Want to be true roady so want to buy first road shoes and road pedals. Before used Shimano 540 MTB on my road bike.
Road Shoes- Sidi Shot.
Please tell cons and pros of my choice between Shimano 105/Ultegra or Look KEO 2 MAX Carbon.
i am 110kg 194cm 260W
The only reason I use LOOK style pedals is because Shimano doesn’t offer theirs with a power meter. Shimano pedals are better if you’re not after power. Wider platform, cleats easier to walk in and wear way longer.
The LOOK make more of a pronounced click when clipping in and out, that’s about the only “advantage”
I know.
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i have leftcrank powermeter and do not walk a lot in shoes. only to buy coffee ( 2-10 meters)
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I would still get Shimano in every circumstance unless you want power pedals because then you have no choice.
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I somewhat favour Shimano. The cleats have a bit of rubber on them for extra grip on those few meters out of the front door. Also shimano pedals are reportedly quite bulletproof. Although I’m not sure if either pedal would really wear out.
When I still had look pedals I once bought the wrong cleats, because they have (or had 
) two different, incompatible styles. But obviously that was my own stupidity.
To be honest I’m not sure if there is a big difference between either pedal system.
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Shimano 105 or Ultegra?
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I have 105 pedals. As far as I can tell there is barely a difference between 105 and ultegra. They seem to use the same carbon body and I think the only difference is Ultegra using a different steel alloy for the axel, saving 18g. Depends on you if you think that’s worth the extra 25 bucks or so.
oh just be sure it’s the latest r7000/r8000 version… there are still a lot of the cheaper old r5800 on the market. They have a steel body as opposed to carbon, which obviously adds quite a bit of weight.
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I used to use a Favero power meter which meant Look cleats. The floor at the local coffee shop is concrete. I damn near kill myself trying to walk on that in Look cleats. As soon as I got my new bike with a built in power meter, I went right back to Shimano. The Looks are on the tri bike which I don’t ride much and when I do, the shoes usually stay on the bike!
I freaking HATE look cleats!!!
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They only work on rough surfaces, barely. Walking across bridges with that synthetic wood board is near suicide as are coffee shops and damp surfaces and tile.
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My first road pedal was the Assioma which is Xpedo/Look. I never really had any issues with them(I also had no comparison at the time), or the cleats, but through some changes I ended up selling them and switching to a Power2Max power meter. When I did, I bought the Xpedo pedals the Assioma’s were based on because, well, I had no complaints. I found the Xpedo’s were actually easier to clip into for some reason, but I started having major issues with blowing out the pedal in sprints(something the Assioma never did). I tightened them all the way, and even tried a second set, but the problem remained.
So I switched to the Shimano Ultegra pedals not expecting to notice much difference really, but I’m actually really surprised how much better they feel. The platform is more stable, they are easier to get into, and they have yet to fail me in a sprint. I don’t walk a lot in mine either, but when I do they are way less treacherous than the Xpedo cleats were.
If anyone wants a deal on 2 sets of nearly new Xpedo’s Thrust NSX pedals hit me up 
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I’ve used both, and to second what most people seem to say on here, the Shimano are better. It’s yet another example of Shimano stuff that isn’t terribly sexy, but it just works, works well, and is usually sensibly priced.
However, I still think that power pedals are a great investment, and that limits you to Look/Xpedo.
You pays your money and you takes your choice 
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I’ve found the Xpedo cleats work well, but the Look cleats. Have almost slipped over so many times.
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I’ve been using the same Look Keo Max 2 pedals for eight years with zero maintenance and zero problems. I like them so much I just bought another set this weekend from a sponsored cyclist who wasn’t using them so I can stop having to swap them between my road and trainer bike.
I’ve had both, the Shimano cleats wear much better and you won’t slip and slide walking to the cafe, get the Shimanos. I run Time MTB pedals, so it’s not as if i’m wedded to Shimano.
I’ve got Look cleats for my TT bike which has Be Pro S pedals but I wouldn’t have chosen Look if I could have chosen a power meter pedal without. I’ve seen Look pedals fail a few times where the the pedal body comes away from the spindle. The last time the exposed spindle made a nasty mess of my mates leg.
I’ve been running various pairs of shimanos for years, and never had any issues, never even had to grease a bearing. The engagement is good, and can be adjusted. There are 3 different levels of float cleats available, and you can get cheap cleats online (or knockoffs for use inside on the trainer if you’re really trying to save money).
I’m running dura-ace 9000 now. I paid maybe $175, but I think they’re more like $150 if you shop around (I know I saw them last year for $150 new). Probably close to $100 if getting pretty new used ones (see the screenshot below from ebay from a google search).
Honestly, I don’t know what more I could want in a pedal. Maybe I could save a little weight with other brands, but these Shimano’s are bulletproof. I’ve only changed pedals when I sold my ultegra 6500 to run used dura-ace 7800 ($15 on ebay) which I eventually changed to 9000’s to get the wider platform. That has been 16 years of road cycling, maybe 17.
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Noone mentioning Speedplay? I would use them or give them a try at least, but I have the Assioma as well so until I have a different PowerMeter i don’thave options
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Look user here, due to having Assiomas on one bike. I’ve not had any complaints, though agree walking requires holds up finger constant vigilance!
Currently debating whether I switch to Shimano or stick with Look, and I’ve seen some complain of rocking in their Look pedals, for example the Blade Carbon. Has anyone experienced this? Is it a tolerance issue or a design flaw? Would be surprised if it’s designed in, but enough have mentioned it that I’m worried about dropping money on pedals that won’t hold my foot securely…