I recently purchased some new road shoes from my two of my LBS'. Buying my MTB shoes wasn't this difficult. They fit like my everyday shoe and are comfortable. I've read all the reviews and decided to go with the Specialized BG road shoes. I purchased a pair of 42.5 from one store (which according to their website is the correct size for a 9.5 foot) and a 43 from another to wear around the house as I couldn't decide which to go with. The 43 have a slight slip in the heel with about an 1 of wiggle room in the toe box but need to be tightened pretty good to fix the slip...a concern. The 42.5 have no slip in the heel thus don't have to be tightened as much. My right foot however feels a little snug around the toes and ball of my foot. I can still wiggle my toes but I'm concerned they might be too tight especially if they don't stretch out and my feet swell while riding. I just don't want to make a mistake seeing as once I cleat the shoes I have to keep them and Specialized doesn't have my size a the moment. Do you want them more loose, more snug....? Any insight would be great.

Thanks in advance

Bear in mind that I'm a late-middle aged recreational rider, so my priorities may not be the same as yours, but I've been WAY happier when the shoes have room to wiggle my toes freely. My feet swell on longish rides (anything over about an hour), and I've gone way too many miles with them throbbing.
Heel slip is a bad thing, but for me, at least, a big toe box is a necessity.

Did you try other brands? You may find that something else fits you better. I tried a boat load of different shoes before I came to the Sidi Megas that I have now. I didn't care what brand name was on them, I only wanted a pair that was comfortable and fit me right.

Will they stretch? In that case you could go with the smaller ones. I think your foot will swell more riding in the Summer when it is hot than now in the Fall? In that case go with the bigger shoe. What thickness socks are you wearing around the house, the same as your riding socks?

You need a different brand. The last is not right for your foot. You are either going to have too large a shoe or too tight a forefoot. Get something roomier in the forefoot so it can fit well all over. (PS -- size charts are kinda hooey... they only address the easy part).

Roomier shoes in the forefoot can include Pearl Izumi, Diadora, Northwave, and Carnac.

The specialized CArbons stretched very very little. And i put about 2000 miles in them. But mine were snug like that and i never got throbing. So it all depends on how your foot is shaped. Try on more than just what you see online. Shoes are like saddles, what fits one person wont always fit you, and what one person says doens't neccesarily apply to what you feel in a particular shoe.