Originally Posted by
TiHabanero
Last year I switched from clipless to flat pedals on my long distance commuter bike. It was great up until fall when my knees started to ache in a severe way. Changed back to clipless and the pain went away on the first ride.
Still use flats on the short distance commuter/errand bike, but for anything beyond 10 miles round trip it is clipless.
I literally ride hundreds of miles on flats with no knee problems. What you post kind of confirms what I thought-- if you are going to have problems, you'll know it. Things involving the feet and legs are generally not subtle.
clipless works better for your knees, while the way my feet work, not being able to move them around would be disastrous.
oP seems to have found a clear preference, but shouldn't worry about whether the cool kids would approve.