I'm all for clipless for any serious riding or covering distance. Late to converting to Look style cleats. Was a clips/straps user for the longest time. I was proficient enough with them to not feel the need to switch. But clipless is superior in safety and comfort as Bikeshearer pointed out. You just can't wear regular shoes when you want to.
But I have enough bikes to equip them for a variety of rides and pick the bike that is most appropriate. I have bikes with pedals/clips/straps for utility/comfort duty where I will be walking. Platform pedals too. The road bikes are for the majority set up with LOOK Delta spec clipless. I have 3 pairs of LOOK spanning the years from the original Delta to ARC, and 3 pairs of Shimano, 105, 6400, Dura Ace. I also have SPD for the non-road bikes...Shimano, Ritchey, Tioga. I also find it too inconvenient to switch out pedals when one has too many rides. So I standardized around these two types, with 5 pairs of shoes (old to newer) set up accordingly.
On a few older bikes that don't come out regularly, I left them as they were....pedals/clips/straps. And keep a pair of shoes with traditional cleats.
My favorites in this category are:
Dura Ace 7400
105 (hidden axle version)
Suntour Sprint
Specialized (MKS) Touring
I'd like to find a more traditional, comfortable touring shoe, with the lateral ridges to catch the pedal cage. Today's cross training sneakers are too bulky to fit comfortably in clips and straps. Those of you old enough may remember the Avocet shoes of old.
Last edited by WNG; 02-01-12 at 04:38 AM.