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I've been using giro SPD shoes on the road for a while now and I feel that they are positioned too far forward on the shoe and would be better if placed more towards the arch. (I have them as far back as possible)
Has anyone modded their shoes while keeping the ability to walk off the bike?
Also I'm guessing the position is based on "science"?
Where is the ball of your foot in relation to the pedal axle?
I've not done it myself, but there's quite a lot out there on mid-foot position cleats and long term use - Steve Hogg is one bike-fitting guy who's stuff I've read:
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/04/power-to-the-pedal-cleat-position/
Cleats back in the normal fitting is enough for me - if you wanted to just expand the range you could easily dremel the outer slots back, but would need that inner plate to also move back, so I guess it depends on the individual shoe sole whether this is possible.
Following advice on here I’ve moved my cleats right back.
Feels odd at first but has eased my foot pain.
It also makes riding out of the saddle feel more natural. I now do the Nonsuch Straight standing up and in a bigger gear as it just feels like the thing to do.
This question seems to pop up every few years, here's a thread from a while ago - https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/mid-foot-cleat-position/
If you can, I would recommend doing/trying it. The "ball of your foot" position is something from the old days that nobody really seems to challenge, no matter how little sense it makes!
I know it's not an answer to the question but with my road shoes I have the cleats right at the front (because it was fashionable when I raced back in the 1960s and 70s but I have them right at the back on my mountain bike shoes because if I have them further forward when clattering down lumpy stuff my ankles hurt.
In the winter when I swap cleats and use my North Wave Celsius I don't notice the difference.
When I had my bike fit, my cleats were moved back from their existing position. Explanation was that cleats on the ball of foot / forward was good for getting the power down, so good for sprinting or time trials etc, but further back was better for longer bike rides.
On the road, I would expect that shoe manufacturers know more than most about the range of adjustment needed and that if you want cleats further back than what a shoe can offer off the shelf, then you are wrong. On the MTB that is less correct as people now want to mimic the foot position used with flats and shoe manufacturers have to react to that rather than lead the change.
Bike fits are still basing everything on the old days, and like manufacturers, are only there to make money without rocking the boat, people rarely like change.
Ball of the foot is a runners thing that has been dragged over to cycling, but with cycling you are able to put a hell of a lot more power through a pedal stroke/ball of the foot than any runner could ever do.
Ask any cyclist who does gym work if they do squats/leg press on the ball of their foot, you wont find anyone daft enough to do that, and squatting can be very similar to the power you're putting down on a pedal stroke.
The ankle joint is the weakest part and is not needed at all for a pedal stroke, you don't see a piston in an engine with an added "ankle", yet the piston and a leg are both pretty much doing the same range of motion.