Hey all...

I just bought a new pair of 2011 Specialized S-Works shoes in size 8. But after about 20 minutes of riding the front of both my feet goes numb. Not completely but semi-numb.

The new shoes replaced a 3-4 year old pair of Specialized Sport Road shoes. The old shoes was size 9 and they were too big.

Do I just need to adjust and get used to the new shoes or do I have a more serious problem?

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Cannondale SuperSix 105 Team Replica: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=85941

It sounds like the shoes may be too narrow. Or I should say at least that is the problem I had with The Most Uncomfortable Pair of Sidi's Ever Made (tm)

Are the shoes long enough? Do your toes have wiggle room? Have you tried moving your cleat back more to the ball of your foot? I found that helped marginally with The Most Uncomfortable Pair of Sidi's Ever Made (tm) but shoes just shouldn't do that.

I have plenty of wiggle room for my toes. It might have something to do with the cleat. When I got home from the store I tried them and didn't bother taking them off again for an hour or so. And there were no numbness.

I will try to adjust the cleat position.

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Cannondale SuperSix 105 Team Replica: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=85941

try putting your old insoles in a try again - I find the metatarsal buttons are too far forward for my feet - I use a 45, and they are supplied 45/46 for timming into a 45 -
I simply trim the rear instead (which moves the button relatively rearward) and all is good

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious, but since no one else has mentioned it, maybe not.... I think they're either too small for you or those particular shoes just don't fit your feet very well.
I use Sidis, and had a pair of Genius 6.6 size 44. Then I got some of Ergo 2's or whatever in the same size 44, thinking they should fit the same. But the Ergo's are slightly narrower than the Genius. Still, the shape is perfect for my feet but I could see them being too narrow for people with wider feet. Try some different brands. I know it doesn't help your current situation much, but if thinner soles or stretching doesn't help then maybe you just have to admit defeat and move to something else.

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My Colnago C59
My Special Colnago EPQ

It might also be worth double checking that the bolts from your cleats aren't pushing up into your foot (even slightly can cause issues) - these shoes have pretty thin soles, and I've had to trim bolts to length in the past.

The Specialized shoes have a pretty roomy toe box, so I doubt that is the problem. The standard insoles that come with the shoes were not supportive enough for me though (it might account for excess pressure on the forefoot). I had to change my insoles to the blue ++ version and it made a huge difference. With the blue++ insoles, they are the best shoes I've ridden.

+1 on the insoles. I love my Sidi's, but their thin insoles are worthless. I got numb toes (middle and pointer) until I got SOLE.

Could possibly have to do with the built in varus of sworks shoes.

They will also stretch a bit over time (longer than 20 minutes)

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Bike Pure

Thanks for all the replies.

I think the shoes are wide enough. I can wiggle my toes and I can't feel any pressure or compression of my toes or the forefoot.

I will check the cleat bolts. The sales person told me that most people would insert the Blue++ footbed but I should start out with the standard footbed (Red+) and then see how that would work out.

I did try some Sidi Ergo 3's before buying the S-Works and the Ergo 3's were too narrow. If I went for a size that wasn't too narrow they were too long.

In my old shoes I could feel some numbness in the same areas after 1-1½ hours of riding. And those were one size larger (9 vs 8). I will try to adjust my cleats and check the bolts.

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Cannondale SuperSix 105 Team Replica: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=85941

Might be too obvious, but what about the cleat position? Too far forward and you will many times end up with a numb foot.

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"Suddenly the thought struck me; my floor is someone elses ceiling" - Nils Ferlin

I have specialized shoes with the Carbon sole and they are stiff, when I first got them the stiffness was totally different from my old shoes. My feet would also get numb on hill rides, when i say hill rides I am talking rides with 5 to 6k climbing. The solution was to start with the shoe looser in the toe area to allow for foot swelling, which all do after being on your feet all day or a all day ride.

Problem solved, now if you can not solve the problem, I also wear a size 8 (41).

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Let's finish the ride with a 20% grade.
2011 Scott Addict R1 Matt black
2012 Cannondale EVO "Storm Trooper" white and black

Specialized shoes made my toes go numb as well. After a whole season of trying to get them to work, my wife measured my feet. Turns out I have wide feet, moreso than that of the s-works.

If a wider shoe is not an option, you might be able to relieve some pressure by moving the cleat rearward on your shoe. I have found that the farther back the cleat is on the shoe, the more pressure that is relived at the front of the foot (toes.)

The Boa system on the newest model of S-Works responds to minor (1 click) adjustments in a noticeable way. I definitely had to fine tune (relax) the adjustment. First symptoms where forefoot pressure, which I'm sure would have eventually resulted in numbness. Then again, everyone's foot is different, and as much as I like them, some feet don't work with some shoes.