Potential solutions: cut a hole in the strap to donut around the pain. Or, buy some corn pads at the drugstore that have a precut hole and use them like a donut. Or, change to a shoe where the closure doesn’t rub that area. And, of course, you can stop riding! Sadly, the last one is usually unacceptable, plus it doesn’t solve the problems, and the pain will just come back!”
—Andrew Pruitt, Ed.D.
From Jason Williams, sports scientist, human performance – Retül/Specialized Bicycle Components:
“It sounds like there is some arch collapse/pronation happening inside the shoe. He is complaining of friction along the instep so he may have some instability that is showing up as he pedals ‘harder’, pedaling squares as opposed to spinning circles.
Why it started recently in the older shoes that he has worn for years is curious. The only thought is that his fitness is improving at this point in the season, and he is pushing harder, causing more medial collapse and movement inside the shoe. The older shoes may have stretched and lost some of their original support.