This is an excellent question. I will pull a minor "Nixon" here and say this: It is not so much a matter of whether your toes touch or not, but whether your foot moves in the shoe. I've noted that some shoe lasts and patterns totally prevent your toe from touching the front even when the saddle (over the top of the foot around the arch) area of the shoe fits correctly. If this is the case (Carnac)then it is fine for your toe to not touch. However, if your toe needs to touch a little to get your foot solidly planted in the shoe with no movement, then yeah, your toe will touch. Now, here's the problem: If your toe touchs TOO MUCH then this will likely become uncomfortable. How do you tell? Well, try this: Try the shoes on. Remember, if you are trying them on at 5:30 P.M. on Friday your feet may be a little bigger than at 7:00 A.M. Sunday morning. Wear the socks (or no socks) you will wear while cycling (but I know you already knew that...). Oh Geez, DON't stand up in them! You will never stand up in them on the bike- not really. Even if you stand to pedal a lot of your weight (about 47% if your bike fitter did it right) will still be on the handlebars. Now, with the shoes on, cross one leg over the other at the knee- not like Marilyn Monroe crosses her legs, like Jim-Bob Hatfield crosses his legs to play the fiddle. Now, grab the heel counter of the shoe and give it a tug. Is there a seemingly molecular bond between your heel and the heel counter of the shoe? Good. Is there movement? No? Good. Now, sit there for a minute. Tell the salesman to busy him/herself else where. Think to yourself: "I have these shoes on now and they feel like this.... But how will this sensation change over the next two hours. If I left these shoes on for the next two hours would they get worse? Would my feet hurt?" And finally, think to yourself "What will happen to my feet inside these shoes when I start pedalling?" the answer to that question should be "Nothing". they should stay rock-solid. the shoes shouldn't "hurt" your feet, but they should prevent them from moving. sometimes, on days when I'm a dick, people try on a pair of shoes and then look at me and ask, "Tom, do these fit?" I say, "Hmm, I'm not sure... let me see one of those." They take off their shoe and I put it on my foot. Then I say "Nope, they don't fit." I can't tell if another persons'shoes fit. I can check it to see of its way off but I can't tell how their foot feels inside it. I can offer some thought provoking ques to get them thnking about their shoe fit. Hopefully that helps them (and you!). Good luck my friend, and thank you for a fine question (and for reading my stuff).
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com