Another in the Must-Be-Clipped-In camp.

It took me a few rides to get my setup dialed in. (You can adjust your foot position based on how your cleat is installed) I had the dual sided for a long time, then realized I NEVER used the platform side. It was more of a pain for me starting from a stop to be sure the platform side was down. I took them off and went standard SPD.

The one thing I have not seen mentioned, and for me it is the deal breaker against platforms, is that being clipped in gives you consistent foot positioning. I have my cleats adjusted to the perfect position. I take off from a stop, get clipped in, and my feet are set just the way I like them. I didn't realize how big an advantage this was until I recently bought a mid 80's MTB that came from the flipper with 'pedal shaped objects' attached so I knew I had to buy decent pedals for it. Since it's very lightly used I just bought a cheap'ish pair of platforms for it. I HATE THEM. I can't seem to get my feet in the proper position consistently. It seems like I'm constantly looking for the 'sweet-spot'. I guess from some of the earlier posts, this is an advantage for some folks—it gives them the ability to move their foot around on the pedal. For me it's pure frustration. I want my foot to be in the same position relative to the pedal every time.