I don't think it really exists but maybe there's something else that will solve my problem. I have the Shimano A530s which are SPD on one side and platform on the other. They work well except for one thing, - my toes get numb on longer, higher intensity rides. Same thing happens with Power Grips and various Crank Bros. pedals

I don't get any numbness when using a set of SPD-SL pedals and road shoes. I'm figuring it's the larger cleat that's spread out over most of the ball of the foot. It's not the shoe because the same shoe with SPD cleats still results in numb toes.

It's fun to commute on my road bike during the fair weather months and right now my winter bike is in the middle of getting some major changes and not available anyway. If I want to just hop on a bike and go though, I've got put on cycling shoes which is a drag, especially if the destination is somewhere I'd prefer to be wearing regular shoes.

Any ideas ?

Have you checked your cleat adjustment? fore, aft, side?

I have a pair of Time ATAC Z pedals with a big platform, same cleat on my commuter bike. Besides having a a larger pedal platform that I can ride with street shoes, I don't notice any difference in shoe/pedal interface. Again using the same "little" Time cleat. I've only used some sort of variation on the Time ATAC pedals so I can't comment on Shimano.

Road pedals (SPD-SL) are generally made for enthusiast cyclists that often worry a lot about weight. I do not believe you will find an SPD-SL pedal with a platform.

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.

Tried different cleat positions.

Pick up a vintage or classic road bike and put platforms on it. N+1 solves anything.

The auction closed months ago. But you could probably take a piece of plywood and drill three holes into it.

Did you try crank brothers egg beaters or crank brothers mallets? I have malletthat I use all the time and I love it, I am the one that used be againstclippless because they were uncomfortable I have to say that my Mallets justwork. I use Sixsixone shoes though and they are wide and comfortable too.

On days when I'm just riding to work and don't feel like changing shoes, I'll just hop on and go. The spd-sl "platform" is wide enough to use perfectly fine for a few miles. Beyond that, my foot starts cramping, but that's a function of the flexibility of the shoes more than anything else, I think.

Do you ride on the top of the pedal where you'd normally be clipping in or on the backside? I've got the shiny Ultegras and they're pretty slippery with regular shoes. What pedals do you have?

I am genuinely confused - you're saying you have a pair of road shoes with no tread, but you ride with spd clips with them? That's the only way I can imagine that you could possibly use both mountain and road pedals on the same shoe.

What is the sole of the shoe made out of? I know a lot of people use carbon fiber soled shoes not because of the weight, but because it's so stiff the cleat doesn't cause a problem. Though...to be fair, for me personally the only shoes I have that don't give me hotspots on my feet are my specialized mountain bike shoes (entry level, but with a stiff sole not a "walkable" sole). For some reason my Specialized road shoes always cause some numbness. (Though my road shoes and Speedplay pedals cause me absolutely no knee pain, while my mountain shoes and pedals cause me a slight amount, so...haven't found anything perfect).

This isn't quite on topic, but I know Chris Balser is a professional bike fitter here in the cities who offers both cleat positioning and custom insoles. Would be pricey, though.

Shimano makes some shoes that have both a two-hole and three-hole pattern in the bottom. I can't tell you much more than that, but I got a pair of bike shoes a few weeks ago, when REI ran their 20 % off coupon, and saw a few pairs of shoes that work with road or mountain cleats.

Yeah, but usually the restriction is that a road cleat is to big to fit on a mountain shoe with tread (the tread takes up to much space), so you can't have tread + road cleat, it's physically impossible.

On the side where I'd clip in. It helps obviously if you have rubber soled shoes. Leather dress shoes don't work at all.

Could try something like this https://www.amazon.com/Exustar-Compat.../dp/B004MLDID4

Apparently they have no tread. Which means the cleats are never recessed, and the benefit of mountain systems are gone. Still, they're compatible with either, so I guess something like this would work if you had SPDs on a mountain bike and were planning to get a pedal-based power meter for a road bike, or something like that.

Consider improving the Insoles inside the shoes, likely to make some benefit
in foot comfort .

As they say a picture is worth a thousand words:



On the left is a Pearl Izumi. It's the first shoe I got and my favorite for commuting. Flexible sole and rubber tread for good grip. I could wear these shoes all day.

In the middle was my first attempt at solving my numb toes problem. I figured that the flexible sole of the PI was part of it and although those shoes seemed to fit great, a wider one might help. The white Lakes in the middle are technically SPD compatible, but it turned out that having a regular SPD cleat on a road shoe with little tread is the worst of all worlds. I did find that shimano made a cleat (pictured) with little rubber outriggers. The outriggers managed to make the shoes somewhat walkable and were fairly easy to clip in and out of. At the end of the day, the wider/stiffer Lakes helped with the numbness but didn't completely eliminate it.

After experimenting with a couple of Crank Bros. pedals and still having no joy, I went ahead and got some road pedals. They apparently fixed the numbness problem but sucked for commuting. Even with "Kool Kovers" on the cleats I sounded like I was wearing stilettos when walking on the wood floors of our office building.

My 3rd set of shoes were meant to address the poor walkability and they do for the most part. They're road shoes with big rubber blocks for tread. With the Kool Kovers on they're still noisier than sneakers but no louder than a pair of shoes with a leather sole. They don't click on concrete either. The downside is that the soles are pretty stiff so while they're much better than a typical road shoe, they'd be nobody's first choice for walking around all day. The big rubber blocks for tread also make them heavy and a little harder to clip in.

Here's a better picture of the 3rd shoes:

I've been considering a complete bike fitting. I was hoping to scam a discount from a local LBS that I have some connections with but I don't know how good their bike fitters are.

Honestly - I don't know either. I've had a generic fit from Eric's, plus paid money to go to 2 different guys with good reputations here in the cities. I've learned important things from both of them, but neither has completely solved all my problems either.

Spinning Classes have spawned a class shoe.
3 bolt cleat, built-up edges.