Originally Posted by guadzilla

True enough - which is why I said "near unanimous" Most people do like them.

It also depends on your pedaling style: if you tend to pedal full circles, pulling back at 6 and forwards at 12, having your feet clipped in helps a lot: you dont have to weight the pedals at 12 and 6 in order to keep your feet on the pedals and that reduces inefficiency. It also makes you feel more securely connected to the bike.

But you are correct - my comments were more in the context of riding fast/racing/etc. (ie, the full roadie experience). My commuter bike does have flat pedals on it, cos I couldnt be arsed putting on special footwear just to run errands. Similarly, for people who are riding for fitness, clipless is by no means essential.

How was your ride? What did you think?