# Left foot second toe goes numb when riding clipped-in, what the hell...?!!



## tp806 (Nov 13, 2008)

Hopefully some doctor/MTBer or other fellow rider have had this problem as well and can help me understand what is going on, please!
About 3 weeks ago I put SPDs (Crank Brothers Mallet 3) back again on my bike, to start riding faster both uphill and downhill; after spending about 6 months with flats+5.10s, while recuperating from a bad knee injury (full blown ACL, no surgery yet).

The pedals are brand new coupled with new 5.10 Maltese Falcon SPD shoes. From the start now, using SPDs I was feeling a bit of an irritation on my knee, but I thought it was because of the injury and the set position that the SPDs put the foot when clipped-in. But after the first ride, in all subsequent rides I am feeling after about 15-20 minutes of riding, my second toe on my left foot, to start going numb, what is up with that? 
Have any of you felt something like this before when riding with SPDs? I have ridden before for 4 year clipped in before my knee injury and never felt this. 

If I unclip and continue riding like this the numbness goes away, but when I clip-in and start riding uphill, I feel my second toe on my left foot going numb again losing all feeling. Could it be that some nerve is squeezed/affected when clipped-in? When riding with flats there’s no pain or numbness whatsoever. 

The pedals + cleats where professionally fitted by my LBS, so hopefully no wrong there?!
What worries most though is that if I try to ignore this and keep riding clipped-in for long periods then my whole foot from the ankle down is starting to go numb as well losing most feeling. So then if I need to unclip for an emergency stop, or to get off the bike if I case a jump, etc. I won’t be able to feel what my foot is doing, let alone unclip and stand up in time, resulting in more pain and time off the bike.

Basically, have any of you felt this numbing sensation on your toes while riding clipped-in? How did you deal with it? What was the cause?


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## tp806 (Nov 13, 2008)

Come on guys/girls some help here, any suggestions?
Help a fellow MTBer with such a problem, please.


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## dickeydoo (May 11, 2007)

I've had issues like that for years. Try checking out different insoles, when I feel the numbness coming on I wiggle all of the toes off and on over the course of a couple of minutes. I may have to do this two or three times during a 2 hour ride. Some rides I have no issues with it at all. I have wide feet and make sure my cycling shoes have a roomey toe box which helps. There were a couple of times over the years that I had to get off the bike and walk around a little to get the toe pain to go away.

Before I switched from skiing to boarding, custom fitted ski boots were always very painful in the toes. Now that I just board, painfree! Good luck.


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## Rigid (Nov 27, 2004)

Morton's Neuroma.


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## Old Ray (Sep 5, 2010)

Rigid said:


> Morton's Neuroma.


That would be my guess, too.


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## LIIT (Sep 8, 2008)

my shimano three strap velcro shoes do this to me. I believe its because i have 4E width and they are D width. I switched to softer pearl izumi fuel shoes that are a bit wider and softer. No sleepy foot numb toes with those.i use cb candys. most of my carbon soled cycling shoes put my feet to sleep now that i think about it


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## Bill in Houston (Nov 26, 2011)

Rigid said:


> Morton's Neuroma.


maybe. try wider shoes and a metatarsal pad.


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## tp806 (Nov 13, 2008)

Rigid said:


> Morton's Neuroma.


Haven't heard of that before, will definitely look into it (google it), thank you guys.


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## adkmtnbkr (Feb 24, 2004)

Wear thicker socks.


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## dickeydoo (May 11, 2007)

adkmtnbkr said:


> Wear thicker socks.


Thicker socks would crowd the inside of the shoe and apply more pressure on the foot. How would that help?


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## Broncstad (Aug 4, 2009)

Did you have MN?


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