Pooks,

I until about a week ago had the same problem as you, I couldn't touch the ground with my toes when sat on the saddle on any of my bikes. Not such a big deal on the roadie but a problem on the MTB, especially doing starts after dabbing on technical climbs.

As part of a wider investigation into my bike fit due to some back problems I've had I noticed that I had my cleats as far forward on my shoe as they would go - this meant I had to put my saddle up quite high to allow full extension of my leg, I pedalled very very toe down. Its only because I got a side on picture of me pedalling on a bike that I realised how toe down it was. The toe down pedalling has also made my calves unbelievably tight which was another reason for the change.

Anyhow, a bit of research later (expecially on the www.cyclingnews.com form and fitness QA) and I have moved the cleats right back. This felt odd at first, however it meant I had to lower the saddle (and move it back a bit on the roadie) as I didn't need to extend my toes. I have a much smoother spin and am engaging all my muscles (hamstrings and glutes are currently complaining about it as I don't think they've been doing much for a while) but the best side effect is that I can now touch the ground with my toes!!

Maybe worth looking at your shoes and/or getting a picture of you riding to see if your toe down?