For my BiL and his first road bike (Olympic / TdF convert, hurrah!)

He’s ridden a mTB occasionally for a few years but always on flats and he wants to go for the road thing properly. I’ve never used road pedals, even when i had a road bike I always just used my MTB stuff so i have no idea what to suggest.

Needs to be cheap – he’s not rolling in it, but also easy to get to grips with as he has no MTB experience to fall back on.

Second question – do cleats come with pedals (when you buy them) or are they bought separately?

you can get shimano r540 pedals for 20 quid if you look around. They cone with cleats, as do most pedals.

lots of people get on fine with mtb clippy shoes and pedals.

the shoes often look more or less the same, but the cleats are recessed into the sole, so they’re easier to walk on – which is a nice little bonus that should help a newbie convert stick with something that will already feel weird enough.

mtb clippy shoes:

The cheaper Shimanos are good and the cleats last well. Look are light but getting very expensive and are fragile in th bearing depratment IME and the cleats wear very quickly. if you want look compatibility then the 25 quid Outland metal ones are very good IME – metal bodies, nicer bearings etc. Basically like the older aluminium Look Delta but works with newer Keo cleats.

Lots of road riders use Shimano SPD pedals which usually come with cleats. SPD 520s are £22. You would have to check if they includes cleats. They did with my SPD 540s which are a slightly higher spec.

People who prefer them tend to like the fact they can walk more easily in them.

The three point systems protrude through the sole of the shoe more but allow better power transfer.

I’ve ridden normal SPD’s since they came out but always on my MTB. Got a proper roadbike 6 weeks ago and stuck my XTRspd’s on and they were fine. I did however 3 weeks ago get some proper carbon soled proper 3 point SL whatever they are called, significantly better on a roadbike IMHO, but not a necessity.

stick to MTB pedals.

You will not realise the advantage of the ‘being able to walk’ thing until you have gone the road cleat route.

As soon as you start walking on the road cleats they will wear out very quickly even if it is the 10m from the garage to the road.

He doesn’t have either right now. his MTB has and always has had flats. His new roadbike came with POS clips and straps. So he’s starting from scratch, there’s no question of ‘sticking with’ anything.

Save the road pedals for when (if) he applies for a racing license.

Look are light but getting very expensive and are fragile in th bearing depratment IME and the cleats wear very quickly.

I’ve been riding some old 2nd hand Look Keo over winter and they’re fine with a little TLC. The cleats are not the sturdiest but I tend to take the shoes off as soon as I can and put them on at the last minute. If I’m having a stop where I want to walk around (i.e. train home), I have some cleat covers.

Decathlon also do some clipless pedals and shoes which seem quite cheap and are worth a look.

Asssuming he want s reasonably cheap pedal that is reliable and just works I would say he has 3 options:
Shimano M520 – basic, double sided MTB pedal. Cheap, very reliable, easy to get out and in, recessed cleat to aid walking. However, it has got a small surface so you may get hotspots.
Shimano A520 – Same mechanism as the above but single sided with a platform around the outside. This means less hotspots but potentially more difficult to get into as you need to find the right side of the pedal.
Shimano R520 (do you see a theme here?!) – The budget road pedal. Bigger platform means less hotspots and better power transfer. But they are single sided so may be more difficult to find the clip and the protruding cleats are a bugger to walk in.

I would suggest you/he decide where his priorities are, the R520 are the better road pedal but the other 2 may be more practical.

On the subject of Look cleats
http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/fibrax-to-introduce-revolutionary-cleat-at-cycle-show/013599