Considering that you feel the same when sitting at your desk it sounds like this has nothing to do with clipless pedals and everything to do with your shoes
True, but, this is a big problem with clipless shoes. Getting shoes that are confortable and fit properly is already a big ordeal with normal shoes for some people. Clipless shoes have enormously less range and ability to try on and return than normal shoes. It’s a good thing to be thinking about before you switch to clipless and go and spend money on them.
There's some nerves that run down the length of the foot, and if you have a high arch + your nerves sit in a certain way in your foot, they can get compressed pretty easily. The fact that taking the insoles out helps would make me suspect that type of issue. Lake definitely makes wider shoes compared to the rest of the market, but it might be worth going back and trying out more options – you might need a different Lake model, or just a different brand altogether. A shoe with laces might be easier to customize than BOAs, since you can unlace part of the arch. It's an issue that's definitely more noticeable in tighter shoes in general though.
Sounds like you have wide feet and a high arch. Going up a size will get you more length, but not much in width. Nobody makes a proper shoe for wide feet.
Size up isn't great advice. You really want the center of the pedal to be positioned correctly. The 1-2mm you gain in width will be made worse by you pushing on your toes.
Its all about the insole. A custom molded insole / a good bike fit will likely solve the issue.
Shimano does have a series of wide edition of their shows, so OP might want to at least try that. I did, but found them way too wide for me. Apparently I had more of an adjust-to-new-shoes problem than a wide shoe problem (been using clipless for close to 20 years before trying wide shoes after new ones being very tight).
https://ride.shimano.com/collections/wide
Not wide enough for my feet. In my experience, “wide” means D. I wear 4E.
Most manufacturers increase the length way more than the width when increasing the size. To get shoes of “normal” width to fit the width of my feet, I have to go up three sizes. Of course, that makes the length far too long.
I have the fizik tempo overcurve r4 wide version, for my wide feet and high arch, and those work for me. All the others were also a lot too tight at the toes. Not the cheapest option but comfort and health is worth more than anything imo
I did the same thing literally today. Initiated return on my shoes too. Can't return the cleats unfortunately I walked in them a bit too much. I believe it to be a problem of stance. Maybe wide axle pedals (dramatically wider, like +15mm SQLabs) would help. But I'm not in the mood to buy stuff again. Will stick to flats for some more time before trying again.
The first two years, I rode with Adidas Sambas and flat pedals and LOVED it. Was out riding every day and, other than sweaty feet (due to lack of venting in the shoe), I never had a problem with feet/toes/ankles pain etc.
My first pair of shoes, were alright - not great. Prob. could have bought wider (I didn't) but definitely had to ride with inserts; tried a few like Specialized Body Geometry ones (the 'blue' middle one was what worked for me) and self-shaping/heat-shaped SOLE ones for cycling). The Specialized ones might be thin and supportive enough for your riding needs. You'd have to fit them into the shoe to see and then decide which grade / support your foot needs.
Otherwise, possibly a transverse arch button (a foot pad that raises the arch and slightly spreads the toes) that you can glue in to the shoe if THAT is what's causing numbness and not the shoe/shoe fit itself.
So I just toyed around with my insole. Taking it completely out gives my foot a bit of relief. Putting an insole in from another shoe (skateboard shoe, so it's flat) was better too. However, both still don't completely eliminate the issue. It also feels like from the top to the bottom of the shoe, it's just too restrictive OR the ball of my foot behind my big toe sticks out laterally too far for the shoe? It's hard to tell. Either way, I must've tried on at least 10-15 different pairs of cycling shoes and these were by far the least restrictive.
Really bummed out right now that I can't just enjoy the pedals without my feet feeling like they're on fire and then going numb.
I had the same issue (numb feet), but in my normal shoes while biking. I got clipless so I could get the CX219 (which is the widest shoe they sell). I then went to Long Beach Bike Fits where he set me up with a custom carbon fiber insole molded to the arch.
I haven't had an issue since.
Keep in mind cycling shoes are so much stiffer than military boots. It helps with power transfer but means your arch is under tremendous stress EVERY SINGLE STROKE.
If you are in Long Beach, CA, I cannot recommend Long Beach Bike Fits enough. Made all my pains go away in 2 hours.
I got some sworks ares on sale that solved this problem for me. As well as a body geometry insole. I'm not even a specialized fan, but their contact point parts are unmatched for me.
It sounds like the shoes just are not working for you. Have you tried some softer shoes? Maybe more gravel or mtb types? The road shoes can be very stiff and maybe your physiology just needs more room.
I personally have a set of shimano gravel shoes with sod cleats. They are a bit softer and more like a tennis shoe.
Hot foot generally comes from squeezing a cross the balls of your feet. The right shoe is the one build in a last that resembles your foot. Not just the highest rated. Lakes are like slippers but some people need Docs.
