Originally Posted by carleton

If you've already been down the Road vs MTB shoe debate and have settled on Road then Shimano makes some great entry level shoes and Performance has them at really, really great prices. There are some for $20 and $30 on PerformanceBike.com right now. Same prices in the store. PLUS Performance and Nashbar are the same company, so Performance will match Nashbar prices when you are in the store. Just bring it to their attention.

You can get the entry level Shimano PD-R540 SPD-SL which is a great pedal for $50 at Performance. These are often on craigslist for much cheaper if you keep your eyes out. But, remember when buying that you may have to buy fresh cleats for $25.

I personally prefer the Speedplay Zero (obviously) but they start at $125 and you will never find these on sale. The only time you get price breaks is with some sort of "store-wide discount" of some sort. These are almost 3 times the price of the Shimano R540 and rarely show up on craigslist.