I just started biking, so I’m not really sure what’s going on. The past 2 rides (on the trainer) have left the toes on my left foot numb…only the left foot, though. The rides were 50 minutes and 1:05. It took a little while to get all the feeling back as they stayed numb through my 10 minute transition run. I did get fit on the bike so I’m not sure what’s going on. Any thoughts / suggestions?
What type of pedals & shoes? Some have smaller contact surfaces which tend to focus the pressure more into “hotspots”. You could also maybe try adjusting the cleats further back a bit, but that may result in other adjustments as well (slightly lower seat, etc).
This may sound silly, but I had a bear of a time with my toes going numb only to discover that the bolts that I had used in the cleats were too long and were creating a high point in the footbed of my shoes. After moving the cleats all around I finally noticed and found some shorter bolts - problem solved. (this was for a two bolt cleat FWIW)
I have SPD R’s (mtn. bike ones)…Diadora road shoes.
Check them bolts 
.
My toes would go numb if I wore socks that were too thick or if I tightened my shoes too much.
Also are you right handed? I am and my left foot is bigger than my right.
tri sidi mega’s if your foots wide I have over a 4E foot and they fit the best.
thats better than numb-nuts!
“I did get fit on the bike”
No offense, but it likely was not a very good one. If it was, you would’ve gotten suggestions for better shoes, insoles, or cleats, or cleat position. Or body position, or pedal stroke analysis, or seat position and/or height. Your enjoyment of riding is too important to NOT drop at least $300 to $600 on a good, pro, 5 to 8 hour fit.
Just my take…
Two potential contributors to this problem:
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Shoes may be too small, pinching your toes and cutting off circulation. Cycling shoes need to be tight, but they can be too tight also.
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Conversly, when your shoes are *too large *you have a similar problem. Your feet move around inside the shoe, banging the front of the shoe and eventually going numb.
Cycling shoes have to fit the length, volume and shape of your foot rather precisely. If they don’t you’ll have issue that sometimes includes numbness. The important thing to remember is that cycling shoes should not fit like other athleteic shoes since the deamnds on them are different: The surface area of contact between your foot is much smaller with the pedal/cleat/shoe interface than it is when you put your foot on the gournd in a street shoe, running shoe or even a ski boot.
Cycling shoe fit is unique because of the rotational movement of your foot attached to the pedal.
Try moving your cleats back a bit (toward the heel) on your shoe. I used to have this problem when i was younger and pushing my cleats back alleviated it.
“I did get fit on the bike”
No offense, but it likely was not a very good one. If it was, you would’ve gotten suggestions for better shoes, insoles, or cleats, or cleat position. Or body position, or pedal stroke analysis, or seat position and/or height. Your enjoyment of riding is too important to NOT drop at least $300 to $600 on a good, pro, 5 to 8 hour fit.
Just my take…
Somebody is an elitist…it could just be your socks are too thick…or your shoes don’t fit quite right…or you need to cut your toe nails…or don’t lace your shoes too tight…the bikes shop isn’t there to baby you and treat you like a 5 year old…try some things and figure it out…don’t blame the people that probably did a fine job fitting your bike…
finally…bike fitters aren’t usually podiatrists…are they?
There’s another way to look at this. You may already know about this, but you’ve said you’re new to cycling. This is something I’m still trying to master, and, according to what I’ve read, very few cyclists actually do this right.
You are very likely hammering the pedals. In other words, if you imagine a side view of your foot pedaling, you are only putting pressure on the pedals when you are pushing down. This is when my toes usually start going numb. It’s my signal that I need to use my bike shoes for what they were intended: moving the pedals in a 360 degree motion. This will relieve pressure from the balls of your feet. Even better, it will spread the work load over different muscles in your legs, and should help with your endurance.
Okay, if you already know about this, ignore the rest of my post. The best way to keep real pressure on the pedals through all 360 degrees is to imagine that you are either trying to cram your feet into the toes of your shoes as your feet pedal on the forward part of the spin, or that you are trying to scrape mud off the bottoms as you bring your feet back.
Also, are you using mt. bike clips? They place the pressure on a smaller part of your foot.
I hope I haven’t been overly redundant, that is to say, saying the same thing twice
Welcome to the sport and happy cycling.
see my post in d2 shoe thread… my toe, then toes, then foot then left foot used to go numb on rides… tonight I find out if this solves it… feels like it does from the walking around the house test.
g
Thanks for the advice. I do have mtn. bike clips because I can clip in on both sides, which I like. I have been primarily pushing down as I have found it difficult to think both push and pull at the same time for both legs. I am assuming that the more I bike, the easier it will become to do the circular motion…as long as I work on it.
And I think I did get a pretty good fit. The guy who fit me was just the head mechanic for a team in the Tour de California. I have to go back and see him since I’ve actually gotten in miles now. At my first fit I had not been on the bike yet…ever, acutally, on a tri-bike, so he was starting from ground zero.
I am definitely getting new shoes and wearing thinner socks, too, so hopefully something will work!
Hi #20,
It sounds like the you are on the right track with thinner socks and new shoes. I had to ‘size up’ my shoes due to the exact same issue. The problem went away with the new shoes.
-David
There is not always a fix. I get toe numbness on my left foot too, on most rides longer than 1.5-2 hours. I get this with two different shoes (one fits tight, the other’s more roomy), on two different bikes (tri and road), regardless of clip placement. I already had this with Look pedals years ago, and I still get this with Shimano pedals. I guess the problem is with my body.
I bought a pair of eSoles at interbike in '07. I used to get numb toes all the time. The big thing for me seems to be the very substantial metatarsal pad on the eSoles. Obviously having something designed to fit your specific foot helps (as is the case with many of the heat moldable shoes), but I really think a good met pad can be a big difference maker. Try making one yourself on your existing insole, and if it helps, then maybe consider a pair of eSoles.
“…I used to get numb toes all the time…”
Jordan, I still do - after 30 some years on the bike. I’ve always just assumed it was part of life in the saddle, and it was never any worse than the pain associated with normal hard effort or long rides. I just never told anyone that my farking feet hurt when the rest of me hurt worse most of the time.
You sayin’ different? That would indeed be sweet.
Kai
I went down that path trying several insoles included esoles and specialized etc.
wish all that time ago I had gotten the shoes I really wanted and now have. I would have spent less in the long run as I now have a nice collection of 5-6 pairs of ill-fitting shoes and insoles with little wear and tear.
g