Originally Posted by Treespeed
Talk about a sales pitch and a complete lie. You can get an efficient and comfortable shoe and pedal setup for under a $100. If performance is your goal then you are way better off putting more money into a better wheelset than wasting a bunch of money on shoes because of some BS bling factor. The most important thing for the shoes as with anything you wear is comfort. Don't let some blowhard forum member or salesperson tell you that you can only get $150 brand X shoes and pedals. It's a lie. Get what fits and what you can afford. Even the cheapest no name online store brands will last a couple of seasons until you can afford better and get to know what you want.
Don't believe the hype.
True, I tried on a $150 pair of Sidi shoes but ended up with an $80 pair of Specialized shoes on sale for $40. My pedals are another story though...I paid $150 for a pair of Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals which was a complete waste of money (I have about 400 miles on them and they are already all scratched up). Ultegras would have been just as good and about half the price. You could easily find a good clipless setup for around $100-150.