Back in the old days (i.e., pre-1980), toe-clips and straps were the recommended type of pedal accessory. The advantage was that your foot fit into the pedal at the right spot. Without the clip, there was a tendancy to hook the forward part of your shoe against the back of the pedal so that your foot was too far forward.

Toe-clips and straps were used on many "race bikes" in the '60s, but not for the average cyclist. Many people felt trapped by the tight straps and just used the clips without the straps. However, the advertising etc. recommended the use of both to increase power by 10% from the foot that pulled up (as well as consistent foot placement on the pedal).

It was usually recommended to leave the strap loose while riding in the city, but out in the country (i.e., open road) you reach down and pull on the strap to snug in the foot. As you approach the city again, you would reach down and loosen the strap so you could easily remove your foot when you had to stop. It just took a little forethought. Personally, I never really had a problem in securing or unsecuring the strap.

I recently (Nov. 2/02) rode 200 km in -12C temp with clips and straps with no problems. However, I was urged to switch to spd clipless for the coming year. My new Trek has clipless pedals. So I bought some new shoes and a set of clipless which I have mounted on the bike attached to my wind trainer. I wanted to practice with them before I hit the road (so I don't actually HIT the road!).

I like the clipless because my cadence has increased by about 20%. I hope that equates to a good improvement on the road.