BTW, I think you said you'll look into MTB shoes to start before thinking of going clipless. That's the route I've chosen to go, and I bought these today...
http://bicycleshop.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=417 at one of the shops while we were there.
Yen, I've been wearing Specialized Taho MTB shoes for a couple of years now, and I like them a lot--they're extremely comfortable! But they're not as stiff as road bike shoes, and you may notice that when you do decide to go clipless. Last summer I got
these and I like them better for road riding, even though they're still an MTB shoe (I like recessed cleats so I'm able to walk around easily). I still use my Tahos for mountain biking (clipless) and commuting (toe clips), but I like the stiffer shoe for road riding (clipless).
Just one more thing to throw into the mix...
