Originally Posted by Bill in VA

They have a sticky rubber sole with dime sized flat dots. They are stiff, but not hard. The shoes are designed to be used on platform pedals with pins, but stay put in toe clips. I took my pedal with clip and strap attached to the REI store when I bought them on a pre-Christmas sale. That allowed me to slip the shoe on, put it in the pedal and stand on it to make sure the sole was stiff enough. I weigh over 200lbs and it was fine at my weight. The person in the bike section said they are a bit longer wearing than 5-10 Shoes which were also being considered at the same price point.

Interestingly the Shimano GR-5 felt identical to my Shimano Mtn Shoe with SPD cleats (they look like a road shoe, but with lugs on the sole and are walkable) that I used for road riding.