another pain issue

[oldgit]

hello all, right, since i started riding i have developed a pain in the middle toe's on my right foot. i am assuming that the reason is because i set off on that foot?
the pedals on my bike were well worn to say the least, so i have replaced them with a much more "grippier" set, which is a vast improvement and has stopped my foot/feet from sliding about so hopefully this will help a bit.

i am hoping that it is simply because i am new to cycling and with some more mileage under my belt it will simply go away with use.

is this a common issue with newbie riders?

if so, is there anything i could do to help eliminate it?

i am cycling in trainers if that makes any difference?

[cycle tramp]

..in answer to your questions;

No, as far as I am aware this isn't a common problem, on my experience, far from it...
Possibly.. i cycle in trainers and tend to favour a wide, platform type pedal.

I think at this point you might need to clarify that you mean by 'pain'.. how the feeling manifests itself, how long it lasts, is it a sharp digging pain, pins and needles, and where abours on the toes does it appear, at the tips, underneath, in the nail bed, or between each toe?

[maximus meridius]

hello all, right, since i started riding i have developed a pain in the middle toe's on my right foot. i am assuming that the reason is because i set off on that foot?
the pedals on my bike were well worn to say the least, so i have replaced them with a much more "grippier" set, which is a vast improvement and has stopped my foot/feet from sliding about so hopefully this will help a bit.

i am hoping that it is simply because i am new to cycling and with some more mileage under my belt it will simply go away with use.

is this a common issue with newbie riders?

if so, is there anything i could do to help eliminate it?

i am cycling in trainers if that makes any difference?

(Full disclosure. I have functional hallux limitus, so wear prescribed orthotics. Though pain from that is usually in the big toe, I think)

When I started cycling I used trainers. Very very low mileage trips.

My mileage increased, and I sometimes felt uncomfortable. So I got some 5-10 flats.

My mileage increased again, and I got "hot spots" (on longer rides). So I got some far harder soled 5-10 flats. These were better.

Then I fancied SPDs. So I got these - https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m6b0s154p33 ... 5-SPD-Shoe. These are great. They are great clipped in, and also used on the flat side of my dual sided pedals.

By the way, recently when I was forced to cycle commute I wore the harder 5-10s. They were agony if I wore them all day. I'll probably sell them.

"Proper" cycling shoes have far harder, stiffer soles. Infact the ones aimed at sports cyclists are rigid, as far as I can tell. The Exustars solved my problem. Rides of 30/40/50 miles are fine.

It may be that the softness of the soles of your trainers is putting pressure on specific points of your foot. Remember the foot is complicated (28 bones?).

Just my experience.

[gbnz]

cycling shoes have far harder, stiffer soles.......... softness of the soles of your trainers is putting pressure on specific points of your foot. (28 bones?).
.

+ 1. If you're wearing trainers, any form of footwear with a much more rigid, stiffer sole, makes a substantial difference. Wider, flat pedals can be of benefit to. Had used SPD based cycling shoes for years, c/w narrow, SPD pedals, more than sufficient support.

But have used light, summer walking boots for years, perfectly ok with a wide, flat pedal. But notably uncomfortable and immediate mild pain, when used with a super cheap, pair of soft soled, walking boots

[oldgit]

thank you for your replies. 1st, the new pedals i have just fitted are flat and a lot wider, with plenty of little grippy studs, i only got them yesterday and tried them this morning, they definitely are a big improvement.

2nd, the pain, it is mainly in my middle toe but i can feel it in the next one down. it is at the front but underneath, which is why i am assuming that it caused by my new use of said toe's? it is not causing me any serious problems but i can feel it when i put pressure on the toe's. it's a dull type pain like i have kicked a wall or dropped something on them.....which i haven't.

i am going to try some different footwear for tomorrow's ride to see if that makes any difference, and with the new pedals, i am hoping it will start to ease off, if not and it persists then i will obviously ring a quack for advice.

[Jupestar]

With the new pedals I would try footwear with as hard a sole as possible. You can get mountain bike shoes which have these type of soles, FiveTen is a popular brand.

If you have genuine MTB pedals - sounds like you might - The studs/pins will fairly quickly trash soft soles.

[pjclinch]

hello all, right, since i started riding i have developed a pain in the middle toe's on my right foot. i am assuming that the reason is because i set off on that foot?

Beyond largely echoing what other folk have said, try setting off on the other foot (it really doesn't matter which side you push off from, and it's quite handy to be able to do stuff from either side/direction) and see if that changes anything. Not a solution, but a source of potentially useful diagnostics.

Pete.

[re_cycler]

Have you enough width in the shoes toe box ?
I've had issues which I've put down to the metatarsals being cramped by my shoes. I find more recent (Adidas) 5-10 s a narrower fit than the older shoes.

[oldgit]

good morning all, once again thank you for your replie's.

this morning's ride, used a wider trainer/shoe that has got a lot thicker and stiffer sole, combined with the new pedals my feet seemed to be stuck as opposed to sliding a bit which made it much easier peddling if that makes sense.
i can still feel some pain, but it does not seem as bad as previous days, hopeful the steps taken are working (if indeed it was down to my cycling)

"try setting off on the other foot"
ya know the most simple thing to do and i actually didn't even think to try that , i will on tomorrow's ride.

many thanks.

[maximus meridius]

this morning's ride, used a wider trainer/shoe that has got a lot thicker and stiffer sole, combined with the new pedals my feet seemed to be stuck as opposed to sliding a bit which made it much easier peddling if that makes sense.

These were my first pedals:
https://www.dmrbikes.com/Catalogue/Pedals/V12-2/V12
Combined with these five-ten shoes (or something very like them):
https://www.adidas.co.uk/five-ten-freer ... Q2105.html
My feet felt glued to the pedals. There was no possibility of slipping, certainly on the road. If I wasn't happy with position I had to lift my feet and put them back down.
Very occasionally (as in once or twice or thrice) over bumpy ground my feet might sort of bounce off them. Which may be to do with me not really being a mountain biker. At all. But at least once it did reveal the drawback of heavily pinned flat pedals - they can really make a mess of your shins, and to a lesser extent calves.

My current shoes (Exustars, as mentioned earlier) are officially SPDs, but work just fine on the flat side of my dual pedals. Though I've never done massive distances on the flat side, usually if I'm commuting and it's a bit stoppy/starty, or if I've unclipped early for some reason.

"try setting off on the other foot"

I'm not sure I could do that. I practiced the old left-foot-on-pedal-set-off-swing-right-leg-over-saddle thing a lot in the church car park. But didn't actually use it that often, even if it does reduce the hip extension. And it might be dodgy with SPDs. Though I could use the flat side, I guess.

I do actually practise unclipping with my left foot sometimes. As I almost always unclip with my right foot, I think I should practise the opposite sometimes. To keep my hand in. Er, foot in. Er, foot out.

Anyway, firm shoes may very well be your answer. And/or perhaps a trip to a podiatrist, especially one who does the bio-mechanical stuff. Especially one who cycles.

Also, you might think you'll never want to clip in (using the bizarrely named "clipless" pedals"). So did I, and was tentative about trying them. But I'm glad I did now. And dual sided pedals give you the best of both worlds, with hardly any downsides. SPD shoes probably give you access to a greater choice of "firm" soles.