Numb Toes, Blisters, Painful Bunions, Aching Arches
These are all common complaints that cyclists have about their feet.
All of these contribute to a loss of comfort and power which results in poor performance, frustration and wasted time. Your feet are your most important connection to the bike. It’s where the power is delivered to the pedals and ultimately to the road. Your feet are very sensitive so comfort is extremely important as well. If you are comfortable you will produce a lot more power.
Here are a few tips. (Your feet will thank you.)
Use a supportive insole
A supportive insole will help evenly spread the pressure under your foot. If used correctly it will help with your alignment, protect against certain injuries, and improve your power transfer.
Size your shoes appropriately
Cycling shoes are different from normal shoes and should be worn a bit tighter. It’s a fine line between too tight and not tight enough. Just remember that you want to isolate the foot inside the shoe, with little or no movement.
Use thin socks
Because of the tight-fitting nature of a cycling shoe a very thin sock is warranted. Look for socks that have moisture wicking properties. In cold weather use overshoe booties instead of a thicker sock.
Don’t buckle your shoes too tight
If your shoes fit correctly you should hardly have to tighten them at all. With many of the ratcheting shoe closures on most cycling shoes it very easy to over tighten. If you find yourself cranking the straps super tight then you should revisit your shoe fit and insoles.
Check your cleat position
Cleats should be positioned to accommodate your body’s natural position and movement. The fore and aft position, cleat angle even the tilt of the cleat can all cause foot discomfort and loss of power.
Try some of these tips and see how it can improve your performance on the bike.
What are your specific foot problems? Post here and we will try and find an answer.
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Nice article! Number one complaint I get in the clinic is bunion/sesamoiditis/inflammation. Not easily resolved with over the counter insoles. Cleat advice?? 🙂
Leigh thanks for the comment. On your cleat advice question. One thing to look out for are worn cleats. Nearly every person I see in the studio has cleats that are excessively worn. This can cause what I call varus valgus (tilt foot in or out) slop. Simple fix, replace cleats and in some cases pedals.
Moving the cleats rearward on the shoe combined with proper insoles can minimize many pressure related issues.
This help?
Good idea! I usually only replace cleats when they don’t clip in/out anymore so wouldn’t have even thought to check their impact on the riding platform.
Do you find some cleat systems better/worse for the sensitive feet crowd?? i.e. a speed play versus a look or shimano?
Leigh
I find most pedal systems can work well. What is important is that they are set up properly. I will do a post in he near future about selecting a pedal system.
Thanks
Hey Victor, I have had a problem for a while, mostly on my right foot but a little in the left too, I find all down the outside edge goes numb and quite uncomfortable. I have noticed that the ball of my foot does not sit squarley on when clipped in. The cambered foot is also evident when walking too.
I need more info but here goes. It sounds like you are trying to produce power with the outside of your foot rather than the ball of your foot. The place to start is with the fit of the shoe. Also check to see how much play your cleats/pedals have. They wear and often cause problems.
This video explains shoe fit
http://youtu.be/C8X1sfbQSGA
@Cyclingsi
interesting. my one toe goes numb while I ride and stays numb for a while and since I ride a lot it is numb all the time. Should probably get bike shoes 🙂
oh and a size smaller than my regular shoes?
