recumbent biking and stiff shoes

i’ve been riding my Vision recumbent with clipless pedals for almost 20 years.  i recently changed to eggbeater MTB pedals so that i can use the same shoes as i use on my 29er hardtail MTB.  my current shoes are stiff, but look more like regular tennis shoes with decent tread on the soles.  much easier walking in the dirt when needed.  the hardware is recessed, making things much easier on my hardwood floors.

i know that you said no clipless pedals, but it is really an effective solution.

A long time since I posted here but this is what I use now: Solestar Carbon insoles. Solves not everything, but it’s definitely much better.

@Woubeir

To the original question about stiffness of a boot but foot climate of a trailrunner, check out approach shoes, which are made by multiple manufacturers for example those from FiveTen http://www.fiveten.com/us/.  The FiveTens I have used are very stiff and the soles are very grippy. The footboxes often run a bit small so you might need to size up.

FiveTen also make mountain bike shoes with SPD “clipless” mechanisms to clip your shoe to the pedal. The FiveTen website describes their MTB as having supportive carbon infused midsoles but I have no experience with them and cannot judge the claim.