So much of it is about personal preference.... I love my speedplays. I grew up with toe clips... flip the pedal over to put your foot in.... My speedplays are double sided - I don't think I'd ever go back to a single sided pedal like a look, but that's me. Other people love their looks.

What cassette comes on each of the models you are looking at? I would guess the difference isn't huge. Try what's on the bike and if you are experiencing problems then change it. (Now we are only talking about the rear gears here.... changing the *cranks*[front gearing] from say a standard to a compact or to a triple is a whole different proposition, and is expensive)