Beginner's advice on pedals & shoes?

I've got SPD-SLs on my road bike at the moment, but if I were buying again now I'd probably go for SPDs instead.
If I'm honest I probably went for SLs because of some vague 'it's the rules' roadie thing. I think for most people the actual performance difference when you're in the saddle is basically zero, and SPDs are better in pretty much every other respect.
I won't be binning my SLs anytime soon, but I were starting from scratch that's the route I'd go. And I wouldn't even consider commuting on SLs.

I ride SPD SLs on my road bike and SPDs on my winter/commuter hydrid but I can remember using double toe straps and leather boots with a slot in the cleat

Agree with the comments on SPDs, if you are riding in traffic then they are safer, easier to get in and out of with minimal loss of benefit. Certainly the best starting point then change later once more confident.

Remember, everyone falls off at least once when they start to use them, the key is to anticipate and clip out a bit earlier than you think. SPDs make that easier

I run SPDs (+ compatible Shimano shoes) on my road bike and agree with all the SPD comments above. I use SPDs on my MTB, Hybrid (combo pedals) and thought I needed road cleats when I got my road bike. LBS advised SPDs and I've been 100% happy. Borrowed a bike/shoes a while back with road cleats and walking around on them off the bike was a nightmare.

One thing to consider is the construction of the shoes too - I have a pair of old Shimano leisure mtb shoes and while they look quite conventional they weigh a ton and are both porous and absorbent, so overall they're a bit shit, really.

I also have some Specialized mtb ones that look a lot like road shoes with velcro fastening. They're significantly lighter, cooler in the summer and dry out a hell of a lot quicker. Much better.

I sometimes use the spin bike in the gym which are fitted with SPD, and this is the only time I have ever used them.

To me compared with speedplays (or SPD SL) they seem a little loose for me, there isnt any vertical or horizontal movement but there is a slight rotational change you dont get with speedplays. Not rotational in term of float, to explain it, if you twist towards the outside of the foot then the inside there is some movement from the cleat.

That being said it might be because the gym pedals are used and abused?.....

My first foray in to clipless was using Shimano's M545 SPD's, which I believe are now branded as Click-R, on my MTB. When I started using a road bike more I use the M540 even on my new Specialized Secteur. I've only ever used one pair of Shimano MT42 MTB shoes mainly as I can't afford a pair of road shoes.

One piece of advice that I'm looking for is at such time I can afford a pair of road shoes can anyone recommend a make that is generous in its widths, as I have quite wide feet.

I use crank brothers eggbeaters 4 points of entry and previous to that I used their candy pedals as they were my first clipless and I felt that they offered me some reassurance with a standard if small pedal, a psychological thing. Walking isn't a problem with a mtb shoe as the cleat is well out the way, so no duck walking or perilous slips.

I'm pleasantly surprised that the vast majority of commenters have come down on the SPD side. When I restarted my cycling about 3 years ago, club riders were pretty much all using look/keo. I notice a lot more people on spds on club rides now. As many other have said you only really need to consider 'road' pedals if you want to race at the higher levels. If you want to be an SPD weight weenie, then Xpedio do some very light one sided SPD pedals.
It has to be said that some people move to the larger platforms if they find that spds create pain 'hotspots' on their feet but that's never happened to me. If you want to 'look' pro (you are likely to end up looking Fred) or copy the pros then Speedplay are indeed 'where it's at'.
Finally, shoes. For very good value beginners shoes try Pearl Izumi all road. You may find them for around 35 quid. They don't have the technical fastenings but we are not about marginal gains here! They last well.
I gained far more from a proper bike fit than all the gear changes, including insoles to correct pedalling motion.

Just another random thought, Specialized do insoles with high and medium foot arches. Will fit most makes of shoe - and make a big difference in comfort to those of you who don't have flat feet.

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/search?query=bg+footbed&pg_start=0&fq=&pg_ro...

Yep, spd's a perfectly good solution for the OP.
Spd sl's have less 'walkability' but I disagree that they're only for racers/pro's as some have said.. With SL's there's more options for float (zero to 9 degrees), and a wider platform, which when combined with maximum release tension I really like as you feel very connected to the bike and transfer of power feels better, esp when standing on the pedals

But each to his own, and I wouldnt make a judgement about someone whether they're in all the top end gear, just as I wouldn't judge them for using standard spd's.

