Right Foot pain

Remove your socks and sit on
Remove your socks and sit on a high surface (kitchen worktop should do it). Dangle your feet naturally, just relax your legs and let your feet drop. Viewed from the front (get someone to take a picture of your feet if necessary), what does your stance look like? Personally, the outside of my feet are quite a bit lower than the inside. Viewed from the front, this would give my feet an inverted V shape. This means that when I do anything more than gentle spinning, my foot collapses inwards with the downward force. I use Specialized Body Geometry footbeds and cleat wedges to correct this, and they work well and allow me to crank up the power.

There are many variables at work here though, for example my feet don’t sit parallel, so I pedal with my heels turned inwards. You could do with a bike fitting, as suggested above. Whereabouts are you? Someone might be able to suggest one.

My foot pains were on the
My foot pains were on the outside edge of the right foot only just about on the
“tuberosity of the 5th metatarsal”. The fix in the end was some +++ spesh bg
insoles and 2 cleat wedges for the right shoe – had to have a wedge in the left
too !!!!

I get a mild ache in my right
I get a mild ache in my right foot too. I tried adjusting the cleats by tiny amounts, but it hasn’t made much difference so far. Last week I replaced the cleats, and when I did that I moved it again, so I’ll have to see if that helps. Are you using the yellow cleats with plenty of float (or equivalent if you’re not Shimano)?

I’ve also noticed that my right shoe feels slightly tighter around the side of my foot than the left (and you can see the velcro straps across the mid-foot are in different places), so I know one foot is slightly bigger than the other. I think you can heat these shoes and reshape them, but I haven’t felt brave enough to try that yet… Have you tried shaping your shoes?

I also do a fair bit of running as well as cycling, and I used to think it might be down to that, but I don’t think that’s it. I did do a big run last week though, and I have noticed the aching a bit more this week, but it could just be all in the head.

I’ve also got a hunch that I put a bit more power through the right leg than the left, so maybe it’s fatigue from poor form?

Too many variables 🙂

Have you considered getting a bike fitting? There are some really good websites out there too about bike fitting (like http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/). The LBS near the place I work used to do a fitting for £50, but they closed down recently. I didn’t actually go for a fitting myself, because I’m really happy with my position on the bike generally, and I didn’t want to mess things up.

Good luck sorting it. Maybe because you’re new to this you’re still going through an adjustment period? Maybe it’ll start feeling better by itself…