I bought a pair of Specialized S-works road shoes a few months back and they were fine for short rides but when I did long rides, I got a lot of discomfort, turning to pain after a while, in the outer area of my right foot, about an inch below the bottom of the toes. It is worst on long climbs where you are putting constant pressure on the pedals. Was so bad I had to stop half way up the Stelvio to relieve the pressure. I climbed Giau the next day wearing my Sidi Ergo Carbon 2 shoes and had no discomfort at all (never do with those shoes)
Reviews indicate most people find these shoes comfortable, so I wanted to see if there were any suggestions what I could do. I’m wondering if it may be that the shoes are just too stiff for my feet (though the Sidis are quite stiff too and I have no issues)? I checked both shoes and while the Sidis feel a little wider, I don’t feel that the S-Works are too narrow. Maybe I tightened them a little too much in the forefoot areas, but don’t think it was overtight. I’ll also move the cleats forward a few millimetres as measuring them indicated they were a couple of mm further back than on the Sidis.
I’m almost fearful of trying out the shoes again to see if any small changes make a big difference as I can only really tell if they’re working without issue a couple of hours into a ride, and if they’re not working out, it can make it a tough journey home. I wanted to check if there are any replacement insoles people have found effective in similar situations (e.g. was wondering if there are heat moldable insoles that might work and are not too thick), or any other remedies people have found useful? The shoes look great and cost a small fortune so I want to ensure I can find a way to get good use out of them. Thanks.
Which SWorks road shoe? The old ones, or the newer ones?
When reading your description of the pain, the first thought I had was that they’re too narrow. They were too narrow for me too, but Sidis were just fine.
ALL specialized shoes have 0.5mm of varus wedging built in. What that means is that the shoes have a SLIGHTLY higher inside than outside, so your foot is very slightly canted to the outside. This is based off Specialized’s own internal testing, which is that - IIRC - about 80% of people benefit from varus wedging, 10% need no wedging, and 10% need valgus wedging (higher outside). I can’t comment on the accuracy of those numbers, but it does stake a firm hard line in terms of fit.
Basically, Specialized is saying most people have too much pressure on the INSIDE of the foot, so they cant the foot to even it out. If, however, you are already biased towards the outside - you need valgus wedging or no wedging - then that’s going to shift pressure to the outside of the foot.
You can try valgus wedging (either on your cleat or inside the shoe). Or you can just try a shoe that doesn’t cant the foot. But given that Specialized shoes intentionally try to shift pressure from the inside of the foot towards the outside, if you are having excessive pain on the outside of the foot, my guess is that they simply are not built for you…
Thanks a lot folks, very insightful information. These are the new version of the S-Works road shoe. I did actually use cleat wedges on my Sidis in the past when a physio recommended it - almost certain the thicker part of the wedges was on the inside, under the ball of the big foot. Does that suggest I have varus wedging in my feet? Took the cleats out after advice during a bike fit last year and had no issues at all with the Sidis.
Looking at it again now, does seem the cleats are 5mm further back on the S-works than on the Sidis, so changing that may also help. So should I now try it with one or two cleat wedges, and should I put the thick part of the wedge under the inner part or outer part of the foot? If that doesn’t work, sounds like cutting my losses and selling them will be the best bet. Before I try that, are there any insoles that might help?
I was almost gifted a new pair in 2014 because the BOAs on my old second hand pair broke. I could hardly believe my luck, a $400 pair of shoes for an exchange fee of $40!
Then I started wearing them. After just one hour I was in pain, my big toe was really hurting. I tried having them stretched, loosening them, tightening them, nothing worked.
I went back to the Specialized shop feeling like an ungrateful wimp. The manager said that they had lowered the toe profile in the latest S-works and that some people found them uncomfortable but put up with it because they were so light.
I persevered for 6 months until my toenail went black then sold them cheaply (but for more than $40) on eBay.
I then bought a pair of Specialized Experts $200 from the same shop (I felt I owed them the business).
18 months later these are still very comfortable and light (well, light enough).
Some shoes, some bikes, aren’t made for everybody but it’s hard to find out before it’s too late.
However, Specialized are a responsive company, they may offer a solution.
Shoe fit and comfort are very individual. The frustrating and challenging thing is, that the shoes can feel OK to great for the first little while, when riding, but 2-hours on you are in agony!
Try changing the cleat position - forward/backward and side to side. The varus/vulgas wedging to create each, is something to look at. As someones else noted, the S-Works have a built in .5% varus wedge. Maybe you need neutral, in which case you would need to a vulgus wedge(thick part to out side)
It’s likely a minimal difference, but the stack-height does change a bit, shoe to shoe based on the thickness of the sole, so you might need to raise/lower the saddle height a bit.
Thanks a lot folks, very insightful information. These are the new version of the S-Works road shoe. I did actually use cleat wedges on my Sidis in the past when a physio recommended it - almost certain the thicker part of the wedges was on the inside, under the ball of the big foot. Does that suggest I have varus wedging in my feet? Took the cleats out after advice during a bike fit last year and had no issues at all with the Sidis.
Looking at it again now, does seem the cleats are 5mm further back on the S-works than on the Sidis, so changing that may also help. So should I now try it with one or two cleat wedges, and should I put the thick part of the wedge under the inner part or outer part of the foot? If that doesn’t work, sounds like cutting my losses and selling them will be the best bet. Before I try that, are there any insoles that might help?
“thick part on the inside” = varus wedging.