+1 for SPD's

I started out with SPD-SL's about 3 years ago, got on fine with them. Tried SPD's last year and there's been no looking back. Comfy to ride and walk in. Oh and the cleats will definitely last longer.

Clip in pedals are not for everyone, mind. I have used every type of pedal clip-in system there is and truly believe cleats have fecked up my left knee, the right one not so bad but far from perfect. All down to prolonged clipping in use over the last 5 years. I never had them prior to that and knees were fine. I put it down to having weird limb/bone structure I guess.

You get lateral play/adjustment, your foot and can swing up and down freely but you get no tilt play, you foot is pulled flat and firmly onto the pedal and I am sure thats whats damaged my knees. You can get shims that allow the cleat to be given a couple of degrees of tilt and you can get in foot orthotics (I have them in my current shoes as prescribed by mu physio) but I reckon they provide very limited benefit.

I still ride with MTB spd's but only ever clip in now when I am sprinting against my mates for fun or going up a hill in the wet, but even then I think I dont need to. That means 90% of my ride time is unclipped and they have not affected my own performance on the bike to any noticeable margin. I have never had a foot slip off a road bike pedal whilst wearing correct shoes and going unclipped. Ive been doing this following a course of physio and exercises for the last year and my left knee is not worse and possibly slowly getting better, but I fear the damage is done. Over 25 years of serious riding my knees were fine until I got clip in pedals 5 years ago (and spent countless hours making adjustments, using shims, orthotics, etc.)

I never clip in in town traffic either, too dangerous, which also reduces clip-in time. Unless you are pro, semi-pro level and need to eek every bit of power and efficiency out of your cycling there is no need for clip in pedals in my humble opinion, despite the insane peer pressure to do so. clip-in pedals are just not a definite must-have but please yourself. Just trying to provide a balanced view. They can, in rare situations cause more harm than good, and can be bloody dangerous where there is any traffic in any kind of volume.

I had some problems with numbness/burning on here balls of my feet way back when I had these Pearl Izumi MTB shoes with an SPD platform that currently escapes me (old timer's disease). While MTB shoes that look like sneakers are stiffer than trail runners, they still have a rather flexible footbed to allow for scrambling. I switched over to Sidi's when I started using my Speedplay Frogs and while their MTB shoes aren't as stiff as their road shoes which have carbon fiber in the sole, they're still stiff enough that I can't really stand up on the ball of my foot when standing on the ground so much stiffer than the sneaker style shoes. I did initially have some numbness/burning with longer rides (70+ miles) but after adjusting my saddle a bit that pretty much disappeared. The Frogs are slightly bigger than the road pedal lollipops (ie Zero and Nanogram) ~6.5 cm squared but not that much smaller than most SPD platforms. I wonder if you could borrow a set of SPDs from a friend with similar shoe size and swap out your pedals to test it out for a week (commuting and your longer weekend rides)? Would your LBS be willing you let you do some test rides on their Look pedals for comparison? Just a thought.

I used to ride Look but found the cleats wore out when I was walking, and who doesn't want to walk to a cafe?

I bought into the SPD thing and now all 3 bikes have it, and I only need one pair of shoes.

KISS!

Wish I'd started a thread like this before I bought mine. The LBS recommended spd-sl pedals so I went with that. Have never felt secure in traffic and that has affected where I'll ride.

my most comfortable ever shoes are a pair of cheap shimano SPD ones a bit like the current RT32s. I've done very long rides on them (up to 24 hours) with absolutely no problems at all. and you can walk in them. and they're only fifty quid. and they've lasted about ten years.

Shimano RT81s are a bit more, but they're also excellent

http://road.cc/content/review/16381-shimano-rt81-shoes

Re sole stiffness - that will depend on the individual - your size and power, specifically..

One of the advantages with SL's (for serious riding perhaps more than for commuting), is that the three bolt pattern is available on a wide range of shoes, low end to high end, and so offers good choice for the wearer. That's not a reflection of the cleat mechanism, just the market for shoes which support it..