I don't know if they are easier or not for beginners, but I have Shimano SPD-SL pedals, which I switched to last year to have a wider base platform to be clipped into because I was getting hot spots/numbness on the bottom of my feet. Changing pedals helped some with that problem, but it also required changing shoes (and I went through 2 pairs before I finally broke down and spent the money on the Sidi's I should have bought to begin with, but didn't because they were $$$). My only knock on them compared to my old pedals is that they only have one side that you clip into (unlike my old pedals, which you could clip into on either side) and the side that you clip into always turns over when not clipped in, so that you have to always be turning the pedal over to clip into it. I don't think that's a big deal and you get used to it, but it was a definite difference to start out with.