Originally Posted by
meanwhile
I'll make the wildcard suggestion: forget pedals that need special shoes and go for BMX pedals. They stick to your feet like glue, give lots more position options, and not even clipless compares to the ease of getting your feet in and out. I'd use them if I ever did courier work again.
As the article on them at Rivendell bikes says, use of clipless pedals is based on something we now ***know*** to be a myth - the idea that good riders can use them to pull up as well as push down. Why keep spending money on something that makes a bike more of a pain to use when the reason we though we had has gone?
Link:
http://www.rivbike.com/article/clothing/the_shoes_ruse
Plus you could add Powergrips or Feetbelts. (Google 'em.)
That article is flawed from the get-go. Here's a quote from it:
There are some benefits to being firmly attached. Whether they make sense for you and your riding, only you can answer. Here they are:
1. in slippery conditions and vicious sprints, and when hopping the bike over a dead raccoon or up onto a curb, a connection to the pedal is a benefit.
2. When you climb a super steep short hill, you actually can pull up on the upward-moving pedal for a few strokes, and doing so helps you turn over the other pedal (get it past 12:00 and into the power part of the stroke).
Clipless is cool if it's for you, and if it's not it doesn't really matter. But if the benefits of foot retention are such a myth, then why a) acknowledge them explicitly in your article and b) sell so many bikes with uncomfortable and inconvenient toe clips/straps?
Edited to add: BMX pedals are actually pretty nice. I had a set on my commuter and they worked well, but I found I can spin much more effectively at high cadences with foot retention. Sure "pulling up" may not be true, but I found I unload my pedals on the upstroke enough that my feet would slip forward or back on the pedal at high cadences. As usual, your mileage may vary.