Hi all,
Since approx mid December, i've been getting pain on the side of my little toes, as if something is rubbing on them during pedaling. I initially had specialized tahoe shoes in 9.5 and they were fine for nearly 6 months until december. The pain would only occur after pedaling for over 10 mins, I would never get it at any other time and if i stopped pedaling the pain would stop. The pain is also a lot more prominent on the left foot.
I went to a podiatrist about it in january, who believed the pain to be my feet rubbing on the stiching inside the shoe and ruled out anything else such as corns. She also noticed my forefoot is slightly valgus and suggested some shims to give the forefoot more support. So i therefore bought a pair of dhb M1 shoes in size 10 and use spesh shims, but the problem is still recurring, even though i'm sure there's nothing in the shoes irritating it. I've also used several pairs of socks, from sealskinz to thin riding socks, to no result.
The only things i've noticed is that the pain seems to occur more on my commuter ( a boardman ht sport with m520 pedals) than my offroad bike ( an anthem with m785 pedals). I'm not sure why this is, but i believe it could be the fact i'm either pedaling a lot less due to freewheeling on downhills etc or could it be due to the extra support the trail pedal gives the foot? The only other thing is that if its cold (eg doing the commute at half 6 in the morning) it aches more.
Sorry for the essay but it really is bugging me, if anyone has had this or has any ideas it would be great. My only other thought to getting this sorted would be a bike fitting sess to rule that out, but I thought i'd ask here before spending a hundred quid or so!
try the trail pedals on your boardman?
I always find fit issues are worse on the road because your much more static and if its wrong you get rsi issues. i used to get pains in the side of my feet and it was always worse on the road. turned out the slight cant in my spesh shoes wasn't right for me. i cancelled the cant with the opposite wedge to create a flat toebed and my feet have been trouble free since.
Another area to look at is saddle height, if the saddle is too high on the commuter you may be ankling(twisting foot) through your pedal stroke. this could cause rubbing problems and eventually achilles issues.
Hello
Try woolsocks, i myself cannot anymore wear synthetics, try wool,
for the cold now, go with a thin, for inner, and a bit thicker on top ( 2 layer princip). but if room is tight, go for one thick. I think icebreaker socks, and smartwool are very good. But if you have any wool, just try them first.
For me, and not being a expert, it seem synth gives some friction, so my apex of toes, get really red, and sore. also make sure that the sock is big enough, so it does not compress.
Cheers