Originally Posted by
fietsbob
with wide enough platform pedals offering a solid surface, you can ride quite a while in most any shoe .
+1
The harder and farther you ride the more the shoes make a difference but you can go quite awhile on platforms and whatever shoe, -as long as the pace is moderate and the shoe is comfortable.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that the traditional leather upper boat shoe represents the ultimate in cycling footwear, but they do walk a nice line between casual and formal, plus they're fairly grippy. If clipless isn't your thing, they're a reasonable choice.