Despite what less demanding riders might think, being clipped in IS NOT always best. Rain, cold, and lack of maintenance gum up the spring mechanism which transforms "confidence" in being able to unclip into "false confidence". It's not a lack of unclipping being second nature that's the problem, but the nature of the beast itself. It's also a fact that no matter how great one's skills are, unclipping will never be as fast or easy as simply removing feet from pedals and these micro delays and fatigues start to add up in situations which require more foot removals than actual pedal revolutions (such as filtering/crawling through heavy traffic), especially when compounded by the imperfect mechanical operation of the clipless mechanism.

Full platform pedals with platform shoes aren't an option because platforms aren't always best either. For example after averaging 15 mph over 30 miles of potholes and heavy urban traffic even the effort of keeping one's feet on the pedals becomes significant from which foot retention provides relief. This is really the only benefit to being clipped in as studies show that foot retention doesn't actually produce more power.


I considered powergrips, but my concern is that they won't work well with sandals, which I find indespensible in winter due to their ability to accommodate adjustable layers of socks. Do you guys think powergrips will hurt the tops of my feet with sandals? Do you think noncycling sandals would be stiff enough so I can use regular cage pedals or would I need to use pedals with pins to provide sufficient grip for my Shimano sandals?