you had on your feet, tho'. Some of my cycling shoes are warmer than others...

ETA: I also try to wiggle my toes every time I drink when I cycle in cold weather.

[SouthernBelle]

I 2nd the toe covers. When it's nippy out, my fingers and toes turn to bits of ice. The toe covers rock.

[Duck on Wheels]

Also be sure that your shoes give you enough toe room to wriggle ... and then use that wriggle room! Another thing: it might help keep pressure off the balls of your feet if you remind yourself to keep your heels down. My spin instructor back in Madison used to say "as if scraping some dog doo off the bottom of your shoe". That's especially helpful if you start getting cramps in your calves, I find, but it also helps me take pressure off when I'm getting a "hot spot" under my feet and cramps or coldness down there.

[OakLeaf]

+1 on looser shoes, and toe covers. (And looser toe covers!) And wool socks. You may even want a different pair of larger, non-mesh shoes for winter wear... more room in the toe box for thick socks and toesies.

[buddha_bellies]

Thanks everyone!

I'm gonna try and get another pair of "warmer" shoes. I have the specialized "torch" shoes right now and it has a lot of mesh. Hopefully shoe cover and maybe a pair of shoes w/o so much mesh will keep me warmer. Is there such thing as road shoes that looks like reg. shoes? I've always bike with regular running shoes and just started to use clipless pedals.

Also, thanks for all your suggestions on how to pedal. I'm gonna have to remember to push with my heel and see if that helps too. And yes, keep wiggling my toes. But I'm not sure what "cradle" my foot means?

[Grog]

There are shoes out there that are more like regular shoes. They are often called "touring" shoes. You can find them, among other places, at MEC.

However they are usually offering much more flexible soles than regular road shoes, which is great for walking but not as great for cycling. I have a pair of Garneau touring shoes and I've found them to be of lesser quality than my regular road shoes... but they were also a third of the price. I can feel the pedal through the sole every time I push it down, and after a an hour or so it puts me in quite a bit of pain. I barely if ever wear them anymore. Too bad because it's a great idea. Instead I got a pair of Sidi Dominator shoes which are very very stiff and compatible with my SPD pedals.

(Yes, note that not every shoe is compatible with every pedal... Why is everything so complicated?)

[Tuckervill]

I have spinning shoes by Shimano, with nice stiff soles, but plenty of tread for walking. I don't feel the pedals in them.

Hubby has mountain biking shoes with nice stiff soles, that can be walked in, too.

Karen