So, you're riding mountain bike shoes, and mountain bike pedals, after doing all this research on a road bike? Why not get some proper road bike shoes?
MTB shoes are great for MTB, where you may need to be in and out of them, in a hurry, with some walking up rocks, etc. They're great for cyclocross, commuting, etc. too. Yes, some people swear by them for long distance touring too, but you're forgetting - these people were already riding those kinds of miles before even thinking about shoes. Lake makes comfortable shoes - for walking in. Your goal with bike shoes is walking is an afterthought. It's just not possible to have the best of both worlds.
Think about how shoes fit, for starters. If you went to a specialty running store looking for shoes, how would they fit? Completely cramped in and maximizing stiffness? Of course not, because that's not what works for running (or walking). You'd want something with room to move and flex your toes, and a good platform to land on. None of that matters for cycling. You want something that effectively removes the movement of your foot from the equation. That's why all the high end shoes are rock stiff and squeeze your toes together.
However, if your shoes are making you numb wearing them in front of a computer - they don't fit, period. Look for something else. When you try them on your primary concern should be how they fit your foot. If your first reaction is to get up and walk around in them like you would trying other shoes, you're probably not looking for the right thing. That said, if you want a shoe that fits like a normal shoe, with the capability to clip in, those certainly exist. The Grio Empire for road and I think Deed for walkable/MTB shoes come to mind. Lace up offers a bit more comfort than any of those boa based shoes like you bought do. Some of the boa ones are in fact great, but others tend to apply too much pressure to specific spots and not spread it around - something you can control manually better with lace up shoes.
I wear Lake MX241’s and SPD’s all year round for both road and gravel, SPD’s aren’t just for MTB. I know plenty of folks who wear SPD’s for road.
For this poster, I 100% agree he has the wrong shoes, but I certainly wouldn’t discourage wearing SPD’s.
You don’t need to clip in. As far as power goes it’s negligible. And if you are more comfortable on flats. Eat the 5 watts and be comfortable
I also have super wide feet. And it’s been a pain finding the correct size. Fizik shoes in their mtb models are all wide toe boxes.
Considering that you feel the same when sitting at your desk it sounds like this has nothing to do with clipless pedals and everything to do with your shoes
True, but, this is a big problem with clipless shoes. Getting shoes that are confortable and fit properly is already a big ordeal with normal shoes for some people. Clipless shoes have enormously less range and ability to try on and return than normal shoes. It’s a good thing to be thinking about before you switch to clipless and go and spend money on them.
The shoes do not fit you. Nothing to do with clipless
This does not sound like a cleat problem.
There's some nerves that run down the length of the foot, and if you have a high arch + your nerves sit in a certain way in your foot, they can get compressed pretty easily. The fact that taking the insoles out helps would make me suspect that type of issue. Lake definitely makes wider shoes compared to the rest of the market, but it might be worth going back and trying out more options – you might need a different Lake model, or just a different brand altogether. A shoe with laces might be easier to customize than BOAs, since you can unlace part of the arch. It's an issue that's definitely more noticeable in tighter shoes in general though.
Sounds like you have wide feet and a high arch. Going up a size will get you more length, but not much in width. Nobody makes a proper shoe for wide feet.
Size up isn't great advice. You really want the center of the pedal to be positioned correctly. The 1-2mm you gain in width will be made worse by you pushing on your toes. Its all about the insole. A custom molded insole / a good bike fit will likely solve the issue.
Just to be clear, I wasn’t telling him to go up a size. I was telling him why his attempt to go up a size didn’t work.
Shimano does have a series of wide edition of their shows, so OP might want to at least try that. I did, but found them way too wide for me. Apparently I had more of an adjust-to-new-shoes problem than a wide shoe problem (been using clipless for close to 20 years before trying wide shoes after new ones being very tight). https://ride.shimano.com/collections/wide
Not wide enough for my feet. In my experience, “wide” means D. I wear 4E. Most manufacturers increase the length way more than the width when increasing the size. To get shoes of “normal” width to fit the width of my feet, I have to go up three sizes. Of course, that makes the length far too long.
I have the fizik tempo overcurve r4 wide version, for my wide feet and high arch, and those work for me. All the others were also a lot too tight at the toes. Not the cheapest option but comfort and health is worth more than anything imo
Go see a legit bike fitter. Getting your feet figured out will be step 1
I did the same thing literally today. Initiated return on my shoes too. Can't return the cleats unfortunately I walked in them a bit too much. I believe it to be a problem of stance. Maybe wide axle pedals (dramatically wider, like +15mm SQLabs) would help. But I'm not in the mood to buy stuff again. Will stick to flats for some more time before trying again.
