Improperly Fit Cycling Shoes

There are 3 important aspects of your bike – shoes, saddle, and handlebar, i.e., anything that touches your body.  Regardless of your ability, your shoes are possibly the single most important aspect. They are your “motor mounts” and focus the power transmission between rider and bike. They can also be the bane of your existence should your shoe be ill fitting, or incorrect in the setup or cleat placement.  While the saddle is an important foundational piece of the alignment equation, your shoes impact your bio-mechanical engine far greater and are the cornerstone to unlocking your potential or causing bio-mechanical inefficiencies which can lead to overuse injuries, knee and hip pain as well as general discomfort.  Why?

The answer is shockingly simple: The interface between your shoe and pedal is flat, your foot is not. Try sitting on a table in your bare feet and look down.  Are they parallel to the ground? Chances are they are not. Every time your foot is at the top or bottom of the pedal stroke without proper support your arch will flex/collapse, your knee and ankle will rotate outward and your femur will rotate inward. If studied you will see the knee actually makes a “figure-eight” during the up-down motion of a pedal stroke. Why is this important? During a 100 mile ride, each knee on average makes approximately 30,000 revolutions. The old wives tale of the cleat placement being the reason for burning or “hot foot” is a misnomer. It is optimum to have proper arch support from a foot bed with interior and exterior shimming to the individual needs of each of your feet. The foot (like the hands) is made up of long bones or metatarsals which are covered in bundles of nerves. The arch in your foot is designed for running, accepting and returning energy upon every stride, which without support it is counterproductive in cycling. Upon the down stroke (with an uncorrected/unsupported arch) the foot lengthens, the arch collapses and rotates inward causing the bones of the foot (covered in bundles of nerves) to rub thus irritating them and causing a burning sensation as well as swelling. This can occur on the bottom of the foot as well as the outside. So what’s the fix?

Here are some tips:

1. Try on shoes at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest size, unlike a running shoe it is acceptable for the toes to come near the end of the shoe, but width should be your utmost desirable feature. Avoid the urge to walk in the shoes. Instead stand on the ball of one foot to see if it is wide enough.

2. Ask the salesperson (or see a bike fit specialist in your area) to offer a Brannock device which can measure both the length and width of your foot.  This can quickly narrow your search and also see if you are a candidate for a custom shoe.

3. Try on all shoes with an aftermarket foot bed. The thin flimsy insoles of most cycling shoes (even expensive ones) are designed to be tossed and replaced with something uniquely personal to you. Similar to why most road bikes don’t come with pedals.  

4.  A slightly more expensive shoe will offer better support and retention systems, last longer, alleviate discomfort and transfer power more efficiently due to the lighter weight and stiffness of the carbon. Sub $100 touring shoes are great for short rides to the latte shop but lack the necessary stiffness and are not designed for the rigors of long distance multi day touring.   If you are an SPD die-hard, or using the same shoe for multiple duties try a MTB racing level shoe as it will offer more support and a stiffer sole. Consider using cedar shoe trees in your shoes post ride to remove moisture, combat odor and help them keep their shape.

Properly supported footwear for your foot type and the style of riding you do body should be the best you can reasonably afford. While I believe that all contact parts/products are important, I always urge my clients to invest extra attention in their footwear.

Website: www.tadhughescustom.com

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