Ok... here's my take... first off, the PowerGrips can be adjusted. You have the say in how much grip you get when your foot is "properly" oriented for you. It sounds very much like you have yours on the tight side. I like mine snug, almost to the point of hurting, but only almost. I am using decent bike shoes though, they have a lot of material at the sole but also the uppers at the points where the PowerGrips are putting the most pressure. Next, standard toe clips and straps. I use these as well on some bikes. The straps are never tightened and the clips should never need to be bent to accomodate any unique foot placement you might want to come up with. Even with untightened toe straps you can get some power into the up-stroke. These are really your best options. I ride in a fairly large club. I've never used clipless but a lot of them have. They seem to cause more problems than they cure. I got my PowerGrips because I really live on a shoestring budget. Sheer frugality made me opt for paying just for the grips and Shimano MTB41's vs SPD shoes/cleats and pedals. But even with all the float that can be found in some pedals people still complain about them. People with no real bio-mechanical issues. I'm seeing more and more PowerGrips showing up at our club rides ever since I told them that REI sells them.

H