My wife and I ride Eggbeaters. They have four-sided entry so you don't even have to look down to clip in. MTB shoes are great because you walk around freely in them just like regular shoes instead of waddling like a duck. That means you can walk on your hardwood floors, into coffee shoppes etc. The power transfer loss thing makes no sense because you are directly, mechanically coupled to the bike just like any other clipless pedals. Some people say that the platform on the non-mtb pedals gives you better support but others say that if you buy shoes with stiff soles this it's a push, which makes sense to me. How much power can a recreational rider lose?