I used to ride Crank Bros Candy C's, and recently switched to Shmano PD-A600's. The Crank Bros. pedals are fine, but I prefer the Shimano. Crank Bros. pedals have too much float for my taste, at least for onroad use. The PD-A600s are single sided and maybe not the best choice for someone new to clipless. I do like having recessed cleats and rubber treaded shoes, it's nice to know that when you put your feet down, you'll get traction.

When I first got my clipless pedals, a friend told me that I'd fall over three times. He was right. My message to anyone just starting with clipless pedals is that you don't have to. First rule: If there's any chance you'll need to stop, unclip. Besides, you need the practice. My first fall happened when I came up behind a car at a stop sign that decide to stop for about 15 seconds. I didn't think I'd need to unclip, so I didn't. The rest is history.

Second rule: If you're approaching a stop on a hill, unclip well before you need to and pedal the remaining distance on the other side of the pedal, if your pedals are double sided, or on your instep if they're not. Don't have an anecdote here, but the second time I fell was chugging up a hill and dropped the chain. I couldn't get out in time.

Third rule: as you're coming to a stop, make a slight turn in the direction of your released foot. That guarantees that you'll lean to the correct side. The last time I fell I was coming down the driveway, one foot unclipped and a newspaper in my hand. I cam to a stop and promptly fell to the side that had the newspaper, which was not the unclipped side.

Haven't fallen since.

I'll take the pedals if you still have them. Unfortunately, I cannot PM you because I don't have enough posts. Please let me know how to circumvent this.

I've had really good luck with the Shimano 324s - they are heavy, but very stable with shoes.