I have been riding for about 8 years in just the basic entry level mountain bike shoes. I think I paid about $35 for each pair. The Shimanos lasted me about 4 years, I'm in some Sette shoes that I found on sale somewhere now. They're generally passable as street shoes. I can walk around in them all day. I don't know if they're as stiff as road shoes because I don't think I've ever even seen a pair of road shoes except on TV, but they're definitely way stiffer than sneakers.