For non experience riders or newbies, I always recommend MTB pedals and MTB shoes. They are double sided. Shimano SPD's and clones are very easy to get in to and reasonably easy to get out of. They are like cutting Italian bread with a serrated knife, relatively easy. Crank Brothers pedals are just a hair easier to get into but may be a little more difficult to line up the cleats with the pedals than SPDs for a newbie. However, they are much easier to get out of, like cutting butter with a knife on a 100 degree day. You can use MTB or road shoes with Crank Brothers pedals but road shoes are harder to clip in with than MTB shoes.