Originally Posted by pasopia
After riding clipless exclusively for the last 4 years, I decided to give power grips and platforms a try. I really wanted to like it, but I just didn't. Even when I twisted my foot into the grips as tight as I could, my foot still lifted off the pedal a bit on a hard upstroke. I don't know how anybody rides brakeless with them, they feel way less secure than clipless to me. They are also a pain to get into, where clipless has become second nature to me. I'm glad so many people are happy with them, but its clipless all the way for me.
I was the same way with Powergrips. I'd been with eggbeaters for about 2 years - I wanted to be able to ride with regular shoes though and I really really hoped I could make the switch. I could never get comfortably happy with the Powergrips though unfortunately. They were kinda secure I guess, but I didn't notice any kind of pull up benefit.
Just this last week though, I think I've managed to make the switch back to bare platforms which is kinda weird I guess considering my experiments with the Powergrips. I had always enjoyed clipless primarily because of the hills but also because of the "attached" feeling.
Honestly, with platform pedals with studs I don't feel insecure at all. I think it might be an issue with a slick shoe in the rain or something like that, but in the dry it really feels surprisingly great after readjusting to the different feel. I missed pulling up on hills for a couple days, but I don't even notice it now. I haven't noticed a drop in speed either, but maybe I'm trying harder to justify the pedals.
One of the big things that made me want to switch, other than being able to use any shoes, was that I kept reading that even "trained" professional cyclists barely pulled up a noticeable amount. I figure I'm not pulling up for ****, even if it sometimes kinda feels that way.