Shoes & pedals for tiny feet

[Irishgirl]

Riding this weekend I experienced a new level of pain and numbness in both feet and now looking at what changes I can make to have happier feet.

I am looking for input on changing shoes or pedals or both to improve the numbness and overall discomfort.

To piece it together I have tiny feet; Size 5 US women. Beyond having feet smaller than most 5th graders, I also suffer from hammer toe on the 2nd toe (more on the right foot than the left) however, I experience more numbness on my left. I have a fairly high arches combined with pronounced callouses on the balls of my feet from years of foot abuse from heels and dancing.

I have terrible ankles (I generally roll one or both at least once a year) which is why my shop recommend I have SPD pedals. I'm not completely sold and have only used SPD.

Does anyone have suggestions/recommendations on things to try to reduce the discomfort?

Thanks in advance for any and all input!

Cheers
JB


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[AngryScientist]

well, if you have the budget, or perhaps the proper insurance, a good first step is a good orthopedic sports doc who may be able to fit you for custom orthodic insoles. they may very well solve your problem, and may not be a bad idea beyond cycling...

another related option is custom cycling shoes, D2 shoe, one of our sponsors, for example.

a good fitter may also be able to help, but finding a good bike fitter who will actually be able is not an easy challenge.

i wish you luck, nagging items like this can be super frustrating.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I'm not clear why SPD would be better for crummy ankles. As one who is constantly rolling my ankles (I'm sure those ligaments need fixing by now), I've never had issues with speedplay, look or Shimano pedals (at least as far as comfort goes). You're locked in.

I will echo the insole comment. My wife has awful feet (too much dance too young) and the prescription she got took her from "will I ever walk a mile again" to "maybe I'll take up competitive tennis". It's mind blowing how much something so small can do so much. Gotta find a good doc though.

With very, very rare exceptions I'd say fitters won't be much help.

Do try out a LOT of shoes. It took me years and at least 7 sets of shoes to find what truly worked for my odd shaped feet.


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[pavel]

What shoes have you tried already? My partner has tiny feet as well - 4US. The only shoes she wears are Sidi, which tend to run a bit small. Their 36EU/4.5US fits her well. She has 1 pair of the Genius (3 bolt) and 2 pairs of mtb 2 bolt shoes. I think one is Eagle and the other is Dominator or whatever the women's version of the dominator is.

I dont know how helpful this is because I think sidis are fairly narrow and it sounds like you may need more room in the toe area. You may want to look into Bont in that case. Personally I have found that they have more room in the toebox but they are also stiff as hell. No input for the ladies shoes though.

If you are a size 5 I am guessing that puts you in the 37-38 EU range, which is not entirely unreasonable in terms of finding your size.

Also I would never, ever ever want anyone to buy a specialized product if it can possibly be avoided, but their insoles come in several categories of metatarsal support. Perhaps that may be a solution for the high arches.

Originally Posted by FastforaSlowGuy

I'm not clear why SPD would be better for crummy ankles.

I would think stability off the bike has more to do with this than anything. It's probably easier to roll an ankle if you have an uneven duck feet platform than with mtb shoes.

[charliedid]

Where in Chicago area are you?

[Irishgirl]

Western burbs


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[sales guy]

Vittoria makes shoes down to a 32 in road and 34 in mountain.

[nooneline]

For shoes, consider Bont. They are heat-moldable, so are essentially customizable; they have a broader toe box that might be better on your hammer toe, and they have really pronounced arch support. I have very high arches, and I pair mine with Giro insoles that have the little arch inserts of varying heights.

For bad ankles, maybe a pedal with low spring tension might work well. Look Keo makes a version with light spring tension; SPD-SL has variable spring tension that can be set very, very light; and Speedplays can be set to low tension, or adjust the release angle.

[pdonk]

My wife has Size 5 feet and has had good luck with a pair of giro mtb shoes. As she is a bit nervous of clipless pedals she uses a downhill style clipless pedal. The large pedal platform may help with ankle rolling.

I would also suggest bont, as the toe box is large and can be molded to fit and they come in small sizes (36) and the arch support can also be molded to provide better support.

Bonus is that in small sizes in high end shoes can be found on sale.

[Vientomas]

A wide toe box and supportive insoles is probably a good place to start. I have found Giro and Shimano shoes to have wide toe boxes. You may want to consider custom orthodics. But, you might try an off the shelf product like "superfeet" initially. If they work, then you save some money from full on orthodics. The aftermarket insoles can take up more volume than the stock insoles, so you may have to size your shoes up to accommodate.

Good luck! Foot problems are no fun.

[David Kirk]

D2 custom shoes - they are not cheap but they are the best money I've ever spent on cycling. I was on the verge of giving up cycling and the D2's made it possible for me to ride in comfort.

If you want to get it right and prevent foot-health issues down the road they are worth a look.

dave

[Irishgirl]

I appreciate all the input and Thank You!

A couple of you have asked which shoes I have. I'm currently wearing Bontrager Race DLX.

I've decided to start with getting insoles as some have recommended and then base that to make other decisions including custom orthotics and new shoes.

Thanks again!



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[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Irishgirl

Riding this weekend I experienced a new level of pain and numbness in both feet and now looking at what changes I can make to have happier feet.

I am looking for input on changing shoes or pedals or both to improve the numbness and overall discomfort.

To piece it together I have tiny feet; Size 5 US women. Beyond having feet smaller than most 5th graders, I also suffer from hammer toe on the 2nd toe (more on the right foot than the left) however, I experience more numbness on my left. I have a fairly high arches combined with pronounced callouses on the balls of my feet from years of foot abuse from heels and dancing.

I have terrible ankles (I generally roll one or both at least once a year) which is why my shop recommend I have SPD pedals. I'm not completely sold and have only used SPD.

Does anyone have suggestions/recommendations on things to try to reduce the discomfort?

Thanks in advance for any and all input!

Cheers
JB


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Podiatrist with knowledge of cycling issues. An in-house orthotics maker and bike fit person bonus'..Changing shoes/pedals could only result in a box full of osed shoes and pedals..no 'auto answer'..you need to have your feet, and riding position, analyzed.

[Irishgirl]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Podiatrist with knowledge of cycling issues. An in-house orthotics maker and bike fit person bonus'..Changing shoes/pedals could only result in a box full of osed shoes and pedals..no 'auto answer'..you need to have your feet, and riding position, analyzed.

That is on my follow up list too!




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[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by nooneline

For bad ankles, maybe a pedal with low spring tension might work well. Look Keo makes a version with light spring tension; SPD-SL has variable spring tension that can be set very, very light; and Speedplays can be set to low tension, or adjust the release angle.

Are you sure about the Speedplay comment? You can surely adjust the float range on the Zero pedals but it was my understanding that there was no way to adjust the release tension. It's also why SP offers their Light Action pedals for riders who want a lower release tension.