Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 19,810
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From: NJ, NYC, LI
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Fascinating thread!
Please consider this statement: Cycling accessories, such as foot retention systems, signal membership to a certain group of cyclists, and people chose them / avoid them more for this reason than for reasons of pragmatism.
If you're having trouble shifting on the hill, consider an internally geared hub. The advantages are many, the disadvantages are few.
Foot retention systems offer many advantages, and if you actually take advantage from them, you might want them. I gave up on them about three years ago, after which I went through a period of withdrawal during which I missed the ability to bunny hop over things... but I soon realized/rationalized my bunnyhopping was more stunt than necessity.