It's time to get big girl pedals and shoes. How do I know what to buy?

[cobalt]

I still have toe clips and the girl at my lbs said I am wasting energy with them. She also said that I am not using all of my leg muscles and missing out on some great toning.

I ride a road bike, 10 miles on weekends, some long organized rides but I am still a newbie.

She said that Crank Brothers Candy pedals are good.

Shoes, do I want a carbon sole or not? She thought it too stiff but I read it is better to have carbon.

I would pick the closest shoe to my furry Crocs but that won't work!

She thought that the sandals and less stiff bike looking clip shoes were better but my husband thought that Keen's etc were too heavy.

Thank you!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

It's great that you are looking forward to getting clipless pedals and shoes. I wish you great success with them!
-But they won't make you a 'bigger girl' than those of us who prefer not to ride clipless for various reasons.

[hilldweller]

I'd say go for whatever feels comfortable, fits your budget and, most importantly, will be easiest to clip out of just before you topple going up a hill I was told that the super rigid ones are really only necessary if you're a super-fast cyclist wanting to get that last 1% of efficiency. Once you're used to them, they're much more fun to ride in than toeclips, IMHO.

[Biciclista]

you will find a lot of people who ride road bikes do not buy road bike shoes. Road bike shoes seem to be made for racers, not for feet and comfort walking. MTB shoes are more comfortable; you can actually walk in them.
if you are doing 10 mile rides, I sincerely believe you should go with the most comfortable bike shoes. And the reason I chose SPD's for my shoes was that was what my husband and sons already had. It seemed silly to get something different from them, since at any point we might have to trade bikes for something.

[cobalt]

Super, thanks. I will look at MTB shoes for sure. I don't like anything tight on my feet. You know the pink croc clogs with the white fur? I wear them everyday. I have them in 4 colors so I am used to really "baggy" shoes. I did try to ride with them and it did not work.

[Grog]

I agree that you don't need clipless pedals to be a grown up.

I also agree with the MTB pedals suggestion.

This being said, of course you don't want your feet to be so tight they get blue and fall off... but bike shoes should be fitting, not loose, if the point is to improve power transfer. If you foot is loose in the shoe then you might as well be using loose toe clips. I'm sorry to want to be specific about this, but your furry Crocs example was perhaps a bit too extreme for me!