Originally Posted by
AdamDZ
See, I have no problems with balance. I can nearly do a trackstand on my commuter often long enough to wait for a light change but if I was clipped in, I would never attempt that, I'd unclip and put my feet down, I would be afraid to fall.
It's not the fall itself that I'm afraid off. But it's falling sideways in front of passing truck or bus that scares me. I may still go back to SPDs for cross country riding or weekend rides on calm roads. But in the city I'd never attempt riding with clipless. Most of the time I'm riding in a 3 feet wide corridor with cars parked on one side and traffic within an arm reach on the other side. All it takes is a zombie coming out from between parked cars, I don't have the comfort of planning my stops so I can unclip ahead of the time.
Adam
I think people can be quite adept at releasing themselves from clipless pedals when necessary, - to the point where it's pretty much reflex. The larger question is whether the advantage of clipless pedals make it worth the expense and effort of getting to that point.
The answer isn't the same for everybody. If all I did was commute I probably wouldn't bother with them, but I've grown accustomed to having foot retention. There's been been at least one instance that having my feet attached probably saved me from a fall, or at minimum looking stupid. There was another time (pre-clipless) that partially slipping off the pedals while doing a standing climb caused an unpleasant encounter between crotch and top tube. I didn't fall but... ouch. Granted, it was a rather clumsy act that largely lead to my slipping, but still.