We're going on a cycling trip to Italy in the fall and I'm going to be commuting on my road bike fairly often this summer (got a trailer for my dog and all ). Someone had borrowed my road bike and put platforms on it, so right now that's what she's got, but it's driving me a little nuts. Previously I had SPD-SL pedals on there, but when I got my tri bike I put her on Speedplay Light Actions, which I love, so I just didn't put my SPD-SLs back on when I got my road bike back (I really just used it on the trainer, until now).

A lot of shoes that are more commuter-friendly are 2-hole patterns, which means I can't get another pair of Light Actions since the cleats don't jive with the 2-hole shoes. If I get another pair of road shoes, I can get another pair of the same pedals/cleats and probably have to get cleat covers for easier walking. I'm not averse to considering other pedal/shoe combinations, though I started with the same pedals because then I can just have 2 pairs of shoes with the same cleats.

Do I forego some of the "friendly" (or cute) shoe options for comfort and familiarity, or are there 2-hole cleats that are as floaty and easy to get into/out of as the Light Actions? (Or are there any shoes that are 3-hole or 4-hole but not so roadie?)

What's an easy way to match up shoe-to-cleat options to do more research? I saw Speedplay had a shoe compatibility guide, but how do I approach it from the opposite way? Any good pedal guides?