HOT FOOT AN INTERESTING SOLUTION

i just replaced my insoles in my Specialized shoes.
While I don't get 'hot foot', I've had tenderness on the balls of my feet all summer and chronic toe cramping.
The one and only ride I had using the new insoles was riddled with toe cramps.
I'd be interested in seeing a photo of the modification he made to your insoles.

T

For me our own Ms. Tweety posted a suggestion that works really well for me and is amazingly simple:
 
Scrunch your toes up when you lace/buckle your shoes. This makes your shoes feel at first a little loose but I don't notice any difference while riding, and hot foot is gone!

ORIGINAL: ccroy

For me our own Ms. Tweety posted a suggestion that works really well for me and is amazingly simple:

Scrunch your toes up when you lace/buckle your shoes. This makes your shoes feel at first a little loose but I don't notice any difference while riding, and hot foot is gone!

I do exactly that and it works great. Walking around in the shoes is a little loose. Riding is fine.

Here is a response I wrote to Allan Duhm regarding how I `slayed' the hotfoot dragon:


Allan ....

I wear these sandals: Shimano SH-SD65 Cycling Sandal. Nashbar sells them for $60. I use SPDs, because they accomodate the recessed cleat in the sandal. I like the recessed cleat sandal because it gives me more stability on hills, mountain grades, than my Sidi shoes and Speedplays. (On the Sidi/Speedplay combo I slip all over the place on steepish inclines/declines ... and I have the road rash to prove it). I weighed the sandals and Sidi shooes and they weigh the same. Depends on what SPD pedals/cleats you use, but we all know that Speedplay pedals are lighter than SPDs, in most cases.

http://picasaweb.google.com/psychling/BikeShoesCleatsRiserAndStem#

As my pics illustrate I took a hacksaw and sawed off the top section of the shoe so that the tip of my toe matches the tip of the sandal. Otherwise, weight notwithstanding, the sandal looked like a friggin' spatula. I also hacksawed and filed away other unneeded sections of the sandal for the same reasons (weight, lack of purpose), e.g., the big honkin' heel.

Given the `hotfoot' issue I have used DrScholl's Massaging Gel Ball of Foot Cushions. Again, I'd place one, two or three gel cushions under the part of my foot/feet that is giving me the problem. I found that it works best when I `isolate' the sensitive part by putting the gel cushions behind the sensitive part so that it was literally not experiencing any pressure. The pressure is what actually irritates the nerve. It took me several times to find just where the `sweet spot' was before I felt no pain.

I remember in Oceanside when you saw how many gel cushions I put on top of eachother you told me it wouldn't work. I was skeptical too; but since I was preparing to destroy myself in the desert and mountains I just went ahead and tried it. I piled 3 gel cushions on top of eacher, wrapped them in surgery tape and then used Gorilla Glue tape to adhere them to the bottom of my sandal.

Over the months I'd have to resituate the Gorilla Glue tape (because it naturally migrated on the sandal) to the original position. Taks 5 minutes.

I have NO hotfoot anymore. Took some experimenting to find the sweet spot. But it is a huge relief not to have to dread this problem on ultra events.

- d

Dan Fallon
http://psychling1.blogspot.com/

I use sandals here in Oklahoma even in winter with thick polar socks.  I`ve never been able to find winter shoes to fit my paddle foot anyway.  Unless it`s below 20* my feet stay pretty comfortable, and below that temperature I don`t ride anyway.