Well, speedplays may look odd but they are effective

And as for them being a novelty, a significant number of pro riders use them. Fabian Cancellara recently won the Paris to Roubaix using them. Of course, he wasn't using the light action ones which are not suitable for racing simply because they are easier to get out of and wouldn't necessarily be reliable in a full on race sprint.

So, unless you're planning on some really agressive race sprints you should be fine