Originally Posted by
dippitydoo
I ask because people told me that a large reason you go for clipless is because you use your energy more EFFICIENTLY***, that you are using energy both pushing down and now pulling up.
A common fallacy. Being clipped in is more comfortable but has no effect on efficiency. You're still doing exactly the same amount of work, except clipless allows you to distribute the work a little differently and ever so slightly reduce the peak force applied to the pedal. But it isn't more efficient and I wouldn't expect an improvement in performance.
When you're riding at a steady pace and not sprinting there's little difference between riding on platforms and being clipped in. When sprinting or standing up on a steep hill or starting from a stop clipless allows one to apply more power but not for any length of time.