I just bought a road bike and pedals, and the first few days I was doing great with them. As someone above said, once you start getting good at them you stop thinking about unclipping. I just bought the 2011 Tarmac SL2 and was testing out the brakes. I didn't know them very well and couldn't clip out to slow down fast enough, so I ran into some thorny bushes. I was't hurt(a few small scratches), but it was definitely an experience to remember.