Time for Pedals and shoes, how to start?????

I am 210 and use Shimano MTB Shoes and Crank Brothers eggbeater pedals on road and Mtn bike.

For me the shoe is the important factor. I like comfort when walking and riding. MB shoes are best for me. I can always modify them to make a TRI shoe for faster transition times if needed.

To continue with shoes and pedals you can go for recessed or non-recessed. Non-recessed is geared toward road/TT bikes. Whereas recessed, allows you to walk naturally,  are geared towards MTB.

Brand....the majority on the market are all good.

Float is basically 'give'. It allows your foot to move side to side a few degrees.

You will pay more for lighter pedals. Look at the weight difference and decide.

Some LBS's will let you try different pedals on your bike.

Once again, for me it is about the shoe first and pedals last.

Here is a link to a quick read pedal article

http://www.chainreaction.com/pedalfaq.htm 

Good luck 

separate pedals - no.  Shoes - yes (sort of)

 You can have the same type of pedals on any bike, and use different brands as long as the cleat style is compatible.  For example I have SPD's, most shoe brands will accept their cleat style and therefore can use them on both.  (SPD pedals on both bikes and 1 pair of shoes)

The shoes however are a different story.  Tri shoes and cycling shoes are made to be kept on the bike 99.9% of the time where as MTB shoes are designed w/ the idea that you will be off the bike from time to time and need to walk.  Therefore MTB shoes have a tread that protects the cleat and are more comfortable to walk in where as cycling shoes are uncomfortable to walk and/or run in them and you'll do more damage to your cleat at the same time.

I'm still new to triathlons so I dont feel that comfortable yet putting my shoes on while riding, taking them off ok, but not putting them on.  So for my first and only pair of shoes, I went w/ a MTB shoe so I can run w/ on to get to the mount line and not have the 'clank' of the cleat like you do w/ cycling shoes.  In a year or two, Ill probably change to a cycling/tri shoe always attached at the pedals and then I'll just use my current shoes for MTB alone.   But for now, I wanted a pair of shoes that I could use for both road and MTB

So my .02 - if you are going to get only 1 pair of shoes for MTB and tri's, get a MTB shoe w/ velcro straps.  I bought lower end Lakes. They're light, have good tread for walking/running  but and a stiff sole like cycling shoes, almost a hybrid. 

I'm a big Speedplay fan, but you'll have to make sure you get the adapter for most shoes so the cleats will fit, and that does add a little bit of height to the cleat when it's all said and done. (The adapter should come with the pedals and cleats, but ask to make sure if you go that route.)

Most pedals will say if there's a weight limit (the titanium Speedplays I want say 185 lb max rider weight, for example, and I'm 195 or so...).

I really like the Specialized shoes I have, but if I was buying new, I'd definitely get the tri-specific one with a single strap instead of the 3 I have now.  If you do spin classes someplace where you don't take your own bike, most of the spin bikes at the gyms have SPD style pedals - they seem to be the most common and are pretty easy to learn to use if you're new to clipless.

Having said all that, I still like the Speedplays the best. 

It all depends on  a couple of other factors.

Do you plan to use the bike "just" for triathlon and training rides? No touring or errand running? Do you have (or expect to get) a mountain bike? And if so, do you want to run two sets of shoes?

When I first got into tri, I used Looks (Speedplays weren't on the market at that time, and Time was the alternative). I was pretty happy with them overall.  Then when I stopped racing and started to do more touring, I switched to SPD's, so I could use a recessed cleat for walking around. When I added the mtn bike, I used SPD's on both bikes.  Then this year, when I started to race again, I put Looks on my racing bike.

Carbon is not really necessary.  The price you pay for the weight you save is usually minimal. 

Some people prefer Speedplays (or for mtn bike and touring use, eggbeaters) because they are easier to clip in (being double sided).

If you are only going to use one shoe for both mtn bike and road bike, go with a mtn bike shoe and pedal system, since you really can't use road shoes/tri shoes easily on singletrack.  Also the cleats on the shoe would be different, so unless you want to swap out the cleat each time you swap bikes, you either need one system (shoes and pedals) or two.  BTW, the brand of shoe is not really relevant for the brand of pedal. But most mtn bike shoes are not really drilled for Look. I'm not sure if you can run Speedplays on them.