Hi all - just purchased a pair of Shimano SH RT51s, which are SPD shoes and I got a size 44, which is my normal shoe size. They seem a little tight though. After doing a little research, I find that we should buy cycling shoes that are half size larger than your normal shoe. What is up with that??? Why not just make the cycle shoe size correspond with the normal shoe size? Anyway, I was using my brother's size 44 shimano SH RT50s for a few weeks and they seem to be fine - could it be that the shoes need a little breaking in? How tight should cycling shoes be anyway? Once the socks go on, they are very snug indeed. The RT51s are pretty stiff on the bottom, could this be the reason why they feel tight?