Hi: I'm new here and totally new to biking. I'm thinking of getting bike shoes to increase my inseam length and help with my standover height issues.

I wasn't planning on getting bike shoes because I'm a bit intimidated with the idea of hooking my feet into the pedals. Mostly though, I didn't look into them because money's tight and I have short (5 to 5-1/2), but very WIDE feet and figured I'd never find my size at an affordable price.

I don't know anything about bike shoes. Is it "cleats" that click into the clipless pedal? Do non-cleat bike shoes also give you xtra height compared to regular tennis shoes? Can you wear those with toe-clip pedals?

Can anyone recommend some good, affordable brands with a good range of sizes? It is so hard for me to find regular tennis shoes, I wonder if I need bike shoes custom made. If so, do you know how much custom shoes would be?

Thank you so much,
Christine