Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
This will probably sound elitist, but I think clipless pedals are somewhat like jazz music -- if you depend on someone else to explain it for you, you won't get it. The habit of clicking out as you approach a stop is easy to acquire (watch
1nterceptor's excellent videos), and wipeouts are pretty darned rare after that point (you successfully learned how to stay balanced when mounting, riding, and dismounting a bike, right?) Clipless pedals aren't just for racers, they're for anyone who wants a solid but easy-to-cancel connection to their pedals. Try 'em out sometime!
I actually have Look KEO pedals on my road racing bike, and do ride that in traffic on occasion. That is mostly with my cycling club where I feel safer since I am in the group, in the early morning with less cars and on streets in the burbs away from Chicago traffic. It's my commuter hybrid that has platform pedals. I sometimes only ride that bike for a short distance, and it might be unnecessary to be clipped in, although I am aware that I can get MTB pedals and shoes that I am able to walk in.