Originally Posted by
h. bicycletus
It probably is your shoes. .. . you didn't mention what brand of shoe you're wearing. . .but Shimano are known for having more room in the toe box than most others. Sounds like your shoes are too small in length, width, or both.
Shoes are Lakes in a wide size. They aren't too small. I don't have the problem when using them with road pedals. Only with SPD or Crank Bros. In fact, I have the same issue with 3 different shoes that all fit slightly differently, only one of which might be too tight.