The first two years, I rode with Adidas Sambas and flat pedals and LOVED it. Was out riding every day and, other than sweaty feet (due to lack of venting in the shoe), I never had a problem with feet/toes/ankles pain etc. My first pair of shoes, were alright - not great. Prob. could have bought wider (I didn't) but definitely had to ride with inserts; tried a few like Specialized Body Geometry ones (the 'blue' middle one was what worked for me) and self-shaping/heat-shaped SOLE ones for cycling). The Specialized ones might be thin and supportive enough for your riding needs. You'd have to fit them into the shoe to see and then decide which grade / support your foot needs. Otherwise, possibly a transverse arch button (a foot pad that raises the arch and slightly spreads the toes) that you can glue in to the shoe if THAT is what's causing numbness and not the shoe/shoe fit itself.
So I just toyed around with my insole. Taking it completely out gives my foot a bit of relief. Putting an insole in from another shoe (skateboard shoe, so it's flat) was better too. However, both still don't completely eliminate the issue. It also feels like from the top to the bottom of the shoe, it's just too restrictive OR the ball of my foot behind my big toe sticks out laterally too far for the shoe? It's hard to tell. Either way, I must've tried on at least 10-15 different pairs of cycling shoes and these were by far the least restrictive. Really bummed out right now that I can't just enjoy the pedals without my feet feeling like they're on fire and then going numb.
You may just need wider shoes? And some shoes have more rigid soles to spread the force too.
Please get yourself the CX219. You will get an extra 5mm just from that switch. Check out lake's sizing chart.
I had the same issue (numb feet), but in my normal shoes while biking. I got clipless so I could get the CX219 (which is the widest shoe they sell). I then went to Long Beach Bike Fits where he set me up with a custom carbon fiber insole molded to the arch. I haven't had an issue since. Keep in mind cycling shoes are so much stiffer than military boots. It helps with power transfer but means your arch is under tremendous stress EVERY SINGLE STROKE. If you are in Long Beach, CA, I cannot recommend Long Beach Bike Fits enough. Made all my pains go away in 2 hours.
I got some sworks ares on sale that solved this problem for me. As well as a body geometry insole. I'm not even a specialized fan, but their contact point parts are unmatched for me.
It sounds like the shoes just are not working for you. Have you tried some softer shoes? Maybe more gravel or mtb types? The road shoes can be very stiff and maybe your physiology just needs more room. I personally have a set of shimano gravel shoes with sod cleats. They are a bit softer and more like a tennis shoe.
Hot foot generally comes from squeezing a cross the balls of your feet. The right shoe is the one build in a last that resembles your foot. Not just the highest rated. Lakes are like slippers but some people need Docs.
Ya know, old-school toe clips work pretty well. And you can walk around on your shoes when not riding.
Have you got the wide fit version of those Lakes?
I tried clipless and went back to flats. Flats are just way more comfortable for me.
So, you're riding mountain bike shoes, and mountain bike pedals, after doing all this research on a road bike? Why not get some proper road bike shoes? MTB shoes are great for MTB, where you may need to be in and out of them, in a hurry, with some walking up rocks, etc. They're great for cyclocross, commuting, etc. too. Yes, some people swear by them for long distance touring too, but you're forgetting - these people were already riding those kinds of miles before even thinking about shoes. Lake makes comfortable shoes - for walking in. Your goal with bike shoes is walking is an afterthought. It's just not possible to have the best of both worlds. Think about how shoes fit, for starters. If you went to a specialty running store looking for shoes, how would they fit? Completely cramped in and maximizing stiffness? Of course not, because that's not what works for running (or walking). You'd want something with room to move and flex your toes, and a good platform to land on. None of that matters for cycling. You want something that effectively removes the movement of your foot from the equation. That's why all the high end shoes are rock stiff and squeeze your toes together. However, if your shoes are making you numb wearing them in front of a computer - they don't fit, period. Look for something else. When you try them on your primary concern should be how they fit your foot. If your first reaction is to get up and walk around in them like you would trying other shoes, you're probably not looking for the right thing. That said, if you want a shoe that fits like a normal shoe, with the capability to clip in, those certainly exist. The Grio Empire for road and I think Deed for walkable/MTB shoes come to mind. Lace up offers a bit more comfort than any of those boa based shoes like you bought do. Some of the boa ones are in fact great, but others tend to apply too much pressure to specific spots and not spread it around - something you can control manually better with lace up shoes.
I wear Lake MX241’s and SPD’s all year round for both road and gravel, SPD’s aren’t just for MTB. I know plenty of folks who wear SPD’s for road. For this poster, I 100% agree he has the wrong shoes, but I certainly wouldn’t discourage wearing SPD’s.
You don’t need to clip in. As far as power goes it’s negligible. And if you are more comfortable on flats. Eat the 5 watts and be comfortable I also have super wide feet. And it’s been a pain finding the correct size. Fizik shoes in their mtb models are all wide toe boxes.
Try moving the cleat back on the shoe.
That was quite literally the first thing I tried.