Originally Posted by cyccommute

Let's nip this "clipless is fashionable" stuff in the bud. I don't wear clipless shoes...or lycra or any other bicycle clothing...because of "fashion". I don't know anyone else that does so either. I don't wear them because I'm "racing" either. Most people who ride clipless aren't racing either. We wear them because they are functional. You can say that they don't give any boost when you pull up on the pedals but I can feel that boost when I get out of the saddle to beat a light or when I take off from a light or when I climb a hill on the way to (or from) work. Hopping a curb or lifting the bike over a pothole is much easier with clipless as well. And when I'm dropping down a hill at 30 mph, I feel much safer and more in control with my feet clipped to the pedals then without them.

Are then needed for a 4 mile commute? Depends on the commute. Not all 4 miles are the same. It's 4 miles from my house to downtown Denver and there is a 300 foot drop from my house to the Platte River. Most of that 300 feet happens in 1.5 miles and it's fairly easy to do 30 mph on all of it. I feel far more comfortable with my feet attached to the pedals at 30 mph than I would without. Bad things happen at that speed if you happen to slip off the pedal. It's also easier, by the way, to climb back up that 300 foot drop with clipless.