Cycle people, a question

[cleo29]

I have been doing indoor cycling for years, and now teach two times a week. i have noticed I have developed painful calluses on the outer part of my foot, near the toes and it feel like maybe some along the ball of my feet. I do not know why, but then thought maybe it was due to cycling. has this happened to you?

(I realize this is a really odd question. lol)

[oswin]

Nope, hasn't happened to me. But I never did spin cycles, only rode my racing bikes outside generally. But in any case, it could well be due to how your feet contact the pedals. When you teach, what kind of shoes are you wearing? Do they attach to the pedals in any way? The outer part of your foot makes me think that maybe there's a spot where your feet hang over the pedal and that part gets a lot of stress?

[irene adler]

I had this happen and I had to size up on shoes. I am on a spin bike 4x per week (no outdoor riding) and have found I prefer looser shoes in the toe box. I currently wear bontager shoes, but am considering getting Teim shoes because they are knit.

[sadlebred]

1. Ditch thick socks. Cycling (and hence spinning) shoes are meant to be worn with thin socks unlike running shoes. Get some cycling specific socks like Defeet Aireators.
2. Do your shoes fit? They may be too small.
3. Your cleats may not be in the right spot for your foot and the pedals you use at the gym. This is where I usually recommend a professional bike fitting. Instead, ask your instructor to look at your cleat position. They may have some knowledge. You may also want to try to move them back 2-3 mm towards the ball of your foot. You can do this easily with an allen wrench or screw drivers depending on the cleat screws.
4. Do your feet hurt or is it only callouses? Any other parts hurt? Knees?

[cleo29]

sadlebred, I will go back to thinner socks. I had started doubling up because i have an issue with pressur on the balls of my feet causing numbness in my toes. But perhaps thinner socks and better insoles is a better solution. Nothing else hurts and I bought my shoes at a cycle ship where they had me get a pair that are on the loser side when walking.

I don't think my cleats needs adjusting, but i can check. I am thinking it has to do with the socks. I will need to work on getting rid of the calluses and then see if those changes help.

thank you!

[sadlebred]

Mar 27, 2019 16:29:37 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

sadlebred , I will go back to thinner socks. I had started doubling up because i have an issue with pressur on the balls of my feet causing numbness in my toes. But perhaps thinner socks and better insoles is a better solution. Nothing else hurts and I bought my shoes at a cycle ship where they had me get a pair that are on the loser side when walking.

I don't think my cleats needs adjusting, but i can check. I am thinking it has to do with the socks. I will need to work on getting rid of the calluses and then see if those changes help.

thank you!

Skip the insoles--especially anything you add to a cycling shoe. Replace them with insoles from that brand of shoe. Cycling shoes are not usually designed to accept third party/after market insoles like Superfeet or Dr. Scholls. The insoles are usually designed to work with the "last" (what the shoe's bottom is built around aka the stiff part of the bottom of the shoe). They are like a puzzle. You need all the pieces for the shoe to be comfortable.

It's also possible that this shoe is worn out, especially if you've had them for a couple of years. Like running shoes, cycling shoes do wear out. You might want to consider a new pair of shoes & having the bike shop help fit your cleats at the same time....maybe as a last resort.

[cleo29]

Mar 27, 2019 21:28:50 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Mar 27, 2019 16:29:37 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

sadlebred , I will go back to thinner socks. I had started doubling up because i have an issue with pressur on the balls of my feet causing numbness in my toes. But perhaps thinner socks and better insoles is a better solution. Nothing else hurts and I bought my shoes at a cycle ship where they had me get a pair that are on the loser side when walking.

I don't think my cleats needs adjusting, but i can check. I am thinking it has to do with the socks. I will need to work on getting rid of the calluses and then see if those changes help.

thank you!

Skip the insoles--especially anything you add to a cycling shoe. Replace them with insoles from that brand of shoe. Cycling shoes are not usually designed to accept third party/after market insoles like Superfeet or Dr. Scholls. The insoles are usually designed to work with the "last" (what the shoe's bottom is built around aka the stiff part of the bottom of the shoe). They are like a puzzle. You need all the pieces for the shoe to be comfortable.

It's also possible that this shoe is worn out, especially if you've had them for a couple of years. Like running shoes, cycling shoes do wear out. You might want to consider a new pair of shoes & having the bike shop help fit your cleats at the same time....maybe as a last resort.

Yeah, they might be three years old or nearly that. so maybe they just need to be replaced. Thank you for your help!

[sadlebred]

Mar 27, 2019 21:32:44 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Mar 27, 2019 21:28:50 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Skip the insoles--especially anything you add to a cycling shoe. Replace them with insoles from that brand of shoe. Cycling shoes are not usually designed to accept third party/after market insoles like Superfeet or Dr. Scholls. The insoles are usually designed to work with the "last" (what the shoe's bottom is built around aka the stiff part of the bottom of the shoe). They are like a puzzle. You need all the pieces for the shoe to be comfortable.

It's also possible that this shoe is worn out, especially if you've had them for a couple of years. Like running shoes, cycling shoes do wear out. You might want to consider a new pair of shoes & having the bike shop help fit your cleats at the same time....maybe as a last resort.

Yeah, they might be three years old or nearly that. so maybe they just need to be replaced. Thank you for your help!

It's possible. You've worn them 110 times a year +/- for 3 years. I typically get 2-3 years out of a pair of mid-priced cycling shoes. That is with rotating 4-5 two pairs. For road: I have an older pair I use for shorter rides, my main pair, and a pair that is half a size bigger for when I wear thick/warm socks in the winter. The main pair gets rotated to #2 status when they wear out, and the former #2 is given away/donated/recycled. For mtb: older pair I use for shorter rides or rides where I know I'll be walking on some rough terrain and the main pair for longer rides, racing, and gravel riding.