Pain in my foot - ouch!

[vickster]

Getting the cleat position right has been more of a challenge than I expected.

My old shoes were Shimanos and a size smaller, so I was expecting to have to do a few adjustments before I got it right. However I have been trying to calculate the cleat position by measuring the distance from the toes of the old shoes, rather than from the heels (as you did). Was this the wrong thing to do, or should I not even be trying to use the old shoes as a baseline as they were so different?

From my understanding, Cleat bolts are meant to be in line with the knobbly bit of foot below big toe and then angled depending on how your feet dangle (ooh poetry)

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

OK - since I first posted I have been experimenting with doing alternate long rides in my old shoes, and the newish Tahoe's, and I am definitely getting a lot more pain with the Tahoe's. However I am a bit confused about the advice here about the Specialized inserts


This is probably a stupid question but I assume you mean replacing the original innersoles with the Specialized footbeds, rather than putting the new the footbeds on top of the original innersoles.

My bigger question is whether the separate footbeds you can buy actually provide that much extra support compared to the standard "Body geometry" innersoles that come with the shoe. The main difference, apart from the extra arch support, seems to be the "metatarsal button".

I can see that the "metatarsal button" offers a bit of extra support and stiffness but it doesn't look that substantial to me. Even the guy in the Edinburgh Bike Co-op shop who I spoke to about certainly wasn't convinced that it would make a major difference - he suggested investing in a good pair of cushioned innersoles designed for running shoes instead.

I would also be interested to know why @Dragonwight thinks that the matatarsal button "is a real pain".

Anyway, in summary, I am more than happy to fork out for some footbeds if they are likely to make a difference but would first be interested in knowing what other people's experience is of using them.

metatarsal buttons do help. Mine are custom made, my Morton's neuroma was very bad in one foot and problematic in the other. they can take a little getting used to, but have saved me from needing surgery on both feet - something as a mountaineer I was not keen on at all. These are they.

 

[Danny]

From my understanding, Cleat bolts are meant to be in line with the knobbly bit of foot below big toe and then angled depending on how your feet dangle (ooh poetry)

Hmm...most of the surface of me feet are quite knobbly. However I have been trying to align the cleats with what I call the ball of the foot and you call the knobbly bit.

I wasn't aware of having to take into account how my foot dangles though - now you've come up with something else for me to worry about.

 

[Danny]

metatarsal buttons do help. Mine are custom made, my Morton's neuroma was very bad in one foot and problematic in the other. they can take a little getting used to, but have saved me from needing surgery on both feet - something as a mountaineer I was not keen on at all. These are they.

View attachment 50038

Thanks. The metatarsal button in your picture looks quite like the one on the Specialized footpads, though a bit more pronounced. So maybe it is worth giving it a go.

 

[vickster]

If you're really struggling why not go to the specialized shop in Harrogate on a quiet afternoon and ask them to help

 

[Danny]

If you're really struggling why not go to the specialized shop in Harrogate on a quiet afternoon and ask them to help

Well mostly because I hadn't realised they had opened one in Harrogate - even though I get regular emails from Specialized. You obviously have better sources of info down in Sutton.

I don't have many quiet weekday afternoons, but I'll see if I can dream up an excuse to go across to Harrogate.

 

[vickster]

I was in Harrogate about 2 years ago and saw it So you wouldn't have had anything recently...