Originally Posted by MRT2

Clipless won't really make you much faster, but they help with foot retention and control of the bike. (and will make you feel like a real cyclist) Shimano SPD is what I use for myself, my wife, and my son. They are considered mountain bike pedals, but many people use them on hybrids and road bikes.

My wife and I both use the Shimano M-540 pedal. They are two sided pedals, meaning that both sides are clipless. My son uses the M-530 on his mountain bike. Also a two sided pedal, but with a slightly larger platform around the pedal.

Another possibility is to go with one sided, and a platform on the other side for casual riding without cycling shoes. I used to use the Shimano M324 and before that a Wellgo clone of the M324. Both are very good. The Wellgo is so robust that when my son hit a rock on his mountain bike using them, it bent the cage around the pedal but the clipless mechanism, the bearings, and the spindle were still fine and he was able to keep using them.