Originally Posted by
Trakhak
Clipless pedals (and other forms of foot retention) are a "crutch" for bike riders in the same sense that shoes are a crutch for walkers and runners (and bike riders). Walk or run or ride enough while barefoot, and you won't need shoes.
The earlier suggestion that clipless pedals represent a "crutch," suitable only for saving inexpert riders from their own ineptitude, rang a faint bell. Finally I remembered. Excelsior!