Well despite all the good advice I did not really follow up until just recently. I did buy a pair of Forte SPD/platform pedals, but no shoes to put the cleats on. And I just struggled with running shoes in the toe clips of my Centurion; they always seemed to snag on a seam, or the waffly sole would catch the pedal at a bad angle. Never had a big problem but I sure felt awkward in my first 50 feet from a stop, and dismounts could be a bit comic.

A couple of weeks ago I saw these shoes on eBay, and even my frugal-to-a-fault self couldn't pass them up. Scored them for $10 + $5 shipping.

6-28-10_013..jpg

They turned out to be Specialized 'Sonoma' shoes, which they still make albeit in a velcro closure. Smooth rubber sole, stiff shank, flat seams on top: they slip into and out of the toe straps easily, and the difference in power transfer is very noticeable. As a bonus I found that a disc on the sole can be removed to reveal space for the SPD cleats, so I can try that as well. So far though I am pretty happy with riding old school. I do get a bit of numbness in my right foot, but that was happening before. At 50+ I don't expect to be comfortable all the time.

BTW seller said these were 43EU/9US, but the label said 43EU/10US. I usually wear a 9 or 9 1/2 and these are none too big...I was lucky on the sizing.