I rode with flat pedals for quite a few years, endured many a good shin bashing, then tried toe clips, theyre not bad but dont compare to cliples for me. I tried clipless for a while as well, i really liked the feeling of being one with the bike, and i could bunnyhop alot easier and higher. When i first started with them i just rode around on my street constantly unclipping and clipping in to get the feel, it was a long time ago but i dont remember taking any serious bails from them on the trails, i found them easy to clip out of on the fly if they were adjusted right. They definently provide more power in every stroke, but I went back to flat pedals because my mountain bike was my only bike and i didnt like having to wear specific shoes every time i rode any where in the city. I would say clipless pedals are the way to go for XC and most mountain biking, but i wouldnt want to be using them on a skinny.