As for why I ride in dress shoes - my commute takes me less than 5 minutes, and I love the ability to get off the bike, lock it up, and jump on the train. Carrying and changing into and out of sneakers or some other shoes would be a PITA for such a short ride.

Why no toe straps? They do mess up a shine, and, my dress shoes must be longer than my sneakers, so my toe clips aren't long enough. I have no problem with my road bike and Look pedals and cleats. But on this bike (Diamondback Sorrento), the ability to stop and quickly get back on the pedals is hindered by straps and clips.

The rubber pedals are another good suggestion, but I can't add that much more weight to my already heavy bike. My hitch has a limited tongue weight, and with 4 bikes, every pound counts! Plus, any serious spinning is out with those.

I think I may try the MKS Lambdas. They have the reflectors, and look like they would be comfy. Ginko says they work with office attire, I ride in office attire - bingo! Or, the MKS RMX - sneaker pedals. They look a little more like the pedals I'm used to (not sure if they work with dress shoes).

Also, my dress shoes have rubber soles, so they aren't Armani handmade leather slipper soles.