Hi all, I've never used clipless pedals before, but I am certainly starting to see they can have advantages on longer rides. I'm kind of adverse to the idea of rat-traps or cages, they just seem hard to get out of. Of course there are all manner of clipless pedal systems out there now, so as someone who's never used them before, what should I look for?

Here are my criteria:
-Good system for a newbie to learn with
-comfortable/safe for long rides
-reasonable price ($75 or under preferably, not including shoes of course)

I'm not terribly concerned about weight, I'm not a racer, nor are these going on a race bike, I ride more for exercise, fun or transportation. Also, these pedals would be going on the nice "weekend ride" bike not the every day commuter, so I'm not terribly interested in dual purpose platform/clipless systems, unless anyone thinks they are great (in which case, please say so).

pedals that seem to be popular at a reasonable price:
shimano spd system
crank brothers egg beaters
spd-sl (larger platforms, well these style: http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-570...7615664&sr=1-4 )

if anyone could comment on these systems, or have other suggestions, I would be glad to here them! What do you use? Do you like them? Where do you go? How do you ride? ect. Thanks for the advice!