Go ahead and ride in your denim jeans with your platform pedals. I did that too when I didn't know better. Once you are used to riding clipless(it aint that hard) you won't feel like you will die. Riding with clipless is so far superior to platforms. It has the be the most important technology in cycling in the last 50 years.

Yes, I can ride in jeans and get bulked up with plenty of long johns and wool sweaters and regular gloves, but I have been to the dark side with cycling specific gear and it is better and it doesn't cost any more than regular clothes.

For example, I can ride with one pair of triflex tights when I would have needed three pairs of pants to get the same level of warmth. I bought a balaclava for no more than the cost of a ski mask and it is much more comfortable than my ski mask. My $50 winter jersey allows me to ride with just a cheap and thin $30 polar fleece jacket. While, I would need three layers of cotton clothes plus a winter jacket to be just as warm but not nearly as comfortable. And, once I get warmed up, I start getting wet with sweat. God forbid I stop....then the shivering starts.

And on top of all this, my cycling gear is of a superior quality. I wear the same triflex tights every day in the winter and they look brand new. The same is true of all of my other cycling gear. My jeans that I wear once a week for the past year, are worn to the point of being threadbare.

You see my friend, you are the one wasting money. Pinch a penny, piss a dollar.