Hi GaneshPammi,

I'm impressed that the "LBS guy" recommended MTB pedals! Although he's wrong about MTB having the same efficiency as Road, his advice is very good. (In truth, the Road shoes and cleats are more efficient but the difference is small.) In my opinion, most Road pedals, cleats and shoes are ONLY suitable for racing and I think its silly that the cycling public buys this stuff. They are like "tubular" tires, they are not practical to use unless you've got a team SAG car following you as you cycle. :-)

I think the perfect solution for you would be a MTB SPD system using Shimano PD-A530 pedals. These are extremely versatile pedals that are two-sided. One side is for cycling shoes and cleats. The other side is flat for street shoes. You'll have the best flexibility this way. You can use regular street shoes when you want or cycling shoes when you want. It's a win-win. Plus, at 380 g, the PD-A530 are reasonably light (for example, another choice would be Shimano's PD-M324 but they weigh 554 g w/ reflectors).

For cleats, I strongly recommend Shimano SM-SH56 because they are multi-directional and work well with the PD-A530 pedals. Since you are new to clipless pedals, having a multi-release cleat will enable you to disconnect your shoes from the pedal quicker under a wider variety of circumstances. This will be important as you develop the habit of unclipping before you come to a stop. (It's common for newbies to forget, then fall over.)

As for shoes, it is mostly a matter of personal preference. I like Pearl iZumi cycling kit and have a couple of different shoes from them. Surprisingly, I often find their older models to be better than their newer ones when it comes to shoes and I'll hunt down the older models first (many are still for sale as inventory of cycling shoes typically moves fairly slowly). My favorite are their X-Alp Drift III. But I also like their X-Alp Seek V. Both models are fairly light and breath well for hot climates. I've used both shoe models for many thousands of miles each.

Kind regards, RoadLight