Is it really so sacrilegious to use platforms? Even if you do manage to rig up winter boots to take cleats they still will have so much flex in the sole as to make pedaling just as efficient, if not less, as platforms. I'm able to use my eggbeaters most of the year round in Tennessee, but we get some bad weather in winter. So I throw on some wide BMX platforms and wear my workboots. It has zero aesthetic value but it keeps me warm, and between the tread on the boot and the metal pattern on the platforms, they don't slip very often. Just my two cents, but I read all these posts from guys in Minnesota and Calgary, who want to ride road bike with clipless pedals all year long, and it seems as if they're making their situation a lot more difficult than it needs to be!