While I agree and have carved or ground SPD soles many times (I worked in ski shops as the boot dimensions standards [DIN 78?] was just coming to market... we ground tips and heels on almost every boot we touched) this wasn't my point.

The point is that shoe cleat mounting hole positions are far less consistent from shoe brand and model to the next. So any pedal standards are only the part of the total. But the OP/s question was about pedals, not shoes. So I wrote to that and expanded to the rest of the system (another ski reference).

So with this let me tangent some... So Many People Expect that what they don't know isn't a factor. What isn't mentioned or specified isn't an issue. Pedals are easy to manufacturer to a repeated design, they only contact (to a large degree) other closely dimensioned components (crank arms and their cleats). But the shoes have to touch our bodies, which as we all know that there's no two alike. To me it's no wonder that shoes seem to be the bigger factor in "Q" range. Perhaps my speculation is unfounded but I doubt it.

I went through the pedal measuring exercise for a few reasons. To find out for myself, to be able to post here the findings, but also to confirm to a degree my suspensions about the likely contribution that shoes have in positioning feet/legs. This reminds me of the ski business back in the 1970s in that it was the footwear that was the harder standard to follow. Our industry would do well to follow the ski business's footsteps (intended pun) and start to establish some foot/cleat location standards. Or not, but at least publish some kind of placement guides or brand/model tendencies. Andy.