Originally Posted by
Western Flyer
Try the
Specialized shoe inserts. If you look around You Tube for Andy Pruitt you will find a video of how and why these bicycle designed inserts work. You need to consider wide shoes with very stiff soles. Many bike shoes with or without cleats will fit the bill.
I haven't had much luck using inserts in shoes that have soft soles. Inserts allow me to ride a
bit further before I start to experience discomfort, but at the end of the day my feet will still be sore. For me, a mountain bike or touring shoe with a stiff sole works best. When combined with a good insert (I like Specialized but Superfeet and Sole are also good options... if they'll fit in your shoes) you get perfection.
As a note to the OP: most mountain bike and some "mountain touring" (ex: Shimano's MT-series) shoes can be used without a cleat. Most of these shoes ship with a rubber insert installed to fill the cleat area. If you're not planning to use a cleat, just leave the insert in place.