Shoes too small? My feet hurt!

[keepclimbing]

I had terrible foot pain and numbness on long rides when I went clipless. I could barely walk when I got off the bike. I did some research. My pain was almost completely solved by moving the cleats as far toward the heal as possible. I've also learned that a wider pedal can spread the pressure out more and reduce pain, so I'm planning to buy new pedals, too.

[keepclimbing]

correcting my typo: "toward the HEEL".

[aicabsolut]

You might want to loosen your shoes for longer rides (at least during the ride if it's hot out). If that doesn't help, then try moving the cleat farther back towards the heel. That can help eliminate hot spots under the ball of the foot, but I'd think a lot of that would show up by 2hrs. Do you use SPDs (you said you had used them for spinning)? It could be the small contact area of that cleat gets to you after a while.

Different insoles are also a good idea, because Sidi insoles are practically nonexistent. I like the Specialized BG ones with high arch support, but there are a lot of options. A cycling specific one will probably fit better (still be thin enough).

Stiffness could be part of the problem, but for some people with various nerve compression things going on in the forefoot, stiffer shoes are more painful.

[Fujichants]

Do you use SPDs (you said you had used them for spinning)? It could be the small contact area of that cleat gets to you after a while.

I switched out the spd's for keo look cleats in April last year. I bought a cheap pair of cycling shoes for spin class.

I'll definitely try to go to REI today and buy some inserts.

Thanks for the advice everybody!