After a considered opinion on which pedals/shoes to buy

This is what i've found imo:

Sidi fairly good 2 widths lorica (the rough looking material under the leather which is a false leather btw) - can be comfortable.

Shimano 2 widths - rode MTB variants but not road - heard good things on them for comfort as they have the width I think.

Northwave one size - i've a wide foot and got some Vertigo's to fit ok.

I've rode Spd's, Time (road) and i'm now on Speedplay (ZERO) which are good. Though the cleats get a fair degree of use and wear but towards the end of life they get a lot of rocking movement.

Times are quite low to the pedal !

Would consider Look with the Carbon blade spring or would try the Shimano PD-7900 carbon pedals with varying movement 3', 5' or 9' deggree cleats as these seeme quite good but haven't found anyone with any to ask how they ride.

Would try Bonts as they're reportedly wide for the foot.

Speedplay X-series to save your knees. Like the Zeros but with masses more float. No flipping pedal over from stand still, just stomp on the pedal and go( most of the time anyway).

Shoes are like saddles, very subjective. Try as many as possible, you'll know when you find your glass slipper. A good bike shop will ask questions and make suggestions.

Lake cx236 ... the most comfy pair of shoes to date

I have some spesh comp road shoes too - they're good but
just not quite as "roomy" as the Lakes - I have duck like
feet !!

@Speshrider, it would be useful to know what your foot positioning is like. Sit on a work surface (one that's too high for your feet to touch the ground) without shoes on, relax completely, then have a look at how your feet (specifically the forefoot) hang. A sizeable proportion of people have the outstep of the foot hanging a little lower than the instep. This is called varus tilt (opposite direction is called valgus tilt) and is why you can buy all the Body Geometry insoles and wedges that Specialized do.

http://www.bikefit.com/Images/images/WhyWedge/ForefootVarus.JPG

However, Specialized also build 1.5mm of varus tilt into the Body Geometry shoes anyway, so if for example your feet were completely level laterally, then perhaps Spesh would not be the best choice, since you would need a pair of valgus wedges just to cancel out the basic tilt in the shoe itself.

Is there someone in the shop that knows about bike fitting? That could massively help in minimising the risk of buying the wrong kit to start with.

I've got Keo pedals; they're fine. Cleats wear out quite quick though.

I've still got a pair of size 44 Giro Factors for sale, if they'd suit you?

I'd vote for Keos. I have the classics on my winter bike and the Carbon Blades on my Summer bike and both are great. I've tried my brother's SPD-SLs and can't get on with them, the balance of tension between clipping in and out is never right (one too tight or the other too loose).

Classics should be enough within your budget to give you a choice of shoes.

As for shoes, whatever fits your feet well, I can't say any more than that. Northwave suit me, but I have silly shaped feet!!

I have the budget Spesh shoes, they're really comfy, can't compare to others though. I use Exustar Keo pedals, were about 20 quid on amazon (They were a gift, I'd rather have bought from LBS)and they work really well for what I do

Cool, I have a fs Spesh mtb too (camber expert 26er)

My Spesh shoes were over double the price of the dhb so it wouldn't be fair to compare really.

I like shimano pedals but it's a personal thing tbh. I have R540's, some 105 and dura ace carbons.

Speedplay Zeros...love 'em.

Okay, there's a bit of maintenance involved and Coffee Shop Cleat Covers are required (metal cleats + tile floors = arse over elbow ), but you get the convenience of double sided entry, as much or little float as you want and the lowest stack height available.

If possible I would go for a shoe with a full carbon sole - I upgraded to Mavic Pro Road about six months ago - and, due to the extra stiffness, the difference over a composite sole is night and day.

If you're looking for a wallet friendly shoe in the interim you can pick up a dhb shoe with a full carbon sole for about £90 on Wiggle.

Can get the occasional hot spot though...

Speedplays were the only thing that really sorted my knees out!

BTW your username doesn't match your bike

My first pedals were Shimano R540 SL and they did a great job (still do on my training bike). I matched them up to dhb ones from wiggle. Again they worked well enough. Although the Velcro only fastening isn't as secure feeling as the boa system on my Spesh shoes.