Originally Posted by
Canker
No you don't have to ride with clipless pedals. Just stick to the platforms for a while.
This.
I've been riding clipless for probably 15 years now, and I'm still not as confident on them as I am on platforms, so much so that I'm considering switching my 29er to platforms (my 26" already has them).
The ONLY advantage I've experienced from running clipless pedals is during long hill climbs you can get the full rotation of the pedal stroke.
Other than that...I don't see the point of them (which is odd when I consider that I have 3 pairs of Crank Bros Candy pedals around here...)