Thanks for the explanation Dorian!
I think I'm going to go with the recessed-cleat system. I have enough stuff (training equipment, groceries, etc.) at some point of every ride that there is no room for an extra pair of normal shoes, and sometimes need to walk around for quite a bit (in a large shopping centre for instance) before returning to the bike.
I have the good fortune of having a uni student biking club right next to where I live, complete with a tiny clubroom with a sofa and some maintenance tools. When my tire went flat, it was the folks there who taught me how to fix it. I'm gonna head there now to ask for advice + good local shops, and get rid of some reflectors on my wheel spokes. They're primarily a mountain biking bunch if I understand correctly but the clubroom is open to casual riders fixing junkers too.
How do you guys feel about chimes on bikes? I have a poor one that keeps making a small noise while riding.. I'll rip it off anyway but should I get a new, solid one? It would seem to me that in the situations I might want to use the chime, either I'm weaving the bike in tight quarters and can just as well shout, or I'm doing full speed on a bike/pedestrian path. In the latter case, I'm afraid to use the chime because I see pedestrians taking sideways steps before looking around when they hear a bike chime, whereas they'll be relatively still and I'm able to pass safely when they don't know I'm there.
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