Can cycling shoes be made from street shoes?

I have toe clips and was trying to find shoes that were both good and comfortable for pedaling. Nowadays, cycling shoes have cleats. This makes total sense, however, I didn't want to change pedals and get dedicated cycling shoes, so I thought about stiffening up a pair of street shoes for the job. Here is what I did.

My work brings me in contact with PCB shops, so I was able to get a washed off board (no copper) of .020" thickness. I cut pieces to the shape of the insole.