# Cycling Shoes Killing my Feet



## KeepTheRubberSideDown (Dec 1, 2006)

I have a pair of Adistar Ultra XC shoes. When riding they put a lot of pressure on the outside edge of my foot. I rode 15km today and they were sore. I have had them for about a year but have probably worn them less than 10 times. I am planning on seeing if they will break in more and stretch. I When i took them off today my feet were red from the pressure. I have a bit wider foot but still a D width. Any recommendations on a shoe would be appreciated.


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

KeepTheRubberSideDown said:


> I have a pair of Adistar Ultra XC shoes. When riding they put a lot of pressure on the outside edge of my foot. I rode 15km today and they were sore. I have had them for about a year but have probably worn them less than 10 times. I am planning on seeing if they will break in more and stretch. I When i took them off today my feet were red from the pressure. I have a bit wider foot but still a D width. Any recommendations on a shoe would be appreciated.


Cycling shoes do not break in. The stiff soles remain stiff, or they would not be doing what they are intended to do.

The shape of the sole must match your foot to be comfortable. You are going to have to try on different brands and models to see what fits you. And wear them around the store for 5-10 minutes once you find a pair you like. If your feet get sore at all, it is the wrong shoe.

Lake and Pearl Izumi are good brands to start with.


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## wookalar (Jan 30, 2004)

Sounds like it's time for you to go shoe shopping...

Recommending a shoe is like recommending a saddle. What works for me may not work for you. Anyway, I have Specialized BG Comps and really like them. I've had Answer and Shimano in the past and they were way to narrow for me. I tried some SIDIs once but they seemed wide for me....


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

*Hold on*

Sometimes the fit can be altered with insoles. My Sidis ($300!!!) made a hot spot at the ball of my foot. I changed to Specialized insoles recommended by my LBS and it was all better. The Spec insoles are not the only ones out there but they worked for me.

The uppers can break in. Sometimes a thinner sock for a while will help. If you are having pressure redness on the outside of the shoe a local Shoe repair shop has a ball & ring device which can soften specific areas of the shoe. You can also work the inside of the shoe at the offending area with end of a broom handle while watching a ball game and drinking beer. I recommend a nice IPA.

Both of these techniques are much more effective if the shoe is leather and dampened. Synthetics are much less maleable but can be responsive. I like the IPA chilled to about 42-45º and in a glass but if you hand me a warm bottle I won't say no.


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## DeweyJuice (Mar 22, 2009)

Good advice. My experience has been that insoles work. I use superfeet. The uppers do stretch over time on my shoes so they did change in comfort a bit. For the dirt I ride specialized with superfeet and never even notice my shoes/feet.


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## bloodyknee (Jul 29, 2008)

If the outside of your foot is hurting, then you might be stomping on the pedals with the outside of your feet and not on the balls of your feet. Try pedaling around the neighborhood and focus on pushing the pedals using the balls of your feet right behind your big toes. You might find that is not your natural tendacy and causing your feet to hurt. I had the same issue with ice skates and finally figure out that is what I was doing and it hurt like hell.


Then again it could be your shoes.


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## sprunghunt (May 14, 2006)

this may also be caused by the side-to-side position of your cleats. If your cleats push your foot too far inwards you'd tend to push sideways away from the bike with each pedal stroke. You could try moving your cleats inwards a little


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## Ricko (Jan 14, 2004)

I had a pair of Lake MX 165 (regular width) shoes that started causing the same type of irritation after about 5 years of use. It seemed that my right foot was tilted towards the outside and my outside toe was becoming irritated to the point of developing a corn/callous type of thing. I was thinking at first that it was my Time ATAC pedals being worn and allowing my cleat to slide to the outside of the pedal so I replaced the pedals and cleats, doing this helped a little but there was still a degree of irritation that I couldn't live with. I solved the problem once and for all when I replaced my old shoes with a new pair of MX165s in the WIDE width...nice and comfy now:thumbsup: .


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