Originally Posted by
seypat
Well, if the OP does decide to get clipped in let's suggest ways to do it. Don't go out and invest in nice equipment starting out. invest after you've decided it's for you. Find the cheapest SPD shoes you can. That could be used from someone in your area. I wnet to REI and found a returned pair with a broken lace hole for $30. Same for pedals. Find a pair of 2 sided pedals with SPD on one side and flat on the other. Ride with one foot clipped in and the other not. Switch feet. Repeat. Clip both in, or not. After a couple of weeks, you'll figure it out. Then go out and get some better equipment, or not.
A lot of wisdom here. Another suggestion - to get a taste of the various systems for modest bucks - try the Exustar copies of the various pedals. Exustar is a Taiwanese (I believe) company that makes compatible parts to systems past their patents. Usually for bike manufacturers and retailers under their names. Performance had their Forte pedals compatible with the LOOK Delta cleats. (Same pedals could be found at Nashbar and probably a few other sources.) Decent pedals, Not great. Not sure they are worth re-building. (I won't. I tend to ignore pedals until there are issues. With toeclips and straps, the issues are so visible and easy to address that this works just fine. But with clipless, that un-planned pull out could be a crash. So I just use these cheaper pedals for say 10,000 miles then spend the not so big bucks and put on another pair. If I paid the bucks for the real deal, they might stay on my bike forever, like the Campy NRs I put on my Mooney. (At 38,000 miles I changed pedal systems. Did the bearings once.) So for me, the Exustar (Performance pedals work great. Still have a pair or two in boxes. I'm guessing that the Exustars will be near extinct when those die and I'll have to decide what system is next.