After almost 30 years I think it’s time to retire my cycling shoes. I’ve noticed my feet have been going numb after about an hour. Nothing has changed, so I’m thinking it’s time for new shoes. Looking for an SPD shoe with recessed cleats with a wide toe box. What are you guys using. Thanks

I’ve had multiple pairs of Shimano shoes, currently on XC 703 wides as it has a carbon mid sole which helps prevent pressure under the small toe joint. They all fit well, I also wear 4E New Balance or Dunham shoes around town. Lakes I’ve found OK, but you need to pay attention to their fit guide as some of the shoes labeled wide are not that wide.

Shimano Wides are my general wear. I cannot remember my exact model (XC6 or 7 maybe) but this is probably my next one: https://ride.shimano.com/collections.../sh-rx801-wide though these https://ride.shimano.com/collections...40187355267144 would be a close second and would be number 1 if they did the same color way. (The camo is not for me)

I like a good stiff shoe to give me better power transfer and more comfort on the bike knowing I have sandals or shoes for off the bike. I like to keep my cycling shoe a cycling shoe and having some walkability is great but prioritizing walkability is far off the list for me.

I also have a fairly wide foot and have worn Shimano SPD's for at least 25 years. They fit my foot better than anything else I've ever tried.

These days I use Lake exclusively. I have MX177 wides in size 47, LXSDL (sandals) in size 47, MXZ400's in size 48 and as the newest pair MX146 wides in size 47.

I used to go for Shimano wides but Lakes fit me much better and the biggest advantage of Lakes is that the soles are actually stiff enough for me not to feel the cleat through the sole.

Lakes have one big issue though. Their stock removable insoles are really bad. Except for the LXSDL's which have the best stock insole system I've come across in a shoe. It's kinda funny, because they're sandals.

The worst insole offenders are the MXZ400's and the MX146's. The MXZ400 insoles were bad enough to be dangerous (frostbite) and MX146's insoles are just weird in a way that really harms the fit. After swapping to some regular thermal insoles they went from "nope" to perfect.

Their summer shoe insoles are just floppy and useless, but for performance shoes I'd recommend using G8's or some other molded insole anyways.

not a wide foot person, but what I've learned over the years buying bike shoes is that you just have to physically try on a whole bunch of shoes to judge which models fit your feet the best.

Only with back to back comparison can you get a proper feel for this, and visiting a number of bike stores is ideal as diff stores have diff brands and models.

and I agree on the insole suggestion, of how a diff footbed /insole can also make a real difference in foot comfort, especially for arch support -- I personally benefit greatly from a insole that has good arch support as my arches are very low, and this makes a huge difference in foot and lower leg comfort over many hours of riding.
Its the same for me with cross country ski boots, proper arch support makes all the difference for how tired my lower legs feel.

There was a related thread a few months back, here:
Touring Shoe Recommendations?

Before you give up on your existing shoes, try moving the cleats as far back on the shoe as allowed. My feet are happier with the cleats further back.

If your existing shoe has removeable insoles, pull the insoles out and see if there is a smooth firm foot bed under the insole. Some shoes have the cleat hardware exposed there and if the insole is not firm enough, you could have problems from that. On several of my shoes, I cut a piece of steel sheet metal to fit between that foot bed and the removable insole, taped into place. That provides the firm smooth flat footbed that I need under the removable insole.

For example, I had a pair of Pearl Izumi shoes a couple decades ago that felt very good, until I had gone about 15 or 20 miles, then they were pure agony. There was a very soft piece of foam covering the cleat hardware under the removable insole. And my foot would press into that soft foam, essentially I was trying to press the ball of my foot into a tiny little square hole as I rode. The sheet steel provided a flat firm foot bed for support. I have done that on several pairs of shoes that did not have a smooth firm foot bed under the ball of my foot.

For the sheet steel, I used the bottom of a large size metal coffee can, used a tin snips which is a very heavy duty scissors for the purpose of cutting sheet metal. (Many people do not own a tin snips, I am one of the lucky ones that does.)

Unfortunately, Keen no longer makes cycling shoes or sandals. I am very happy with mine, fit my wide feet great.

I have a brand new pair of Garneau Chrome 2 shoes. They’re set up with SPDSL cleats, but I just realized I can use SPD cleats. They have a wide toe box and stiff sole. They’re not recessed but as someone mentioned being comfortable is more important, so I’ll give them a go.

Within a Touring forum, it sounds like you want walkability, without changing to sandals or sneakers.
Makes sense when riding from town to town. The recessed soles work very well.
Another rarely-mentioned benefit of SPDs concerns fitting cold or rainy weather booties over the shoes.

DZR Dice

https://www.amazon.com/DZR-Dice-Urba.../dp/B00KGJ05YG
https://mbaction.com/product-test-dzr-dice-shoes/

recessed cleat, no clicking on marble floors
roomy for wide feets
comfortable for day-long rides and hour-long hikes
look like shoes, not fiberglass kayaks

I’ll second Lakes. I’ve had several pairs now and they are all nice and wide. They seem to be some of the widest ones around. They are close to 3/4” wider than Sidi Megawide which I have also owned…painfully.

I'm on my second pair of Sidi Dominators (an MTB shoe). I had about 50K miles on my first pair before they were stolen. My second pair also have a lot of miles and are still perfectly comfortable, liners are fine. They've seen a good bit of wet winter riding. If they fit you, you'll like them. I set them up so that my pedal axle is right under the knuckle of my big toe and the center of my foot points fore and aft.

I have a pair of Giro Berm SPD shoes. Very comfortable with more toe area than comparable shoes I have used. Three straps for closure. In the past 15 years, I have gone from 8.5 size to 9.5 size. My feet do not like being in shoes that are more than just snug.

I found Lake shoes has the best options for toe box room. This will get you started but you will have to see if the style of shoe comes in the desired width. Lake has a table to help. You may not find a shoe width a sole flexible enough for walk in the desired width. If you are close to an REI they stock some shoes you can try on. There web site will let you know of the show in a specific size if in stock at the store. It takes some looking.

https://www.lakecycling.com/?https:/...0aAkVTEALw_wcB

Most likely their mtb shoes will be the best options. They have a sandal. Not cheap.

MX-169 looks like you best bet. If Lake does not have it check or others online. They can be hard to find in the size needed.

https://www.lakecycling.com/collecti...roducts/mx-169

I have a wide foot. The Shimano GE700 has been fantastic the past 1.5 years, with 7,000+ miles of touring, bikepacking and daily commuting. Of all the bike shoes I have owned the past 50 years, these have been my favorite commuting and touring shoe. On rare occasions I wear carbon, wide foot shoes for road biking only, made by BONT, which have a nice wide toe box. For winter commute below freezing temps, I love my 45NRTH Wolvhammers - a generous toe box.

I use Leatt 4.0 black Klickpedals. They're recessed spds with plenty of clearance. Also. Adidas Vellosamba Vegans. Spds with penty of clearance, too. The toe box in the Leatts are much bigger. Get them a size larger. If you wear a 43 in cycling specific shoes get a size 44 in the Leatts or 45 in Addidas.