Should I switch from road clipless pedals?

[JennK13]

I have wide, flat feet, and wear Specialized Comp MTB Shoes with SPD cleats on my bike. They are part of the Body Geometry line of shoes. I love these shoes, and wear them on every ride, including triathlons/duathlons - makes running out of transition to the mounting area easier for me

[GLC1968]

I have wide, flat feet, and wear Specialized Comp MTB Shoes with SPD cleats on my bike.

This is the set up I have on my commuter/rain bike. I too have wide, flat feet.

I also wear Specialized Comp Road shoes (the mens version) on my road bike (with SPD-SL cleats). I'll be using this set up on my tri bike as well. So far, it's the best I can do in terms of width for my small feet.

The Sidi Megas don't come smaller than a men's 40, so you are out of luck if you wear a woman's 7. They'll be too big. That's my issue too (I'm a 6.5).

Oh, and the Keen cycling sandal is actually narrower than the Keen regular sandals. I wear a lot of Keen shoes in my day to day life, but the cycling sandals are too narrow for me (I keep trying because I really want a pair!).

[OakLeaf]

I have wide feet, and I wear Specialized Torch. They could be a *bit* wider for me, but on the bike I don't have any issues. I definitely need wider for running than for cycling.

[smurfalicious]

If you're experiencing numbness both before and after you got yourself "fixed" it could be a fit issue or an issue with your pedaling technique (that could be attributed to fit).

First, if you're feeling tight in your shoes, check out NorthWave. They come down to a 38 which might still be a bit big for you though. I've been told they're the widest Italian road shoe out there.

Second, I can't recommend Speedplay pedals enough. I LOVE mine and would never go back to anything else. The range of float is awesome and they allow for all sorts of shimming. Mine are currently blocked up with all sorts of neato shims for both length and leveling. The 1/4 shim for my "gimpy leg" has had an impact throughout my body. No more skootching in my saddle, no more ouchie lower back.

Speedplays also have a "cafe cap" you can get to cover the cleat. I carry them with me if I think I'm going to be stopping a lot or when commuting. I just walk sort of on my heels, don't try to roll over the balls of my foot. Never crashed on um.

I would really look at your fit though. As I mentioned I have a limb length discrepancy and the bulk of my hours long fit was spent tinkering with my cleats. If you're not in a position that allows you to pedal correctly then you're fighting a losing battle.

If your fit is fine, see if you can't get someone with expertise in the area, maybe a fitter, to watch you ride and see what your pedal stroke looks like. If I get tired I know mine gets sloppy and that's when I sometimes get that numb not fun feeling. A newbie friend of mine was having that, we worked on her spin and over time she was doing much better.

[Crankin]

MY DH had surgery for a neuroma about 8 years ago. He had no issues with numbing when riding after the surgery, although his foot still is "sensitive" when doing other activities, especially walking. In fact, the neuroma was caused by walking 50 city blocks in NYC in dress shoes. He was back on the bike about 6-8 weeks after the surgery and did the cycling leg of a pentathalon about 3 months after the surgery (it involved cycling up a mountain in NH), after little training.
I'm wondering if the numbness has to do with other things, as stated above. Your pedal stroke might be different now that your foot is "fixed."

[PinkBike]

No one's mentioned yet that road shoes have VERY hard soles. This could be your problem as you said it was hard to walk on a hard surface. Nothing wrong at all with switching to mountain bike shoes and pedals for your road bike. The shoes are much more comfy and easier to walk in. I see people with mountain bike pedals on their road bikes often. I had Shimano SPD's when I first got a road bike so I could alternate and wouldn't have the expense of 2 sets of everything. When I decided I was 100% roadie I swapped for Speedplays and sold all the mountain stuff.

[jennyrc]

So...this is a little off topic but I'm hoping someone here can help me. I just ordered a pair of Sidi shoes (women's genius 5 pro carbon if this matters) and now I'm trying to figure out pedals.
Right now I use shimano spd's with mountain bike shoes. From my initial understanding, I'll need to get new pedals/cleats for these shoes (SPD-SL). I also thought that Look and Shimano were the brands that had these type of pedals. However, after reading through this forum, it sounds like speedplay might be pedals I would like (I specifically like the idea of having a wide range of adjustments that can be made, as well as their ease to get in and out of).
So first question...are speedplay's compatible with the shoes I just bought?
Second...Is there some sort of adapter I can buy to make my current pedals compatible with my new shoes, or does that just add too much bulk, etc. (I currently have my pedals set so they are very easy to get in and out of...which I love)
Thanks for input!