Road Cycling - Another Clipless Question

I'm an old guy (47) who grew up on toe clips and never said goodbye to them...but now I'm finally thinking about it.
Here's my problem: this old guy's got a 7 year old and a 5 year old daughter, and every evening my wife, kids, and I go out for a jaunt around the neighborhood on our bikes. That means stopping my titanium road bike every hundred yards to help a child, talk to a neighbor, etc. And toe clips work great for that, but probably not so well for my daily pre-breakfast 20-miler.
Are there any clipless pedals that either work well with basically normal (walkable) shoes, or that have a removable platform I can use when I don't want to go with cleats? Any other suggestions? By the way, I'm an old rugby player with bad knees.
Thanks,
Mike

I sometimes do touring, wich means lots of stops with a group and walking around. For this I use a set of mountain bike pedals and shoes, on my road bike. They work just fine. Clipless pedals are easier to get into and out of your pedals than the old toe clips. They should be better for your knees as well.

What's this about being and old guy at 47? I know some 47 year old vets, who still finish in the bunch with some of the professionals....

MikeC,

Buy SPD pedals. These allow you to use mountain bike style shoes that come in all designs. These shoes will allow you to walk normally anywhere as the cleat is recessed in the shoe.

Mike,
Here is another suggestion. After you buy your choice of clipless pedals and shoes, there is another product you can get for those neighborhood jaunts! It called "InStep" Adaptors for SPD style pedals. They are a platform that will clip into your clipless pedals. They have built in Toe Clips so you can use ANY shoes. So when you are on your casual rides, you have all of the advantages of toe clips that you have grown to love. Then just clip the insteps off, and your ready to use your clipless pedals and shoes for all of their advantages! Best of both worlds. They sell for $29.99 a set. Hope this helps.

I bought a pair of Shimano 515 pedals and a pair of Specialized Mountain Sport shoes from D&Q in Cherry Hill, NJ. I got both for $85!!!
The pedal/shoe combination is great: I can twist out as easily as I could hope for, yet I've never lost a connection during normal pedaling motion.
I also love the idea of those InStep platforms, and will definitely get a pair.
Thanks again!

Just looking to see what the oldest thread was that I could bump. What is up with the Zombie threads?

In my experience, it's easier to stop and go as you describe on SPD clipless pedals than it is with unstrapped toe clips. I think your concern is unfounded, and I'm not even one of those clipless evangelists.

^I think he's probably got it by now 8+ years later.





Just looking to see what the oldest thread was that I could bump. What is up with the Zombie threads?

Seriously. There's been a bunch today.