Phillip
Clearly something is wrong as your toes should not go numb. Could be as simple as using a thinner sock to get more space. Always use a supportive insole. This video explains a bit more. http://youtu.be/C8X1sfbQSGA
@phillipgibb Generally yes but you cant go by that. Sizes vary between brands. Make sure you use a supportive insole while testing fit
@BicycleLab thanks, watching the video now
Contray to what cyclists have been doing, I have been involved in foot fitness for a while now and find myself losening the buckles and velcro of my cycling shoes to the point where my feet have room to float. The toe box of shoes, especially cycling shoes are quite snug and it is almost impossible to spread our toes to alllow our metatarsals to splay so we can get a wider surface to pedal from. Since landing in running (when the foot lands on the asphalt) is similiar to our push point (3 o’clock) on the pedal stroke, we all need our transverse arch to be able to open up to produce power. If we contrain our feet, metatarsals, phalangies, we can’t do that. Why are we continuing to stuff our feet in tight cycling shoes; trying to fix hot spots and such with wedges, etc. If we train our feet to work how they should and develop the muscles and tendons, we should have less problems as well as prevent all that knee pain since we can’t just train everything else in the body, but cut off our feet and ankles. I guess I’m proposing the same debate as running barefoot as opposed to shod running. In fact, I don’t wear socks when cycling anymore. I don’t feel in touch with the pedal. Theres a disconnect, similiar to a bunch of foam swaddling our feet called running shoes when we run. Since I’ve been training barefoot, I have absolutely no knee pain when cycling, no foot problems, and feel more powerful.
 @meggles Thanks for the comment. Its an interesting discussion.
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Because of the way we pedal a bike, pushing down and pulling up, etc. a loose shoe is not a solution. In a cycling shoe your foot is connected to the bike and cannot move the same as if you were walking or running.
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In a cycling shoe if you allow your arch to collapse and your toes to splay out you are causing misalignment of your ankle, knee, hips, etc. The can lead to repetitive strain and possibly injury.Â
I am not a advocate for wedges but I am for orthotics and footbeds. In fact you would find that while using footbeds with arch support you will have much better feel or proprioception as well as power production.
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The are several good studies that confirm the increase in power ( 6-9% increase with the use of custom orthotics) . My personal observations confirm this as well. I have also seen hundreds of cyclists benefit from properly fitting (not constraining) cycling shoes with supportive footbeds.
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Hi… From time to time, I find myself curling my toes down, as if I’m trying to grip the pedals. Is it in my shoes or in my head? 🙂
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Bike: Trek Domane 4.5
Pedals: Shimano PD-520
Shoues: Specialized Comp MTB
@nollarwind Part of it may be in your head but most of it is likely a shoe fit problem. Your feet are not stable enough inside the shoe.
@BicycleLab  @meggles
 Sorry. There are, indeed, studies to prove more power with certain hard soled cycling shoes, especially the carbon fiber bottoms, but with that is also significant studies of more foot problems in the long run including plantar fasciatis issues. If we work on developing the tendons, muscles and articulation of bones in our feet as to how they are intended to be used, we would only need to push down where necessary. That is the balls of our feet. The wider surface we have to pedal from, thus more power is produced in the long run. We are not collapsing our arches, but strengthening them by actually using our feet rather than supporting them. Just as a bridge. If we were to press something in the middle of it, the end points give way. Supporting our feet, in my opinion, is a crutch. I don’t see how using our toes as intended could possibly cause for more knee, hip, etc. pain. Our toes are suppose to be wider than our feet just as they are when we are born. We shouldn’t even be gripping our toes at all when cycling. The metatarsal area (transverse arch) is where the connection is.  But then we stuff our feet in shoes and that’s when problems happen. Our muscles atrophy. There is only one muscle that does NOT extend from our leg into our foot. Why work the body, legs, etc, but neglect the feet? Of course we need that connection to the pedal, but only where we need it. We don’t actually pull back or pull up, but push down precisely where we need to at 3:00 to aid in propulsion forward.
@meggles I agree with this in theory. But the reality is that most people don’t have sufficient strength in their feet. We wear shoes that dont fit properly, we dont stretch or strengthen our supporting muscles, etc.  Pedal stroke: We do and should be pulling back and up although we dont actually produce significant power on the recovery part of the pedal stroke. Thanks for the discussion
triathleta8 Thanks for posting this, great info. I actually noticed last night when I was riding that one foot felt weird, going to adjust my shoe today to see if it helps.
Hi, where placing cleats fore/aft position if your feet are not the same length and if the ball of foot is marked on each shoe and placed the same position just past axle centre would you be concerned if there was approx 3 or 4 mm difference where the cleats sat on the shoe because one shoe would be more advanced than the other but the ball positioning would be the same?
