Originally Posted by Mountain Mitch

Going clipless is really a matter of taste. Except for pros, the studies show almost no actual mechanical advantage. But some people just like the feel of being clipped in.

However, there’s a big difference between being clipped in while road riding, which is fairly benign, and being clipped in while (seriously) mountain biking, where things can very quickly go serious wrong. I have known a few mountain bikers, mostly in the expert class, who successfully use clipless. Yet even most of those are returning to platforms.