Probably something like a Look KEO or Shimano PD is going to have the biggest cleats/contact area. All the shoes and cleats I've owned have fore/aft adjustability so you should be ok there with just about anything. Flat MTB pedals (ex. crank brother stamp) and shoes would have the biggest contact area but I'm assuming you want to be clipped in.

FWIW, I have 'ball of foot pain' in the form of a fractured sesamoid that will not heal since the piece no longer touch each other. Been dealing with this for 10 years and taking Vitamin D seems to do more than anything else.

My injury is a plantar plate tear (3rd metatarsal) which may or may not heal, so I need to find a way to deal with the injury. Have been using Shimano SPD (two bolt, M520) for years, and I'm looking for more surface area. These existing pedals are pretty small, and they contact directly beneath the problem area.

One key thing to look are shoes with very high sole rigidity. In other words, spend the bucks on shoes with carbon soles that flex the least.

As a basic physics thing, if the sole is rigid, then the shoe-to-pedal contact area is irrelevant and will evenly transmit the force across the whole sole of the shoe. If the sole is not rigid, then the shoe will flex fore and aft of the contact area and transmit force to your foot at uneven points of pressure.

Any specific brand/model you'd recommend?

I have Shimano RC-9 and TR-9 shoes. Both are carbon sole. They are hard as a rock. If you want max foot stability, then I would get a road bike shoe like the RC-9, because they have maximum rigidity and upper snugness to control foot movement. I think most shoe companies have a carbon sole option, but these are the two that I know.

I use Time cleats and pedals. I use the "iclic" pedals though I am not sure if they are still made. The cleats are quite large - 3.5" long by 2.5" wide. I use the ones with some float and I find them very supportive as well as easy to clip out of (I have posterior tibial tendon dysfunction so my right foot is collapsed in pretty badly). There is a "fixed" cleat and they did not work for me - they are very fixed!

I got mine on amazon. :)

Hope this helps!

I went for Look Keo Max pedals for this reason (particularly as the Max are wider than the std ones - I wanted / needed more support on the outside of my foot in my case to stop my foot rolling off the side, which was happening when I originally used mountain biking 2-bolt SPDs when I 1st got a road bike.

this.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I've used "entry-level" Shimano shoes, nylon/carbon composite Sidi's, and a couple pairs of Bont "carbon composite" sole shoes (all with SPD-SL), and I've never felt a perceivable flex in the shoe while cycling. That may be because of the float in the cleats (which is the only "play" I notice).

As a basic physics thing, if the sole is rigid, then the shoe-to-pedal contact area is irrelevant and will evenly transmit the force across the whole sole of the shoe. If the sole is not rigid, then the shoe will flex fore and aft of the contact area and transmit force to your foot at uneven points of pressure.


As others have said - with the current shoe/pedal/cleat technology this whole "contact point" business is a bit of a moot point.

If your shoes are not working for you for you I would look to these solutions:

- Fit of the upper.

- Cleat placement. Fore/aft and medial/lateral.

- Amount of float.

- Insoles.

- Canting/wedging of the cleats - usually varus

Assuming we are talking high-end shoes with full carbon soles - All of the above are going to have a much GREATER impact on foot comfort than Look vs Speedplay err Wahoo! :-)

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I have entry-level Sidis with nylon/fiberglass soles and some top-end Sidi Ergos with full carbon soles. The carbon soles are notably stiffer (note: tests show there is no efficiency gain with the stiffer soles; they do however provide an advantage in weight, stack height, and feel).

Pretty much any higher end shoe with full carbon soles is going to be very stiff. I think Shimano and Spech actually grade their shoes on an (arbitrary) stiffness scale.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

All the above, but if your shoes are a couple of years old, then consider new insoles. Cheap upgrade that makes a big difference, and as mentioned then consider if whilst doing that you have the right amount of arch support. I've gone through 4 sets of specialised insoles (++) and you don't notice they've gone until you either get the pain you describe, or you pop a new pair in and notice the 'new shoe' comfort for $45.

Consider the top level Shimano shoes, which allow the cleats to move further back (or a patrocleat adaptor) to move the load away from your problem area
As for pedals - Keywin have the largest contact area but they're hard to find in low tech markets. They offer a lot of backwards movement too.
Realistically - Shimano or Look road pedals on a shoe with good bolt placement will do a good job of moving the load.

Yep, this guy gets it!

Just from my experience- I have an old plantar plate tear that gave way to 2nd met problems, drifting toe, metatarsalgia, the list goes on...

What works really well for me: the full-carbon soled Bonts and Look cleats with shimano PD- style road pedals. Spend a bit extra on your shoes, they will last for many years. If you like the fit of the Bonts, upgrade to the Vaypor or similar with the full-carbon sole. That being said, and to echo what exxxviii said, if you have a true rigid-soled shoe the cleat/pedal size shouldn't be the issue.

I have also found that the shape of the Bonts in the forefoot lets my toes spread out a bit more naturally. Again, just my experience.