I have placed my cleats directly under the ball of my foot, the area where the enlarged area behind the toes is widest and in front of the arch area. If you have your cleat behind the ball of your foot, you might be straining the ligaments that run through the arch area and encountering pain from that.

That's almost exactly where the cleats were set during my fitting.... Even though they are set all the way back on the shoe settings that's where they are centered -- on the balls of my feet....

Thanks for your reply....

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Hook Em' Horns

Do you have pain while cycling as well as running?
Is walking painful as well, no matter what shoes you wear?

What sort of footbed are you using in the Sidi's (if any). Have you tried a footbed with more arch support?

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Anne Barnes
ABBikefit, Ltd
FIST/SICI/FIST DOWN DEEP
X/Y Coordinator
abbikefit@gmail.com

The pain usually occurs at night while in bed and in the mornings.... I have cycled and the pain usually is not present while on the road and usually appears the next morning.... I have ran a few times and during the run it is tolerable -- however the next few days are pretty miserable....

I have not tried any footbeds for my Sidi's and am therefore using only the footbed that came with the shoes.... Where can I get a footbed with more support specifically for cycling shoes??

Thanks....

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Hook Em' Horns

Many running shoe stores and some cycling stores have Superfeet or Spenco inserts or orthotics that are best used in lieu of the removable footbed. Their websites should have store locators.
I switched to speedplays given knee pain (surgery years ago).
The knee pain ultimately subsided after I moved the cleats as far back on the sidis as I could. The sidis I have are speedplay specific and have 4 drilled holes for mounting and do not require an adapter - a fact I mention only because I don't know if the speedplay 3 hole adapter limits cleat placement - I don't think it does but I am not sure.
I found the float helpful but ultimately it was the cleat placement that brought me relief.

Thanks Silvercycles..... I am convinced that my problem is due to the placement of the cleats on the shoes and the lack of some type of insert.... I will look for some inserts.... What puzzles me is that the problems only exists in one foot and not both.....

I am planning on switching to Speedplays -- but before I invest the money I want to confirm what the problem is.....

I appreciate your response...

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Hook Em' Horns

did you ever get your foot issues worked out? if so, what was your solution?

Yes..... I changed over to the Speedplay system and the problem resolved itself fairly quickly!

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Hook Em' Horns

did you make any other changes besides changing from SPD-SL to Speedplay? did you ever suspect a leg length discrepancy? do you have a power meter that identified a L/R imbalance? do you have any wedges or shims on either of your shoes? Where did you set up your Speadplay cleats on your shoes?

I have foot pain almost just like you described. I'm riding SPD-SL (yellow). Right foot only, outside ball of foot behind the pinky toe. The real pain only happens on long rides although I'm aware of it feeling different on most rides. My power meter has identified a L/R balance issue where my left leg is usually around 41-45% while my right leg is usually around 55-59% depending on the intensity of the interval (harder efforts less imbalance).

I suspect my right leg is slightly shorter than my left but have no medical evidence. I wonder if I'm getting the pain in my right foot because it's shorter and I'm "reaching" at the bottom of the stroke and putting more pressure on the outside of my foot? Who the heck knows?

No way for speedplay: lateral rocking even with shims to protect carbon sole. But, of course this defect could help if your legs are not aligned with shims.

When I was having this problem I went in for several bike fittings and everything was checked and rechecked...

No I do not have a L/R imbalance.....

The only conclusion we came to was the SPD-SL was too restrictive for my foot as opposed to the Speedplay which has a lot more freedom (meaning I can move the foot right and left when clipped in)....

The pain I had was nasty and I am glad it was resolved.....

Good luck and please keep us posted on your progress.....

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Hook Em' Horns