Teigyr, I had all the same concerns you have, and I didn't want to put out a whole lot of money for shoes and pedals without knowing if I would like them, or if I would be giving up too much of the advantages of Looks - platform size, stiffer sole of the road shoe, etc. However, I must say that I am very happy with the switch to Frogs. My feet feel "freer"; not so locked in. At first, I felt like the platform was kind of small, but I think this was more the fact that there is more float than I was used to. After I had been riding for about 5 minutes, I really forgot about about all that, and didn't really notice any difference in the platform size or the fact that I was wearing mountain shoes. I felt like I had the same amount of force on the pedals; could pull up on the pedals, stand when climbing, etc. The best part is being able to step off the bike without sliding on the cleat, especially on a downhill slope. I don't think you would be disappointed if you made the switch. Before clipless pedals, I used to ride with toeclips and metal cleats (old style road shoes) with no float at all so my feet were really locked in. Look Keos have a fairly tight spring also and I was so used to that that now, I really feel "liberated" with the Frog pedals.