Sore balls of feet

[Jim]

A few months ago I had to get rid of my old trusty pair of bike shoes, as
they had worn out.

I got some Specialized shoes, and ride them without SPDs - just pedals and
toe clips and straps.

They made my hips hurt. I then went to using some old Hi Tech squash shoes,
which are okay, but they make the balls of my feet ache, because the soles
are so thin.

I've got back to the Specialized shoes, and have ridden a couple of hundred
miles in them.

Hips seem okay, but the balls of my feet ache quite a lot, like they used to
when wearing the squash shoes.

Any hints? I've tried wearing 2 pairs of socks, to make the insides a bit
softer, but no joy. I wondered about getting some odour eater insoles, to
make it softer inside.

I can't work it out - I've never suffered with this before, after doing
approx. 3,500 miles per year for about the last 8 years or so.

Thanks

Jim

[Peter Clinch]

Jim wrote:

> I got some Specialized shoes, and ride them without SPDs - just pedals and
> toe clips and straps.
>
> They made my hips hurt. I then went to using some old Hi Tech squash shoes,
> which are okay, but they make the balls of my feet ache, because the soles
> are so thin.
>
> I've got back to the Specialized shoes, and have ridden a couple of hundred
> miles in them.
>
> Hips seem okay, but the balls of my feet ache quite a lot, like they used to
> when wearing the squash shoes.

Spesh place lots of marketing emphasis on their "Body Geometry"
stuff, which they claim to be specially tuned by Clever People to
optimise its performance by interfacing with anatomy. Or
something... It strikes me that the problem with this approach is
that since everyone's a bit different it may be the case that in
some cases this could have the opposite effect, having been set up
to work with something that is (a) quite specific but (b) quite
specifically not quite the same as you.

My only personal experience is being just about crippled by one of
their BG saddles in the space of a few miles, the same sort of
saddle that other folk seem to love.

ICBW, but it might just be you need some different shoes.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

[Jim]

Thanks Pete,

That makes a lot of sense. I saw on the box about that body geometry stuff.
I've never had sore hips or feet like this before. Previous shoes have been
Scott and Shimano ones, and never had a problem.

I think the BG blurb said the foot was slightly angled - so if it's slightly
not right for me, then maybe the repetitive motion of cycling is magnifying
the not-rightness!

Boo! They cost £55 as well - time to raid the savings.

Thanks

Jim

"Peter Clinch" > wrote in message
...
> Jim wrote:
>
>> I got some Specialized shoes, and ride them without SPDs - just pedals
>> and toe clips and straps.
>>
>> They made my hips hurt. I then went to using some old Hi Tech squash
>> shoes, which are okay, but they make the balls of my feet ache, because
>> the soles are so thin.
>>
>> I've got back to the Specialized shoes, and have ridden a couple of
>> hundred miles in them.
>>
>> Hips seem okay, but the balls of my feet ache quite a lot, like they used
>> to when wearing the squash shoes.
>
> Spesh place lots of marketing emphasis on their "Body Geometry" stuff,
> which they claim to be specially tuned by Clever People to optimise its
> performance by interfacing with anatomy. Or something... It strikes me
> that the problem with this approach is that since everyone's a bit
> different it may be the case that in some cases this could have the
> opposite effect, having been set up to work with something that is (a)
> quite specific but (b) quite specifically not quite the same as you.
>
> My only personal experience is being just about crippled by one of their
> BG saddles in the space of a few miles, the same sort of saddle that other
> folk seem to love.
>
> ICBW, but it might just be you need some different shoes.
>
> Pete.
> --
> Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
> Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
> Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
> net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

[Nick L Plate]

On 26 Mar, 19:53, "Jim" > wrote:
> A few months ago I had to get rid of my old trusty pair of bike shoes, as
> they had worn out.
>
> I got some Specialized shoes, and ride them without SPDs - just pedals and
> toe clips and straps.
>
> They made my hips hurt. I then went to using some old Hi Tech squash shoes,
> which are okay, but they make the balls of my feet ache, because the soles
> are so thin.
>
> I've got back to the Specialized shoes, and have ridden a couple of hundred
> miles in them.
>
> Hips seem okay, but the balls of my feet ache quite a lot, like they used to
> when wearing the squash shoes.
>
> Any hints? I've tried wearing 2 pairs of socks, to make the insides a bit
> softer, but no joy. I wondered about getting some odour eater insoles, to
> make it softer inside.
>
> I can't work it out - I've never suffered with this before, after doing
> approx. 3,500 miles per year for about the last 8 years or so.
>

Soak feet in hot water for 20minutes plus. Adding mustard can help
with circulation. Massage feet and ankles with almond oil. Do this
repeatedly every other day until the pain in the balls of your feet
stop. The water has to be hot. See if you can fit some cork insoles
into the shoes, perhaps removing what is already there. A better fit
is what is required, not a softer one. Very little padding is
required in a cycle shoe. Best performed by good socks. I believe it
is mostly just the change in fit which is causing your foot problem,
not a bad fit. The hip pain could be due to an overextended leg. Re-
assess your position to see if it could be lowered a fraction.

TJ

[Roger Thorpe]

Jim wrote:
> Thanks Pete,
>
> That makes a lot of sense. I saw on the box about that body geometry stuff.
> I've never had sore hips or feet like this before. Previous shoes have been
> Scott and Shimano ones, and never had a problem.
>
> I think the BG blurb said the foot was slightly angled - so if it's slightly
> not right for me, then maybe the repetitive motion of cycling is magnifying
> the not-rightness!
>
> Boo! They cost £55 as well - time to raid the savings.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim

Could it be the insole? I had a lot of discomfort from a pair of
Specialized shoes that came down to an excessive (for me) bulge on the
instep. It might be a cheap fix.
Roger Thorpe

[davy]

On Mar 26, 8:53*pm, "Jim" > wrote:
> A few months ago I had to get rid of my old trusty pair of bike shoes, as
> they had worn out.
>
> I got some Specialized shoes, and ride them without SPDs - just pedals and
> toe clips and straps.
>
> They made my hips hurt. I then went to using some old Hi Tech squash shoes,
> which are okay, but they make the balls of my feet ache, because the soles
> are so thin.
>
> I've got back to the Specialized shoes, and have ridden a couple of hundred
> miles in them.
>
> Hips seem okay, but the balls of my feet ache quite a lot, like they used to
> when wearing the squash shoes.
>
> Any hints? I've tried wearing 2 pairs of socks, to make the insides a bit
> softer, but no joy. I wondered about getting some odour eater insoles, to
> make it softer inside.
>
> I can't work it out - I've never suffered with this before, after doing
> approx. 3,500 miles per year for about the last 8 years or so.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim

Hi, something to try is to check if your foot is in the same position
relative to the axle for your new shoe and old shoe. I had a similar-
ish problem a few years ago and solved it by using 1 size up for the
toe clip. In my case the new shoe had a thicker toe bumper putting my
foot inthe wrong place, regards Davy