Stephen, If I understand correctly. The cleat should be placed in relation to the ball of the foot. It is common for each foot to be completely different. I can help further with a 1-1 virtual fitting. Thanks
So you would do what the alignment points show and not what it looks like on the shoe , would this have any impact on leg length
How do I do a virtual fitting?
I just sent you an email. more info here http://bicyclelab.com/landing/do-you-want-to-be-a-better-cyclist/
You may or may not remember that we had an exchange some time ago about insoles and about the balls of my feet catching fire on long rides. At your urging I began experimenting with aftermarket supportive insoles, and I eventually discovered eSoles insoles. They have gotten hard to find now, but wow. Four interchangeable arch support of different heights and two thicknesses of metatarsal buttons to experiment with. I now get proper support and the thicker metatarsal pads have made the feet-on-fire problem a thing of the past.
They have Supportive and Dynamic models which are almost the same, except the Dynamic footbed is slightly thicker than the supportive, and the supportive has one higher arch insert (very high). I use both models in different shoes to get the right foot volumes. IME the heat moldable insoles often mash down too much during the molding process to give the proper support–these are a different approach and they work for me anyway.
Thanks for the informative article! I’ve gotten a professional bike fitting and they outfitted me with different insoles for my cycling shoes.
But I’ve noticed recently that I seem to curl my toes a bit while pedaling, especially when I’m trying to get a lot of power or when I’m going hard uphill (while pulling UP)… By the middle or end of the ride, my feet feel a bit cramped and my toes ache. Is this normal? My shoes seem to fit well otherwise (though I have also noticed that I crank them pretty hard when tightening them).
Anything I can do to fix this or is it just a matter of training myself not to curl my toes?
Thanks for any advice!
Dori
On curling toes. It could be several things. I suspect that the problem is part insole fit and part technique.
If the insole is not fully supporting your arch, you may feel the need to curl your toes. Also on your technique, think of pulling back through your heel rather than through your fore foot.
Hope this helps
If you want to dive deeper into this topic consider a 1-1 Skype session. We can work though your issues together.
Best
Victor
I just recently went from mountain to road shoes [w/speedplay clips] (wasn’t really aware there was a difference… now I know!). I probably didn’t go through the fitting process very well. After about 200 miles on the bike, in clips of 20-50miles per ride, I started developing bunion issues, which will probably lead to worse issues if I continue to do what I’m doing. I have something called eSoles that were in my mountain shoes [about $40-50]. Came with a number of soles. I have tried thickening the socks, might try something thicker, or add this insole from my mountain shoes.
I was more comfy in the mountain shoes, but was developing ankle issues as I started upping my mileage to over 120 a week.
I am training for a multi-day charity ride in late May.
Suggestions?
Thanks
Dave
I DO have a pair of eSoles and pulled them out of my other pair, replaced the insoles and am going to go on a 20 miler today. Hopefully that tip in the vid makes a difference, because everything else seems to be as it is as far as fit is concerned.
Dave
Hi I’m getting a burning under both feet after around 30 mins riding I’ve adjusted the cleats but it still comes back I’ve even upgraded my shoes to a carbon sole as I thought this could be the reason. Im now thinking insoles but wanted to check before I throw some more money away on my feet also would the float effect this aswell as I’m using a look red instead of the standard grey cleat
Thanks Nick
Nick Just checking in to see how things worked out. I hope that you solved the problem. Insoles a pretty much mandatory.
Toe Joint Pain
My foot problem has extended beyond cycling. I ride a cross-trainer w/ SPD pedals for road cycling, about 9 years , 7 of those years with tight MTB shoes. I pronate, have bunions and fairly high arches and fallen metatarsal arches. Superfeet insoles worked for a long time, until a year ago. I believe the arch in my left foot fell a bit and all the pressure is now centered on the big toe joint, enflaming osteo-arthritis in the joint. I bought new shoes w/ a wide toe box, use more supportive arch supports and a toe spacer b/w the first and second toe. It helps but still enflames the joint.
