Hi tandemrider48

I have two pairs of road shoes and three pairs of mtb shoes (yes - so help me I do identify with Imelda Marcos - but mtb shoes get dirty and I need at least one pair I can keep clean to wear to work/touring...).

The road shoes (Shimano and an old pair of Adidas Eddy Merckx) rarely give me any trouble, and if I do get a little numbness on a long ride, a quick wriggle of the toes seems to sort that out.

The mtb shoes I regularly wear to mtb (Shimano skate shoe sort of style and Wellgo racing style) are also great. I suspect that the fact that you are so mobile when you ride mtb means that there is less repetitive movement and more natural "wriggle" happening in the toes anyway, so there is less likelihood of numbness.

But the latest pair I bought to keep clean and wear to work for commuting between appointments (and the odd bit of touring on the tandem when I want to look presentable) are Exustar and a funny narrow fitting. They feel ok when I put them on but there is a pressure point under the outside of my right ball that starts to tingle and get numb - sometimes before I even get on the bike! I am starting to wonder if I crank them up too tight because they are lace-ups?

So maybe it is about the shoes? Also I have worn shoes that were not so rigid and found that the small platform of the SPDs did create a high pressure spot because the load was not spread so well. An inner sole helped a bit.

Try wearing the shoes a little looser (your feet will swell while you're out) and wriggle those toes a bit (especially if you've been grinding away in the same position for a long time). If that doesn't fix it then you may need to look at different shoes?