Clipless vs flat pedals
So after years of road riding I am thinking of taking up cross country / mountain bike riding during the winters. I am starting to look at getting a bike and this has me thinking of pedals.
What's the thinking around pedals? Road riding, everyone pretty much has clipless pedals. But on the mountain bikes I see a good mix of flats vs clipless. On the one hand as I'm new to mountain biking, I can see the need to be able to touch the ground quickly if I am going to bite it. But on the other hand coming from a roadie background, I like the idea of clipless.
What are some of the thoughts/ideas/preferences?
Thank you.