Toes go numb on Bike

I too used to have this, but it was my little toe on both feet.  I'd suggest first that if you haven't been professionally fitted to your bike, you should do so.  Most places that fit include a free follow up sessions to make adjustments as necessary.  They should keep tinkering with your cleat position, or maybe even adjust your seat forward or back a bit to play around with angles... maybe even a new pedal/cleat combination.  For me it was a real bother... very distracting.  And it was downright uncomfortable when I got off the bike and started to run, although circulation would return a few minutes into that activity.

Good luck.

Are you using clipless pedals, regular flat pedals or pedals with cages? When I had the toe cages on my bike I had this problem because I was riding in running shoes and causing pressure points. (from the soft sole of the shoe) Otherwise, I would check the placement of your cleat. There are several nerves running through your foot and if you're placing pressure in the wrong place - numb toes. Usually a cleat should be positioned so it's under the ball of your foot (or close to it.) 

^^ what they said.

I ended up buying the Specialized foot inserts and thus far my toe no longer goes to sleep and I have done plenty of 6-8 hour rides. Keeping your metatarsels from compressing is key. Compressing constricts blood flow and you lose feeling. You can try metatarsel pads but I found going with the $50 inserts were the way to go.

Update on me. I am not using any kind of clips or toe holders. I do not have cycling shoes. I am still in the early stages of my new routine. So I dont think it has anything to do with those things. I have a distinct feeling that the numbness in my crotch area is associated with my toes going numb.

As stated earlier, I have a Specialized split seat and it has helped alittle. What angle should I have my seat set to?  Should it angle down alittle or be level to the ground?

thanks for all of your advice.

cd 

First off I believe the above posts on what other are saying on biometrics are largle correct - especilly the poster that mention placing the pedal spindle (not nessicarily the cleat the PEDAL SPINDAL) directly over the ball of your foot. 

things to consider;

1: are both your cranks the same length.  the differance between 170 to 172.5 to 175 can be so small that you may not notice the differance until you actualy read the imprint (usually found on the inside of the crank arm near eaither the pedal or BB threading / splines) 

2: What leg extension do you have?  I find that a fully extended leg should have about a 5-7 degree bend in it when seated in the saddle - note that this may be to extreme for some (additional note - this measurement is for on-road only, for MTB / CX / XTERRA racing / riding you'll want a much lower saddle to be able to hover over it with you belly when traversing technical terrain - a common mistake that road riders apply when they begin using knobby tires)

3: a combination of the above two things - you could have uneven hips or a leg that is slightly longer than the other.  if your right hip is lower than your left or your right leg is vertically differant from your left you wil be compressing your nerves in your right foot in a different manner than your left foot - this could explain why your left foot is pain free

for a solution to a hip/ leg imbalance you MAY NEED two differant size cranks.  Note this is an extreme solution
 

4: shoe width.  many cycling shoes are built to a european shapped last with a thinner heal and more space around the ankle to accomidate the typical european foot.  try wearing a size wider on your right foot 

5: lower gears and higher cadence - try to spin over 100rpm; this will reduce the pressure on your feet from having to force down on your downstroke so much and will develop your upstroke - traditionally the weakest portion of your power output on the cranks - ride a track bike - see below 

6: a final thought - put your bike on an indoor trainer and get video of your pedal stroke from the 12, 3, 6, 9 o'clock positions.  you may be able to self-diagnose a issue with your pedal stroke - if you do have a pedal stroke that's smooth on one side and chunky on the other the best fix is the most old school - learn to ride a fixie or track bike to develop a smooth pedal stroke; this techinque is common among professional cyclists  during the winter months when technique development takes precidence (relativly) over aerobic training.  Erik Zabel or laurent jalbert are two examples of top tier riders who ride fixies in the off season.

7: develop good pedal rotation by thinking of toeing thru the bottom of the pedal stroke - similar to scraping mud off the bottom of you feet. 

If you're having crotch and foot numbness go to a professional and have your bike set up properly.  It's going to cost some money, but they'll be able to help that.