Try valgus wedging the shoe to bring it to neutral. So that would mean ONE cleat wedge with the thick part to the OUTSIDE. Try that. See if helps. If not, it’s probably something else, like upper width, overall fit, etc.
Thanks a lot folks, very insightful information. These are the new version of the S-Works road shoe. I did actually use cleat wedges on my Sidis in the past when a physio recommended it - almost certain the thicker part of the wedges was on the inside, under the ball of the big foot. Does that suggest I have varus wedging in my feet? Took the cleats out after advice during a bike fit last year and had no issues at all with the Sidis.
Looking at it again now, does seem the cleats are 5mm further back on the S-works than on the Sidis, so changing that may also help. So should I now try it with one or two cleat wedges, and should I put the thick part of the wedge under the inner part or outer part of the foot? If that doesn’t work, sounds like cutting my losses and selling them will be the best bet. Before I try that, are there any insoles that might help?
“thick part on the inside” = varus wedging.
Try valgus wedging the shoe to bring it to neutral. So that would mean ONE cleat wedge with the thick part to the OUTSIDE. Try that. See if helps. If not, it’s probably something else, like upper width, overall fit, etc.
Why not just figure out if you actually have a forefoot varus (compensated and likely), fixed or valgus? Any competent fitter should be able to tell you this or you can do a very basic test with the help of someone and youtube nowadays
I’m fairly certain you have some of this backwards. Specialized is NOT saying most people have too much pressure on the inside of the foot; if they are, they are incorrect. It’s far more common for cyclists to have higher outside pressure and require a wedge on the inside (varus).
It sounds like the thread starter has too much pressure on the outside (which is somewhat normal) and thus is in need of more wedging on the inside of the shoe.
I’m fairly certain you have some of this backwards. Specialized is NOT saying most people have too much pressure on the inside of the foot; if they are, they are incorrect. It’s far more common for cyclists to have higher outside pressure and require a wedge on the inside (varus).
It sounds like the thread starter has too much pressure on the outside (which is somewhat normal) and thus is in need of more wedging on the inside of the shoe.
It’ll be next week before I try using these shoes again, didn’t want to introduce a new variable that may disrupt my race prep this week, and yeah on reflection having thick wedge on the inside of the foot intuitively seems what I need: I previously had over-pronation when running and that’s why the physio recommended me varus wedging which worked well at the time. Wore the Sidis to the bike fit last year, and fitter felt I didn’t need the wedges. So maybe with one varus wedge on the S-works that might do the job: I know this might amplify the existing varus tilt of the S-works shoes, but previously physio had me using 3 (yellow, I believe they’re called LeMond wedges) wedges in varus position as from years of being a footballer I had developed a habit of putting a lot of weight on the outside of the foot. So may well be that I need further varus wedging - will give it a go and see how I get on.
I’m fairly certain you have some of this backwards. Specialized is NOT saying most people have too much pressure on the inside of the foot; if they are, they are incorrect. It’s far more common for cyclists to have higher outside pressure and require a wedge on the inside (varus).
It sounds like the thread starter has too much pressure on the outside (which is somewhat normal) and thus is in need of more wedging on the inside of the shoe.
The varus wedging is designed to match the inherent structure of an individuals foot.
Most people have a a natural slope with their big toe slightly higher than the little toe (varus forefoot).
The varus wedge is to essentially bring the ground up to the first ray.
Based on research done by Andy Pruitt / Boulder Center for Sports Medicine it was determined that this is the majority of individuals. Some, however, are forefoot neutral (which can be balanced out by adding one valgus forefoot wedge). Yet others are forefoot valgus.
The proper way to determine wedges is to have a knowledgeable individual inspect your feet (This is a qualified fitter, physical therapist etc). The wedges have more to do with knee tracking (feet that need wedges tend to lean in and cause a knee that tracks toward the top-tube. This can result in power loss through mechanical inefficiency and increased risk for injury) than they do fit. However, if you have signficant forefoot varus, they may help even the load across your foot and prevent overloading of the 5th met head.
The other possibility is that A) you are tightening the shoes too much (Those uppers do not stretch much) or B) the shoes are too narrow. If they are too narrow, you can stretch them. Bring them to your cobbler. One way to tell if it is a width issue is to run your finger along the outside of the shoe when / where the foot is sore. If this increases pain, it’s probably from the constant pressure of the upper on the foot.
If you happened to be located in Colorado, send me a message and we’ll try to help you out.
Sidi shoes have always tended to have more curve through the forefoot than Specialized.
I also have this problem with flatter soled shoes where I didn’t have in Sidi shoes.
The cure for myself and a few other people that have tried it, is to get an old innersole and cut off the front of it that lies under the toes.
Put this in your Specialized shoes under the normal inner sole and it effectively gives you a more curved footbed allowing the ball of your foot to drop compared to your toes.
This takes all the pressure off the outside of the foot.
Usually this is a problem for neutral or supinators.
Very to try so why not give it a go.
As long as the toebox has sufficient height in it, it is an easy fix.
I’m fairly certain you have some of this backwards. Specialized is NOT saying most people have too much pressure on the inside of the foot; if they are, they are incorrect. It’s far more common for cyclists to have higher outside pressure and require a wedge on the inside (varus).
It sounds like the thread starter has too much pressure on the outside (which is somewhat normal) and thus is in need of more wedging on the inside of the shoe.
This is line with my experience. In neutral shoes I have more pressure on the mid to outside of the foot during the power part of the downstroke. With Specialized shoes (varus wedge), I can actually feel much more pressure on the big toe and a bit behind it (ball of foot) during the power phase.
