I apologize if both these items have been covered numerous times before. I did some searching, but did not find what I was looking for...

So I really, really want to go clipless, but don't know where to begin. I commute about 8 miles to and from work on a GT Chucker 1.0. (http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/...-jump-bike.jpg). Not necessarily an ideal bike for how I use it, but a friend of mine had it laying in their garage and gave it to me.

While I have not used this beefy mountain bike to do any mountain biking, I do live very close to a highly regarded mountain bike course and I do fully intend to check it out and hopefully make lots of use of it.

I've been looking at the various clipless pedals and shoes, and I'm overwhelmed. My budget for this is limited and I want to make sure that whatever I purchase will be pedals/shoes that I will be able to stick with for a while. I'm bouncing between the dual purpose pedals that have clips on one side and platforms on the other or the crank brothers eggbeaters.

First question:

Can anyone recommend a good pedal/shoe combo for a first time clipless user. If I can keep it under $150 that would be swell.

Second question:

Some pals and I are planning a 30 mile ride Sunday and I was thinking about trying to pick up pedals and shoes prior to this ride. I won't have much time to get used to the setup prior to the ride. Is a 30 mile casual ride on a bike path a good way to break in / get used to this setup, or am I setting myself up for problems? Just not sure how much adjusting and fooling around is required for these things.

Thanks for your advice!