Forum menu
[Closed] Pins and needles in feet - clipless question
Been riding clipless offroad on and off for ages and never had any issues. About 6 weeks ago I got a road bike, popped the eggbeaters on it and off we go, all good until this weekend. Same ride as usual but after a descent I realised one foot was getting pins and needles in it. Any idea what might be the cause as it's not something I'd experienced before.
loosen off the shoes a little.
I got that and ever since i loosened off the toe and midfoot strap and got some decent cycling socks, my feet have never felt any pins and needles.
My shoes are fairly loose, but the ratchet is kept quite tight.
hot spots, the small cleat, concentrated pressure, and not moving your foot around to aid blood flow.
The solution might be to look at stiffer shoes and road pedals.
Same pedals and shoes as the last 6 weeks. Ride (to that point) no longer than before either. If it happens again, will loosen the shoe and see if that helps.
I had the same thing tonight in my shoes and crank bros candy pedals. I am new to the cliped in thing and felt that the pedal didn't quite feel under the ball of my foot so have moved the cleats a little to see if that helps.
What i am trying to get at is could the position you are in on the road bike be causing you to put pressure on a different part of your foot than when you are on your mountain bike. Different angles etc.
This could be utter rubbish, as i said i am new to cliped in but it is just a thought.
thought, were you pushing any harder than usual?
Harshness of narrower/harder tyres may make the difference.
Loosen the straps, I've been getting this lately and am new to road clipless - I think it's because the shoe is so tight on the pedal that you can feel your feet moving in the shoe and thus tighten the shoes up too much. I always need to loosen mine after a few miles....
Was this weekend hotter than usual, and /or the ride longer?
On a road bike you tend to sit in one position for long periods of time - and it does tend to aggravate any fit issues. I would say road shoes and cleats are your best solution (bigger contact area so less hotspots and pins and needles).
thought, were you pushing any harder than usual?
Quite a lot harder. Was probably 5-10 mins ahead of the usual time an hour in
I get pins & needles in my hands quite badly. I noticed at Mountain Mayhem for the first time that I was getting it in my feet as well on the descents. As soon as I started pedalling again, it went away.
Maybe try pedalling while you're descending ?
I think you always identify more problems with cleat postion and shoes on a road bike because you move around much less than you do on an mtb. It doesn't always show up for some time either - I moved the cleat on a pair of shoes I'd been using for a year+ on my commuter as it gave me knee trouble on my road bike.
Likewise I find another pair of shoes too flexible for road use - which means I end up with cramp in my foot. Fine on the mtb.
Didn't do the same number of miles at the weekend but at mile 20 it was still fine after loosening the shoe straps a little