New clipless shoes and pedals...but....

[Grits]

I have always used Shimano SPDs on my road bike because I like being able to walk comfortably in them when off the bike.

[Catrin]

Mountain bike cleats/shoes are great for road riding - it is very nice to be able to walk. I didn't care for SPD cleats/pedals myself, but I use Speedplay Frogs which work well for me - they are a mountain bike cleat that is larger and even easier to get in and out of than SPD - at least for me.

[pinsonp2]

I use the SPDs on my road bikes. I did upgrade to the A520 type of pedals (actually, a couple of different brand ones) and the Specialized BG footbeds to get rid of 'hot foot' issues I was having. This set up works great for me, hope it does for you too!!

Enjoy,
P2

[Crankin]

I use road pedals on my road bike and Speedlay Frogs on my road/touring bike.

[ToshaMack]

I got the Shimano M540 SPD. I went for a morning ride and was pleasantly surprised. Knock on some wood… I didn’t fall, but was very conscious of stopping and starting. I did notice that one shoe was awful tight; when I checked the sizes I found I had two different shoe sizes.

[Biciclista]

a lot of us use MTB shoes and cleats on our road bikes. We like to be able to walk.

[emily_in_nc]

I'm another who used "mountain" pedals (Crankbeaters Candy SL) on my road bike, along with Keen sandals. Loved being able to get off the bike and walk around a market. I used to use Speedplay X series back in my serious road-riding days, and those were a pain to walk in! So, no, I don't think your LBS guy steered you wrong at all.

[Owlie]

I got the Shimano M540 SPD. I went for a morning ride and was pleasantly surprised. Knock on some wood… I didn’t fall, but was very conscious of stopping and starting. I did notice that one shoe was awful tight; when I checked the sizes I found I had two different shoe sizes.

I have those pedals exactly. For the money, they're pretty nice.

Hopefully you can take the shoes back and get that sorted out!