On Tue, 6 May 2008 09:37:52 -0700 (PDT) in rec.bicycles.misc,
Artemisia wrote:

Two days into my trail and I discover the limit is coming from an
unexpected place - unbelievably painful feet. I'm using Specialized BG
Comp mountain biking shoes in the appropriate size. When I put them on
in the morning, they are already not comfortable shoes, stiff and
grating over the toes, but as the day wears on they turn into Chinese
torture.

YOU HAVE THE WRONG SHOES. Properly fitting shoes should never
make your feet hurt! I had a lot of foot pain similar to yours
until I found shoes that were wide enough --- mine are from Pearl
Izumi, but I understand they are no longer made. i have very
wide EEE feet (in american sizes), and it took me a long time to
find shoes that were wide enough.

my regular walking shoes are wide clark's natureveldts, and i
often wear teva sandals in the summer. some friends have found
that they have fewer foot problems with SPD sandals than shoes.

your shoes should be relatively loose fitting. the heel should
be snug but not tight, the toes should not touch the front of the
shoe, they should be wide enough across the instep that they
don't feel tight, and the cleats should be under the balls of
your feet.

The balls of the feet burn like fire and the toes go completely numb.

Both of these symptoms sound like problems resulting from poor
circulation and neuropathy, both common problems with diabetics.
You should be monitoring your sugar levels closely and eating
small amounts often rather than eating big meals that elevate
your sugar levels, since high sugar levels aggravate neuropathy.
on a bent that puts your feet higher than your heart, your
circulation problems will be increased. talk to your doctor
about whether you should be wearing compression hosiery, since
that may be helpful in some situations but detrimental in others,
and it also needs to be properly fitted.

Also, clipping and unclipping is a chore. I thought it would get
easier. But it can take me several minutes to clip and unclipping can
be even longer. The fact of having to press down into the core of the
pain to twist the feet off the pedals is part of it.

your pedals are improperly adjusted. tension is probably too
tight, since a properly adjusted pedal should only require an
ankle twist, NOT a push down.

i had a lot of knee pain and pedal tension problems until i
switched to speedplay frogs, which have cleats that fit SPD shoe
mounts but are very comfortable and have a very wide float, which
accomodates my wandering knees.

they are also easy to unclip from unless the cleats get clogged
with foreign matter. the only time i had a problem with that was
being unable to unclip while riding on mossy cobblestones in
aubusson --- i had unknowingly stepped on a doggie "souvenir"
which mucked up the cleat.

Is this normal? Is it something "you just get used to"? I don't want
to take risks with my feet as I am borderline diabetic and this looks
like the fast route to amputation.

this is not normal. as others have said, you should consider
cancelling the trip for now if you can't find other well fitting
shoes, since poor circulation and foot ulcers are something that
you do not want to have happen. i agree with others that it's
not worth risking foot problems or injuries.

you have learned a lesson --- don't try out new gear on a long
trip, test it out on local rides and weekend trips first, a
lesson we all seem to learn the hard way when we first begin
touring.

i hope that you can find shoes that really fit. since you live
in/near a large metro area, it should be easier for you than for
those of us that live in small rural towns. bonne chance!