Hello again all, been hovering since i joined, reading some great stories and training info and been very motivated. Im on my 5th week of the zwift ftp builder and though its fairly easy so far i am enjoying the hours on the bike, apart from one thing! NUMB FEET.
I have tried 3 pairs of shoes and read a lot of guides on how to stop the problem but nothing is working.
Its so uncomfortable i almost want to stop my rides, and its stressing me out. If i can figure this problem out i would be able to get a lot more time on the bike.
I know a lot of the answers will be solutions i have already tried but if anyone can suggest some things that may help. I may have missed something.
The only thing i have not tried is a bike fit, but as i have 2 young ones and wife is out of work i cant afford that at the moment.
It’s very difficult to say what would be causing it without having someone look at all the connection points with the bike.
You don’t HAVE to pay a fortune for bike fits. But there are good fitters and there are charlatans. It’s an investment (in yourself) so do your research for the right person, talk to a few fitters and only book with someone you feel comfortable with. It’s a long session with a lot of dialogue so you need to feel you’re getting something out of it. So it doesn’t need to be next week. Take your time.
And in the meantime spend a bit of time on your bike on an indoor trainer and consciously go through all the contact points and try and understand your body and how it feels on the bike. That will help you to make minor adjustments in the meantime that might be useful.
It’s not about looking like Geraint Thomas Or Egan Bernal on a bike - it’s about looking like you and how comfortable you are! Sadly there are very few off the shelf bikes that fit the majority of the population but minor adjustments can be done. And the majority of bike fitters are not well paid so know what it means to do things on a budget - be honest with them.
Are you only cycling indoors, have you experienced the same outdoors?
Which pedals, have you tried different ones? You’ve tried three different shoes, but are they all the same size - perhaps you simply have larger feet than you think? Have you tried with completely loose shoes? Or removing or swapping insoles, or with platform pedals and trainers. Performance really isn’t important here, but by playing with the shoes will point if it’s a shoe problem.
Have you tried changing your position yourself, even if it’s to the extent of just sitting up “no hands” as you ride along, if that alleviates it then it probably is a positional problem, and you can look at making your own adjustments there too.
Play with things to find the problem, unlike the others I wouldn’t pay for a bike fit yet, most of them do little more than the computer programmes you find on-line (not all of course), but doing one of those might be instructive to see if you’re particularly weird on the bike.
Yes i have had the same issue out on the road but its mainly on trainer so far, im guessing because im sat down more. i tried and sent back the last 2 pairs for new sizes of shoe and have tried both a looserand tighter fit, and have been tinkering with cleat position. Il just have to keep trying things and put a few hours into sorting out the problem at weekend. its so frustrating
I’d still try the platform pedal option (or even toe-clips, but that might be harder to find), but it sounds like you’ve eliminated shoes.
Which means move your body, to avoid pinched nerve type thing, just radically change your position on the turbo (sitting up is likely easiest) to see if it disappears, if it does, then you need to find an actual good ride position that works.
I posted last week about Wide fit shoes, I had similar symptoms, numbness and in addition pain on the outside of the foot.
I ended up with a bike fit session and new shoes, so far it seems to have cured the issue. the advice given to me would be specific to my issues, but a few things I picked up from the session.
1, literally everything is inter-related - A change in shoe meant a fundamental change in cleat position. which led to a change in seat height which in turn, led to a saddle adjustment - I could go on, but you get the point.
Footbeds, something I had never considered before - even high end cycling shoes come with a footbed that is little more than a bit of flat foam. I ended up with a footbed made from a kit of parts. not fully custom, this made the biggest difference to me on the day. Initially it felt odd, but it turned out I had high arches that were unsupported.
3.Core strength. Another surprise - my core is as weak as wet tissue, which effected my position - I have come away with a set of exercises to help.
Power - The final surprise, I had really only been thinking about bike comfort, but once the changes had been made I was more efficient and therefore faster for the same power output than before.
Thanks for more replies guys. So i made a few tweeks today for a 90min ride on trainer. Though my seat is set to the general recommended height, slight bend at knee with heel on peddle and knee over foot and 45’ i dropped it a few inches and it did help slightly. Still numb at times but i was able to wriggle and sit back to relieve the discomfort. I think il have to try and get a bike fit in future but for now i will keep trying small adjustments.
Don’t be surprised if you start adjusting handlebars and the saddle goes back to where it was. All the minor adjustments should be made with a thought out process. To help your bike fit, take measurements of your bike now and then write down every adjustment you make, and the changes you felt. You will really get your money’s worth then. And the bike fitter will see how important it is to you.
Well i did it by eye sat on the bike. So probably had it a bit too high. Should probably be mroe specific, when i said a few inches i did again just do it by eye, so il have to start measuring and keeping note. Will help you guys help me also.
