I've got those shimano pedals you mentioned on two of my bikes, and I like them -- don't know from anything else, but they've worked well for me from the beginning of my "clipless life."

The second set I bought weren't in the package, I think maybe someone had tried them and not liked them. That was okay with me -- a little cheaper, y'know? That set came with a pair of clip in platforms for those non-clipped days.

As mentioned, it's not all that delightful to have the two sided thing going on, cuz, yeah, they're never the direction I want them to be. When I want flat, they're on the other side, when I want to clip in, they're the other way. I haven't used them much in the three years or so that I've had this pair of pedals. I put them on my "grocery bike" pedals this year because I anticipate lots of neighborhood riding with my grandkids this summer. I'm finding that sometimes it's half a pedal stroke and I'm off the bike again to pick someone up, wait for him to catch up, or fix some sort of technical issue, making the good shoes and efficient pedaling pretty much not worth doing, y'know?

Karen in Boise