Originally Posted by
LuckySailor
The junior member OP, simply asked to use clipless or not and why. Snide comments about imagining the miles of past trips doesn't meet the OP's needs, and therefore are necessary. However, you could PM me and we could take it up privately-but that is really unnecessary since you have experience of what works for you and not an open mind. Good by me.
One thing is for sure around here- Opinions are like butt holes. We all have them, and they all stink.
Until the OP uses clipless for a period of time, or tries cages, to gain a better understanding of what works well for him/her, under different weather conditions, on different terrains, he will never have "expertise" to make the decision on his own, which is why the original question.
When I toured across Canada, there were 13 of us. Up to the Arctic there was 9. One guy in our group used cages on both tours, one guy used flats on Tour Arctic, the rest used clipless, and all of them used road shoes. I was the exception that had mountain biking shoes. The reason that I went with the shoes I did, was because my right leg is 3/4" shorter than the left. Since all of their shoes are custom made, D2 was able and willing to make my right shoe with the proper lift that I needed. Yes, they cost a boatload, but they are so incredibly comfortable, and natural to walk in. I made the decision to buy those shoes with NO experience with any other cycling shoes, just the knowledge that I need to be level on both sides or it throws my back out, and on a tour, getting to a chiropractor is rarely an option. With my size 14 feet, carrying an extra pair of walking shoes that are properly outfitted was not an option due to weight and bulkiness. On my very first tour nearly 30 years ago, I used cages. I have no memory of what I thought of them to be able to compare, although I gave them a thought for my most recent tours. The same friend that suggested to use flats on the Dempster, suggested going clipless across Canada, and so I stuck with that because it worked well for me, and I have no reason to change since that is what I am used to-just as those who have done trips and many miles with flats. Cheers!
See, I think this is a much better post than your earlier one. You explain why clipless works for YOU. In the first post you simply stated, "no power, extremely tiresome to use, slow going." I love hearing why something works better for someone than something else, but I weary of declarative statements. I use both clipless and platform, the latter for fat biking, commuting and touring.