Originally Posted by KingTermite
I guess what I really mean is that I want to check out the shoes with my stirrups first.....get a feel for them. Then I'll consider the pedals and what may work best. As I understand it, the shoes are more than just functional to click into the pedal....they are stiffer bottoms and such more than a regular shoe which is better for cycling.
Yeah, they have stiffer soles. They also often aren't really designed to be used with non-clipless pedals, so the rubber compound isn't as grippy as a regular shoe.
Get the clipless pedals. The shoes by themselves probably won't make all that much difference, and you already know how to ride with clips and straps.