MTB shoes are less than half the price of road shoes on auction here in Japan. There are some MTB Sidi's going for about 25USD in my size. I have replaced the screw things by using claw nuts and drilling small holes for the claws but never all of them.
Even if I use a knife or grinder to remove the rubber, I wonder if thee are holes in the sole to bolt the rubber sides on which might coincide, or semi coincide with the cleat bolt holes.
It looks quite fun
If I get it done