I just switched to LOOK pedals and new Shimano R-150 shoes. The shoes have a carbon sole and are incredibly stiff. The large holding area of the pedals combined with these soles makes you feel like you are really attached to the bike. You press down anit feels like your whole foot is moving the crank. This combo of pedals and shoes have increased my speed and doubled my fun.

My bike came with a pair of Ritchey SPD pedals. Why? I don't know. But not knowing any better, I put the Ritchey cleats on Shimano's bottom of the line road shoes. After about 10,000 miles, I noticed that the cleats were no longer flat to the sole. The tendency of my foot to bend to the outside had bent the sole and eventually cracked it. I think that this would not have happened had I gotten LOOK pedals right off the bat, rather than just using the stock equipment.

Shimano shoes are a great fit for my wide feet. The R-150s come in half sizes. They cost US$170-180. You can get a good pair of LOOKs for about $100. Colorado Cyclist has some good sales on them right now.

Rich