Originally Posted by
Big Lew
I'm the same as you in that I use the pedal with the clip on one side and a standard platform on the other. I agree that the issue is primarily learning to anticipate stopping and to remember to twist your foot off the pedal, but during that learning curve it's best to use the standard platform while riding with and alongside heavy traffic, especially trucks and buses. As a former commercial truck driver for 46 years driving mainly on congested streets in highly populated areas I've seen many near misses and a few tragic incidents where a cyclist has fallen toward or into traffic because they didn't unclip in time when they stopped.
I can't disagree with that. I've seen cyclists fall over on a MUP because they lost focus. This is the reason I bought single-sided SPD pedals. When I come into a downtown area looking for food, and there are stop signs, red lights, and traffic to contend with, I unclip completely and flip over to the flat side of my pedals. I couldn't safely do that with my toe clips because they would drag the ground on uneven road surfaces. Actually, the best thing that can happen to someone new to clipless is to fall over in front of a bunch of roadies (preferably in a parking lot). That's an embarrassing lesson that will never be forgotten.....of course I would never admit to this happening to me
