Originally Posted by charles vail
Happily riding double sided, wide, low psi touring pedals, with no retention, in my soft soled sandals where my toes are free to wiggle and never get numb like they used to. I can ride in them for miles and walk too, with no problems. I can get off the bike fast and noislessly and I don't need to have special shoes to operate my bike as I have ridden in boots, elkhide slippers and skateboarder shoes. I don't need super stiff soles since I don't use tiny pedals and my wide pedals distribute the load over a larger area. Its all in the way you match the combination. I don't need to buy special shoes or pedals in order to ride and I don't need to maintain my cleats or pedals in freezing weather or in muddy conditions. As for speed,I am actually faster without retention and have proved it over my daily course that I have ridden hundreds of times. Since I am comfortable I can ride for longer and harder than when my feet felt numb. I have massive float room that helps me avoid knee problems, since my feet are allowed to find their own sweet spot or even vary the sweet spot,to give my feet a slightly different position while actually riding. I'll never go back to clipless or any retention for that matter.
Great! You have found something that works for you, your preferences and your types of riding. Others might find that different combinations work best for them in their situations. Some, like me, might be best served by one shoe/pedal combination in one situation and others in different situations. There's more than one way to skin a cat.