Leisure cycling shoes can look similar to mountain bike shoes in that they have an SPD cleat in the sole for clipless pedal riding. Not that you need to use clipless pedals of course – many leisure cyclists wouldn’t be keen on clipping their feet into their pedals.
Offering a much more comfortable fit than road shoes, the leisure shoe is designed to be worn on and off the bike. They’re not such a firm fit as road shoes and are available in a wider fit. They’ll still have a firm’ish sole though …riding a bike with soft sole trainers for instance isn’t ideal as a lot more of your pedalling energy is wasted that way.