!Jones said:25 years ago or so, there were inexpensive shoes produced that were
essentially canvas sneakers with a stiff insole. I had a pair made by
Cannondale; however, there were other manufacturers at the time.These were generally known as "touring shoes"; that's how Nashbar
listed them in their first catalog. There was no such thing as a
"mountain bike" then unless you built it yourself.They were OK for riding and a person could also walk pretty well in
them. Further, you could wear them as you walked into the office and
everyone didn't turn their face away and snicker... a trait not shared
by much of today's bicycle attire, I'm afraid. Is that product still
on the market anyplace?
I have a pair of Specialized Sonoma shoes, sort of like
http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=10165
which might be interesting to you, though they aren't as cheap as
they used to be. They are comfortable on the bike and they aren't
bad for walking, even with the rigid sole. I am personally not so
fond of laces, and prefer to have velcro straps for closures on shoes
I use with clipless pedals, but if you want to use the shoes with clips
then laces are better and they do make the shoes look a lot like low-top
sneakers.
Dennis Ferguson