Biking Question

lisadhancock
lisadhancock Posts: 103
edited September 29 in Fitness and Exercise
I am fairly new to road biking and for the most part I am loving it. However, I had my first fall today (didn't get my shoe off my pedal fast enough when I needed to stop at a stop sign and fell, scraped up my left calve.) My question though is IS IT NORMAL FOR FEET TO FALL ASLEEP WHILE ROAD BIKING? Every time I've been more than 5 miles or so both of my feet start to tingle and fall asleep which is really annoying. Why does it do this and how do I prevent it?? Also any tips would be awesome! Thanks in advance.

Lisa

Replies

  • rae125
    rae125 Posts: 25
    I'm not a big biker but my first thought goes to the seat since it could be putting pressure on your butt/hips and cutting off blood supply or just pinching nerves. Where did you get your bike? From a bike shop or from a place like Walmart/Target? If it was Walmart/Target, I'd suggest looking up your local bike shop and bringing it in to them. Maybe they can see something about the bike or how you're riding it.
  • chrisuy
    chrisuy Posts: 39 Member
    It's definitely not normal. Maybe your shoes are strapped on too tightly? That's the most obvious thing that I can think of. Short of that, maybe there is something with the way your saddle fits that's pressing on nerves causing problems down your leg. You can try and stand up every few minutes to see if that makes the problem go away?
  • mowu
    mowu Posts: 245 Member
    Yes and no - it is quite normal, but it isn't supposed to happen.

    By all likelihood it's a sign that your setup is not optimal - either the setup on your bike (e.g. saddle height or placement relative to the handlebars, height of handlebars) or the placements of your clamps on the shoes (typically too far back resulting in sub-optimal blood flow in the foot due to pressure when pushing the pedals).
  • crazytxmom
    crazytxmom Posts: 166 Member
    No. Your feet should not fall asleep.

    Your shoes may be too tight. Feet often swell when riding in warm weather. Try losing them especially the laces towards the toe end of the shoe.

    What kind of pedals are you using? There may be some room for adjustment there as well.

    A local bike shop and or bike club can also look at how you're riding and be able to offer some suggestions also. Most love to share their years of experience with new riders.

    Enjoy your bike!
  • stark23x
    stark23x Posts: 30 Member
    I ride a lot - 100-200 miles a week. I usually ride 25-35 miles but have done up to a century (100). It is absolutely 100% not normal for your feet to fall asleep. Unfortunately, it's also REALLY hard to diagnose online, as it could be any number of things.

    1. Is your seat too high? Too low? Too far back? Too far forward? Too padded? Any or all of those could possibly cause numb feet, or contribute to the problem.
    2. Are your shoes fitted properly? Too tight can be as bad as too loose.
    3. What kind of pedals, what cleats and have you tried changing cleat forward/backward positioning?

    Lots to fiddle with to try to narrow it down. It could even be saddle tilt.

    If I was gonna pick a likely culprit or two based solely on the fact that these are the usual suspects in a "numb feet" situation, I would guess over-tight shoes, seatpost is maybe low to low-ish, and you end up putting a lot of your body weight on the feet, when you should be dividing it between hands, feet and seat. And maybe cleat position (front to back).

    There are a LOT of "How to properly fit your bike" videos on Youtube. I learned a lot about how to adjust various things by searching and watching.
  • Jess0218
    Jess0218 Posts: 138
    Im a huge fan of biking, and do it often. I do get the same thing with the feet. Check your shoes first. Second, make sure your seat, handlebars, are all set up for you. When you sit in the saddle and foot on the pedal you should have a slight bend in the knee, you leg shouldnt go completely straight when your pedal is at the lower end. (hope that makes sense) Sometimes while riding stand up and give your legs some relief and adjust your butt on the saddle. Long rides can kinda cause that feeling in the feet so just adjust yourself. Hope this helps? Happy Biking:happy:
  • lisadhancock
    lisadhancock Posts: 103
    Thanks you all. My bike is a Fuji, i bought new from a bike shop and they fitted me to it. My shoes are velcro, they are pearlzumi's. I don't recall what pedals I bought but I got them from the same bike shop I got my bike. I guess I may be taking it in soon and seeing if they can fix the problem for me. Thanks a ton.
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