I agree with most of what you said, but I hope you don't mind me adding another two cents...
Originally Posted by
dperreno
If you are looking for road bike pedals, a budget alternative to the Keos, Forte pedals by Performance Bike are pretty good. They use Keo-compatible cleats.
Shimano 105 pedals are another option and can often be found on sale for $50-65. Shimano has less expensive models, too, but when the 105's can be had for so little, that's what I opt for.
Originally Posted by
dperreno
If you don't know the difference between mountain and road pedals, here's my take:
Mountain pedals: multi-sided entry (just step on it), sheds mud better, cleats are recessed in shoes making it easier to walk
Road pedals: single-sided entry (need to flip the pedal over), larger shoe contact area (reduces "hot spots" on your feet), cleats are not recessed in shoe making walking awkward
Any decent set of clipless road pedals is weighted in the back so the pedal will consistently hang front-end-up, making it easier to clip into. You don't need to manually flip them. I actually find it a little easier to clip into my SPD-SL (road) pedals than my various Shimano SPD (mountain) pedals.
Originally Posted by
dperreno
Many people use mountain pedals on their road bikes because of the convenience of clipping in (just step on it, no need to flip the pedal over) and being able to walk around more easily.
While flipping the pedal isn't an issue as mentioned above, walkability *is*. Mountain-style cleats such as Shimano SPD tend to be smaller than road cleats like Shimano SPD-SL or Look Keo. Because of this, shoe makers can recess the cleat into treads on the shoe so that the cleat isn't getting walked on. If you want to be able to walk around in the same shoes you use to clip in, you'll want to look for a mountain or touring shoe that uses a mountain-style cleat and recesses it into the shoe tread.