Thanks Smokehouse. I went into a shop and looked over shoes and cleats. I'm leaning towards SPD-SLs or Look Keos. They seem to be very similar in terms of form and function. Yeah seam more walkable and less expensive than Speedplay, both important factors for me. Keo cleats are triangular and come in three float flavors: 9, 4.5 and 0. They have also have a cleat with more rubber grip surface on it for walking, but it's more expensive and doesn't come with the pedals. Anybody have any comments on Keos vs SPD-SLs?

Found some shoes I like but pushing up into the $200 range for something with a ratcheting buckle. Sidis fit me the best and seem like the best quality, but are the most expensive...

Seems like I'd be well north of $300 for shoes and pedals, so I'm going to keep riding my MTN shoes and SPDs for now while I do some more research and maybe hunt around online for deals. After all I'm just doing winter training miles for a while with no centuries or potential crits on the calendar for months.