I am looking for options to keep riding. One consideration is pedals that provide more of a platform, if this will help take the pressure off my toe. I would greatly appreciate advice.
Laura
Sorry you are having so much trouble. Sounds like you are doing all the right things. I have a few other suggestions
1. You probably already seeing a podiatrist, if not you should.
2. Get a pair of custom insoles.
3. Change you pedals, the platform is not the issue with SPD its the pedal slop. I would strongly suggest super stiff road type shoes.
4. Work on your pedal stroke. This can help to minimize cyclings impact on your issue.
I am sure I could help you, please reach out if you would like more personalized help. I work with people all over the world on issues just like this.
Best
Victor
I’ve recently gone from spd clips to the spd sl clips and shoes. This means k went an bought an expensive pair of gaerne shoes. Carbon fibre bottoms and all the good stuff that sounds great. But since having the shoe and bike fit. I’ve had no end of pain on the outside of my foot even in the first 5 mile. I have just tried clear wedges to lift my feet and still not luck. I have been advised by the guy that did my bike for that solestar shoe inserts would cure the problem but I’m loosing faith.
Since he new shoe bike fit and clear set up I have gone backwards. Any advise would be great
Thanks
I had surgery about 4 years ago on my right foot for arthritis and a bunion. I had to have some bone removed from both the top of my foot beneath my toes and also the bunion. I was told no more running and no stair climber. I did start working out again but have recognized that it is starting to become painful again. I’m ready to purchase my very first road bike but am concerned about foot pain due to the articles I’ve read about biking and foot pain. Will my foot be able to sit far enough back in order to alleviate pressure from this portion of my foot? I’m very excited to purchase my first bike. I am going for my fitting tomorrow.. it’s been so much fun up to this point when I started reading about foot pain.
I had minor hot foot with SPD’s and MTB shoes on my road bike. I figured it was worth trying a bigger platform and stiffer soles so whet to Look Keo pedals and Sidi road shoes.
With this combination hot foot comes on much more quickly and pronounced … pushing hard it hit within 6 mins.
I have tried adjusting cleats and also some supportive insoles but no improvement.
The pain has subsided on some rides, I think as a result of cruising.
Switching back to SPD’s and MTB shoes the hot foot was almost not existent.
I do have wide feed and my road shoes are bigger and a wide fit …with a bigger toe box than my MTB shoes.
Is the problem a stiff sole ?
Anything else I can try ?
Thanks
Hard to say what the issue might be. It is possible that the road shoes is not stiff enough
My left foot is a size smaller than my right. My left foot floats around In the shoe and I have to turn my toes up if I want to engage onthe upward stroke. I have two Inner soles in my left shoe and other than buy a second pair of shoes, what do I do? It means I cycle very one sided and my back is paying the price.
This can be easily solved in most cases with supportive insoles. Possibly with a second insole in one shoe as suggested.
Should I be cycling if I have bunions in my feet? I have 60% arthritis or more.
I bought a pair of 5 ten Freerider Elements MTB shoes, which are quite a snug fit. If I got the size above, they may have been a little loose.
The problem is that after long rides my toes are going numb and it gets painful to ride.
Any advise on how to remedy this issue would be appreciated.
I have seen people with terrible bunions and still be able to ride.
They may be too tight but you should also be using supportive insoles like these custom insoles from WIIVV. http://bit.ly/2pMBzYX use the code Victor20 and get a 20 percent discount.
Hello – In 2nd metatarsal hell. Had injured it in spin class by putting too much pressure on my foot. Long story short still trying to find the perfect cycle shoe that will have room for my insole/custom orthotic. Any suggestions? I’ve a wide foot as well.
Also do you recommend wearing a Toe Separator during or after cycling?
Thanks in advance.
Kind Regards