Clipless Pedal Suggestions Needed

Crank Brother's Quattro road pedals fit your criteria:

Double sided (they actually have 4 points of entry, making them VERY beginner friendly), spring-tensioned, knee-saving float, and you can run in the shoes, as the cleats come with composite shoe adapters that recess the cleat slightly, giving you good traction. The cleats DO NOT clog with debris like Speedplays do, and they require NO routine maintenance like Speedplays do. They are available in several colours to match your bike or kit, if that matters to you.

New pedals in the SL series (stainless) can be had for around $65 and the cleats can be installed on shoes with 2-hole, 3-hole or universal mounting systems with the included universal adapters. Shoes can be found from $50 to $300+ depending on the features/frills.  

Sorry, I'm not sure what the universal cleat is for spin bikes; I'd be guessing SPD's. 

I currently have SPD equipped shimano MO75 MTB shoes and they work fine with the Spin bikes in my gym. cheap and cheerful really. shoes were £50 and pedals £35 so I guess $100 and $65 in bucks. Shoes are easy to run in as well as the cleat is recessed in a rubber sole.

Only downside is they are no good if you want to leave them clipped on your pedals for fast T1 as entry is tricky.

An alternative if you can stretch to them is Shimano TR30 which will attach to SPD and have 3 hole pattern to attach to Look or other cleats if you upgraded your pedals later.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I am still overwhelmed with the options.

I am leaning towards the Shimano SPD PD-M520's and will look at the mountain bike shoes as an option so that I can walk in them.  I will have to find them locally because I have a horrible time getting shoes to fit on a normal day.   I like the fact that the pedals are not expensive but have good reviews and offer me a good starting point for clipless pedals.   I like that I can probably use the same shoes for spinning but will check with the Y to find out for sure.  The addition at the Y is scheduled to be finished in December so hopefully someone will know which bikes they have or will be ordering. 

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions.

I'd echo the Shimano M520's. I use them on my mountain bike and they're great because they have adjustable tension (for easy clipping in/out) and they're double sided. You should be able to find them for about $50 and the Shimano MO75 shoe is an entry-level mountain bike shoe that should be about $80. In my experience, Shimano shoes are *close* to size but you should try them on to make sure. Mountain bike shoes are great in that the cleat is recessed so you can walk in them (done it many times in the woods ) and they will probably work with the spin bikes at the gym.

The 520's do have a little float but not a lot. I use generic Look-style pedals (found them on ebay for $45 + shipping) on my road bike with a cleat that gives me 9* of float. I have issues with one leg and really like having the ability to move my foot around.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I bought the shimano spd pd-m520's yesterday at REI for $50 and found Specialized Spirita road shoes at the LBS since they do run true to size.  I had to go with the road shoe though because I could not find any mountain shoes that would fit right.  With the European sizing, I am in between sizes on most shoes. 

I will  be sure to practice clipping in and out lots before heading out for a ride.  I will update you and let you know how I make out.