Originally Posted by
PlanoFuji
Nearly everyone who rides clip less will admit to at least one fall when learning to use them. It is just something to accept if you plan on trying them.
For touring in particular, clip less has some disadvantages. Notably, you need 'special' shoes for the bike and these shoes are never ideal for off bike use, though they can be made use of with a compromise in comfort.
For touring style riding, in particular, good platform pedals are perfectly acceptable and have little (to none) difference in pedalling 'efficiency'. If you want to compromise then a good platform pedal (I am partial to the MKS GR-10) with half clips (no straps) provide a good compromise and much of the advantage of a clip or clipless system.
More importantly, none of the possible pedal styles will make a bit of difference in your long term average speeds, distances, etc... And for touring, being able to have a single pair of shoes that are comfortable and work well on and off the bike are a worthy consideration.
The nastiest fall I ever had was with toe clips and straps. That was back in the 90s. Clipless was still fairly new, to me at least, so I put toeclips and straps on my hybrid. I slowed down by some railroad tracks, then my feet got stuck as I was slowing down. I tried to reach down to loosen the straps, but it was too late, and I went down hard, right on the railroad tracks. I only had one fall with clipless, and it wasn't nearly as bad as that fall with toeclips.