Feet asleep

[sgraham]

Ok all you experts out there....I am riding along on my bike and after say about 20 minutes the toes on both of my feet are asleep...I am not clipped in...Is it my saddle or the height of the saddle or neither one? This is very uncomfortable...Help me out here...

[moonfroggy]

are your shoes comfortable?

[sgraham]

Yes very comfortable...They are not biking shoes, but athletic shoes...There is plenty of room in the toe box....

[nscrbug]

This is just my personal opinion, but I would say it is because your athletic shoes are way too flexible in the sole. For biking, I have often heard that a stiffer soled shoe (like a cycling shoe) is better, especially in preventing foot/toe numbness.

[OakLeaf]

+1 on stiffer soles, even if you're not ready for clipless yet.

Someone posted a beautiful pair of shoes a while back from a company that still sells cleats for toe clips (!). Unfortunately I can't remember the details, but maybe a search of the forum. Your options will be pretty limited if you don't go clipless, just because the cleats are so hard to find.

Another thought, if they're laced shoes, how tight are you lacing them over the instep? Or are you tightening your toe straps extra tight to compensate for not having cleats?

[moonfroggy]

someone once posted a link to these shoes and i have wanted to try a pair ever since. they stick are sticky with bmx pedals! i use clipless pedals on my road bike but these would be nice on my mountain bike.

[pll]

Generally, +1 on the stiffer shoe recommendation. Even if you are not ready for clipless, you an get mountain bike shoes, and at prices well below $100 (check performancebike.com, for example, but you can find a pair in your LBS). If later you decide to go clipless, you already have shoes that can take the cleats. I have several friends who took this route.

I use mountain bike shoes on my road bike to be able to walk in relative comfort (relative to road shoes...). Initially I had some numbness in my toes, but quickly found a good insole from Specialized and have not had a single problem since.

By the way, several TErs swear by Power Grips as an alternative to clipless pedals.

[ChillyWilly]

Prior to clipping in, I had the same problem. I was told by several folks that is was due to the placement of my foot on the pedal. If your downward stroke pedal pressure is focused on the area directly under and in front of the ball of your foot (sesamoid bone), kind of like where the "knuckles" of your toes are, you are applying pressure to the nerves that run between each toe in the soft tissue located there. With pressure on this area, the result is numbness. Proper placement of your foot on the pedal, and wearing stiff soled shoes might help. But I caution, this was my own experience. Your might be different.

I agree with KY that researching/reading/discovering is best. Good luck