My feet hurt...

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Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Posting this here because of the 'bent connection. Out for a ride on the trike today, and my feet started to hurt - the first time was after 10 miles or so, and then at intervals. There was pain in the ball of my foot, and my big toe, a sort of burning feeling as if I had my toe far too close to a fire. Plus a little bit of pins and needles feeling.

When it got too bad, I pulled over, unclipped and put my feet down for a bit, which helped. I tried to 'ankle' a bit more, thinking it might help the circulation, but I'm not sure it helped.

Now I'm home, the balls of my feet (big toe side) and toes are fine, but I do have a pins and needles feeling in the other side of my feet, the ball of the foot nearer the outside.

I noticed last week out on the upright that I could 'feel' the soles of my shoes a bit (wearing them to ride non-spd pedals with toeclips, as I do when I want the benefit of the stiff sole) - they are Shimano M021Ys according to the label. I wonder if the soles are getting thin - they are a few years old, but haven't had anything like daily use. I've not had this so bad before, just the occasional numb feeling, which I attribute to the feet up the air position.

Would an insole of some kind help? I go away on Friday, so time and also money, for replacement shoes are non-existent. I coped, but it didn't make the last few miles so much fun, and I don't want to annoy my friends by having stop every few miles in the afternoon...
 
Location
EDINBURGH
It is because of the high bottom bracket Arch, you're circulation is starting to adjust to the riding position, it will sort itself out.

However bad shoes will give a similar feeling as well, if they have not got good support around the cleats then they can be a pain, I actually changed some new shoes once because the brand I bought caused this.
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Cheers. I was just wondering because it's not like it's the first time I've ridden it a distance. I also wondered if the heat was contributing, making my feet swell, but my shoes didn't feel tight at all, I could wiggle my toes and everything.

I started to wonder about some of the gel pads you can apparently get to put in stilletoes when your feet hurt from all the dancing...:laugh:

Seriously, I wonder if some insoles, even just ball-of-the-foot types, might cushion the cleat area a bit.

He's still looking good though - lots of admiring waves and so on.;)
 
Location
EDINBURGH
The heat does have an effect and you don't seem to have to get swollen feet. I had the problem with the high BB when I first went that route but it cured itself after a couple of months, I sometimes had a bit of numb toe after that, then I got some Specialized shoes which gave me agony, in retrospect that sounds like what you have described, a burning feeling, especially in hot weather, I changed to Time shoes and the problem went away.
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Ah, may be the heat then - like I said, not had trouble with the shoes before, had them about 6 years, but they've only really been used for 'bent riding and the miles I did upright last summer, so they look pretty much good as new....
 

Soltydog

Legendary Member
Location
near Hornsea
Could have been the heat Sue. I had terrible pain / burning sensation in my toes today, in shoes that have given me no problems before. I'm hoping mine was down to the heat :ohmy:
 

CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
I suffered from this at one point, and it was suggested my shoes were fastened too tightly. I loosened them right off, and that was indeed the solution.
 

jags

Guru
my god I'm going through the exact same problem,every time i cycle my feet ache big time i did put insoles in but useless .the only thing left for me to try is to take the pedals off my road bike (time pedals) and use my road shoes which have a hard sole.
other than that i will have to see the physio .
could it be a trapped nerve in the back.
 

Fiona N

Veteran
The other thing is, if you're making a bit more of an effort than usual and pushing harder on the pedals, there can be a bit of a tendency to tense the foot almost as though you're trying to go 'on tip toes' to get the extra push.

I found I got 'hot spots' on my feet - ball of the foot and big toe mainly but spreading across all the forefoot on long rides - when I started to really push up the mileage on the Windcheetah. I found avoiding ankling and keeping the heels 'down' (what would be down on an upright, anyway) helped at first but, as I got more used to the mileage, it went away over a few weeks.

As others have said, the heat probably doesn't help especially as, on a 'bent, you don't get the airflow through the shoes (assuming mesh inserts) that you do on an upright.
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Thanks all - sounds like the heat then, and something I'll get over.

Over 500 miles through France in two weeks should do it....
 

jags

Guru
wish you luck arch but to be honest i don't think the heat has anything to do with your problem .i would hazard a guess and say like myself you have a trapped nerve in your back ,i know the pain I'm going through the heat would have nothing to do with it.
i sure hope you get it sorted .
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
jags said:
wish you luck arch but to be honest i don't think the heat has anything to do with your problem .i would hazard a guess and say like myself you have a trapped nerve in your back ,i know the pain I'm going through the heat would have nothing to do with it.
i sure hope you get it sorted .

I dunno - Fiona's experience sounds a lot like mine. I have no pain at all today walking about, and none when cycling upright in my normal trainers, to work.

I hope you get yours sorted anyway.
 

Auntie Helen

Ich bin Powerfrau!
I used to get appalling cramp in my toes after half an hour or so riding the trike. I'd have to get off and walk around a bit. Then it extended to an hour after riding, etc etc. I don't get it at all now - I imagine it's as Catrike suggests, the circulation getting used to the high BB position.
 
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