Shimano M540 SPD or Eggbeater pedals or Candy SL
 

I'm thinking about one of these two however I have a few questions, and I only use them for road bike. I tried the Look Keo but rule it out since I had a hard time adjusting to trying to unclip and especially clip back on while starting pedaling and this is just me...so please don't misunderstand that I am putting it down.

1. Which one is easiest to unclip, M540 SPD or Eggbeater or Candy SL? That is one of the important ones for me since I've never used clipless pedals before.
2. When using the Eggbeater, does it hurt your feet when you have to stand up and power the bike uphills?
3. What about the CrankBrothers Candy SL ? Is it as easy to unclip as the other two?
4. Which one is the lightest?

Thanks to all those who will reply.

Oh, I forgot to mention the Shimano Multi-directional release cleats...does it work better when unclipping when used with the Shimano M540 SPD than Eggbeater or Candy SL?

Thanks again.

Eggbeaters

The candy SL is really really easy to clip in/out of for a beginner.

eggbeaters or candy for beginners.

some other good choices for SPD style are TIME ATACs and Bebop by VP components.

recent crank brothers pedals have a slight quality issue, like unusual clicking and squeaking noises

What about the new multi-directional cleats for the Shimano SPD?

I've used all three;

1. Depends. CB pedals has much less resistance when you rotate your heal to unclip but the angel of rotation is more. 15 or 20 degrees vs. ~13 degrees. Clipping into CB Egg beaters are much easier. Stomp and Go. The Shimano pedals & Candy essentially have 2 directions to clip in.

2. No. The cleat rests on the pedal body so your shoe doesnt rest on the pedal bails. If you have a soft sole shoe, you may get a "hot spot" over long rides due to the concentrated presure ove one area. However, this is true for all SPD MTB type pedal with soft sole shoes.

3. Candy are as easy to unclip as Egg Beaters, just isnt' as easy to get in. Candy's are supposed to provide a little bit of a platform to pedal while unclipped. However, the platform is so small that it is vitually useless. If you want a CB pedal witha platform, Acid or Quattro are better.

4. Egg Beater

EDIT: BTW. Because the SPD Multi cleats are designed to release very easily, you may find that these cleats occasionally release unintentionally.

The crank brothers Mallets are good about that too. I use them on my commuter because the platform is so large that you can use them without cleats or cycling shoes if you want. They are, however, HUGE and made out of like, pig iron or something, so if weight is a major consideration to you, you're better off looking elsewhere.

In the original post, I'd go with the Candies. I've got them on my not-commuter bike, and they work very well.