Originally Posted by
Machka
This is the Touring forum ... not the Racing forum.
I like my dual-sided pedals because they allow me to ride clipped in if I want ... but I can also ride to the shops or the beach or somewhere wearing sandals at the end of the day if I want too.
I am too old to race. I liked the toe cages most of my life. And only went clipless in recent years. And to be
completely honest.... the reason I switched to clipless is because they look more appropriate with my spandex than do tennis shoes...
period.
It is rare I have ever needed (or used) the extra pulling power afforded by ether clips or clipless. Other than the occasional scary dog. And I've always believed that the best reason (other than racing) to use foot retention is to assure that my feet stay on the pedals.
But [like
Machka] I have a pair of campus (duel sided) pedals on my rain/trainer bike. So I can always just hop on the bike for a short spin while it's mounted on the trainer.... or grab it to ride down the road for a coffee after mowing the lawn (without changing).
But when I ride my old steel vintage bikes.... I like clips (and old fashion tennis shoes). Although I prefer the plastic modern clips. And I will generally wear mountain bike like shorts (with pockets) and built-in chamois. And a tee shirt with some kind of message on it. I think the outfit is reminiscent of the decades past.... except I always wear a helmet now-a-days.
Does this post sound like I am implying IMHO that much of the cycling equipment in use today is more fashion orientated than performance tested???? If it does... that's good
.