I’ve always had a bit of trouble with my left foot, it begins to hurt after about 45 minutes of riding. I suspect my shoes are too narrow (I bought them for a last minute ride during a trip to California!).
When I put my cycling shoes on they feel fine, and they feel like they fit well. I’m concerned that if I go to a bike shop and try some new ones on, they’ll also feel fine but I’ll end up with the same issue.
Any advice on finding out if I need wider shoes, or to ensure I get shoes that fit well and don’t hurt my feet?
How are you strapped in? Laces, velcro, boa,…? I have the same issue with my left foot. I loosen up my boa on easy parts of the ride and tighten it slightly on a climb for example.
@ben,
I’d recommend a bike fit as well. A fitter will look at your cleat position and float as well as the way your hips and knees are tracking, maybe determine if certain muscles like your glutes aren’t engaging properly, causing your knee to fall in, etc. And if it is your actual shoe, a fitter might have recommendations on a different insole or shoe that might fit better for your specific situation.
Best of luck!
There’s so many variables that will affect foot comfort, in addition to the normal width and length of the shoe as noted already.
I’ve ended up with wedges and a spacer under one cleat, and beefed up arch support after a fit to sort out my comfort, and there’s no way i’d have worked that out on my own; never mind considering Q factor, cleat position, stack height, saddle height that all change with changing shoes.
Find the right fitter and it’ll be great, i learned a lot in mine.
If my cleat position is standard, I crunch my toes up when under stress, I need to move my foot further over the axle than norm. For me this takes away some discomfort. although I thought I had a wide fit shoe, it still feels cramped in the toe box.Thin socks help a little
Hi Ben - there is a lot of variation in cycling shoe fit, including width, foot volume, arch height, etc. Even with the correct shoe for your foot shape, it’s often a proper footbed that can really make the proper shoe fit best for you. There are many options out there, and it’s often best to work with a local shop that carries a number of brands to test fit before you buy. Personally, I’ve had good luck with Specialized shoes, and they also have different footbeds depending on your foot structure that you can customize them without going the full-on orthotics route. Proper bike fit is also a component, as others have mentioned. Hope that helps!
I have found that trying on cycling shoes in a shop does not take into account the swelling that happens to your feet during a ride. I don’t think the length changes as much as the width. So if your feet are having problems (and you have already had a bike fit and know the cleat position is good), you might need a wider shoe. One way to check this without shelling out for a new pair, is to take your shoes to a cobbler. The old fashions guys have ways to stretch out shoes to give you more width. I did this a few weeks ago with my Specialized shoes and they felt great! Unfortunately, the materials seems to have reverted to their original shape so I am going to have to look and see if I can get this to be a permanent fix before I go buy new shoes. The cobbler charged $5 per shoe so it is definitely with checking out.
