Hi, I'm after some advice from you roadies in regards to shoes.
I ride a fair bit of MTB and gravel and have started doing some Sportives. I can't ride clipped in (and don't ask me to try as my knees are shot).
I did a 100k on the gravel bike yesterday and suffered from pain in the balls of my feet. Im using Spesh 2fo flat MTB shoes and stamp pedals but after the 50 mile point my feet were quite sore.
Would insoles help or can anyone recommend a better suited (flat) shoe for me.
Ta
Insoles might help and I would guess that reducing pin height on pedals would create flatter platform to reduce hot spots.
Personally my **** knees have less issues when clipped in, at least on pedal system with enough float.
(and don't ask me to try as my knees are shot).
Well ... clip pedals with floaty cleats are probably way better for your knees on long road rides, rather than grippy shoes that won't move at all once planted on your pedals
If you won't do that, finding shoes with stiffer soles might help I suppose - or pedals with a totally flat or even concave surface (no bump where the axle runs, for example)
or pedals with a totally flat or even concave surface (no bump where the axle runs, for example)
Yeah, some of the stamp models look bloody awful for anything more than a few stamps (HA!) on the pedals to get you started at the top of you run. Need flat at the very least, if not concave.
(and don't ask me to try as my knees are shot).
Hear this a lot, 90% of the time it's because you've been given shit clipless pedals with no thought as to set up, float, biomechanics and so on. Just fit them and you'll be reet. /s
The other 10% there is actually something wrong with their knees and any pedal is going to cause issues long term. Flat or clipless. (and there is the one guy with knees and hips so bad that he can't twist in *or* out to release the mechanism.)
Glitchy glitchy - double post
Was it around the ball of your foot that was sore?
The expensive solution would be a proper bike fit to assess your physical issues and to suggest proper sized shoes with a level of custom insole/shims to make it all work for your body.
Hot spots can be a number of issues but often due to too narrow a shoe that lacks appropriate support (once your feet have expanded from being asked to exercise for a few hours).
I get sore feet when using shoes that aren't stiff enough.
Unsure what the Spesh's are like but I've done in excess of 75 miles using 5:10 flat shoes and decent spiky flat pedals - but for gravel road etc I use Shimano 540's, multi-way cleats and stiff shoes.
I don't really know enough to comment but after I had a proper bike fit for my road bike I was recommended (and now use) insoles in my SPD shoes as it turns out my really flat over-pronating feet are problematic on the bike as well as when running.
I'd never really considered that it would be an issue when road biking but can confirm that insoles in road shoes are definitely a thing.
Was it around the ball of your foot that was sore?
I don't have fundamentally bad knees. I use normal SPDs for mtb. But I have always found that over 40 or 50 road miles one of my knees really doesn't like it. For me, road shoes wirh a nice stiff cwrbon sole, and road SPDs + lots of float (in use Look road pedals / cleats and the 9 degrees float cleats made all the difference. I think it's the better support vs tiny metal mtb SPDs that have no support to the side to stop the foot 'rolling off the side'.
And I use a dry lube on the cleat/pedal interface to make sure they can twist without any effort as my feet defo need to shuffle around through the pedal stroke or my right knee gets complainy.
I tried Spds decades ago, never liked them. I don’t feel the need to clamp my feet to the pedals any more than I would my hands to the bar or my arse to the seat. A good size pedal and a not very flexy shoe does fine.
Currently on Reebok Nano shoes which are made for crossfit and a bit of minor weight lifting and they have a lot more support and stability than a standard trainer. I use RaceFace Chester pedals.
Edit: I actually prefer Spds on the turbo trainer or a spin bike.
Yeah, I too find road cleats (Shimano Blue) hold my pronating feet in the parallel position where knees are loaded in the position they are designed to be rather than rotated. Springs are backed right off in the cleats, remember too, less float = less roatation to unclip so don't assume more float is better. Good road shoe and cleats might well sort your foot issues too.
Crank Brothers pedals are inherently a bit more floaty and the Candys also offer some additional lateral support. Those and a stiff shoe seem to work well for me. I prefer those to roadie SPDs as I can also still get off the bike and walk around without damaging the cleats.
I think that somebody has already mentioned it but I will echo - get a bike fit. Before you buy any more components, get a bike fit and work out what's up.
I don't think this is a component by them. I think this is a you not fitting the bike problem....
Hard to diagnose over the Internet but it does sound a bit more like flexy soles triggering hot spots after a few hours. Still worth popping to a shop that can check your arches in case you have flat feet or high arches that could benefit from specific insoles (also ones with a metatarsal button in them like the Spesh BG ones help spread the toes a bit that can reduce hot spots). Too narrow shoes can lead to hot spot issues to.
A bike fit is sound advice but if your current model shoes have flexy soles then I doubt any position correction will help (but then buying new shoes and possibly pedals only to find it doesn't help isn't cheap either...).
I don't have fundamentally bad knees.
I do.
Lots of tricks to keep them healthy, lots of changes to pedalling mechanics to minimise loads, so my duck footed, poor knee tracking, accident damaged knees are just as good today as they were 30+ years ago.
possibly a bit left field (and not read the thread) but I have had good experiences from trail shoes
