Originally Posted by
acidfast7
I understand that this splits both ways which are encapsulated here but I want minimum overhead when I commute and I don't like having a second set of clothes/shoes. I want to look stylish when I get off the bike to buy a coffee to get back on the bike. I also want to park the bike and go directly into the hall to deliver a lecture.
P.S. Here's another flats vs clipless experiment I ran across:
https://www.roadbikereview.com/revie...ls-on-the-road
The debate reminds me of the manual transmission vs automatic transmission debates with cars. Some people find extra effort with extra complexity rewarding. They feel more directly connected to the car/bike. But others prefer the simpler and more brainless automatic transmission. I prefer the auto transmission as I just want to get where I'm going with minimum extra work. I like biking, but the less work needed to go biking the better for me. With flats because I feel like I'm a person separate from the bike, I get on the bike to get where I'm going, then I get off it and walk directly inside. With clipless I'm like "well I biked here, so let's take a minute at each end to change shoes, etc".
I do like the improvements that better flat shoes/pedals have made in keeping a solid grip on the pedal. You've probably seen them but Five Ten makes an office-fashion pair of shoes:
https://www.adidasoutdoor.com/five-ten-district-flats-mountain-bike-shoe/FT86.html?dwvar_FT86_color=Black&cgid=fiveten-men-bike-shoes
They make some more casual shoes to:
https://www.adidasoutdoor.com/five-ten-sleuth-mountain-bike-shoe/FT29.html?dwvar_FT29_color=Black&cgid=fiveten-men-bike-shoes
In early 2019 they're adding another style:
https://enduro-mtb.com/en/five-ten-k...oa-sleuth-dlx/
