Clipless pedals/shoes

I would buy my first pair of clipless shoes and pedals from a local bike shop. Same for the helmet. Proper fit is very important. Once you have taken a couple seasons to learn about bike equipment, then go online.

You want to spend money on a good pair of shoes that fits you well. They're supposed to be slightly snug, so fit becomes very exact, too lose and you slip as you pedal, too tight and you will have very sore and uncomfortable feet quickly, not exactly what you want to get a good long ride in…

As for pedals, I really prefer Speedplay simple because they're double sided, making it much easier to get in without having to look down. I can't tell you how many crashes I've seen because people look down trying to clip in. Speedplay makes a model called, Light Action, which are great beginner pedals.

One thing I wish I would have done was buy tri specific bike shoes. Last fall when I was purchasing my road bike, I was in sticker shock when the salesperson brought out the shoes...the tri specific shoes cost about 2x as much as the traditional road bike shoes. FYI - tri bike shoes have more ventilation, have sturdy loops in the heel to make putting shoes on easier leaving transition and have Velcro straps that face inward so easier to remove for transition.

My first tri I functioned fine with my current shoes, but transition would have gone smoother with tri specific bike shoes.

For pedals, I have Look pedals, and it was a learning curve clipping in/out of them that involved falling over a good half dozen times. I spent a good amount of time learning how to clip in without looking at the pedals so I could avoid crashing. I've never had Speedplay but I know people who really like them. It seems like a smaller learning curve with those pedals.