It's like night and day. But see post #15 in this thread for more about the switch.

I commuted in toe clips for a while, adjusted loose enough to slip my foot in and out. I never developed the courage and skill to tighten them by hand while riding in traffic. I often scuffed the upside-down toe clips on things when I started from a stop. I switched to clipless when I started using them on my new MTB, where I had the concern that an upside-down toe clip could catch a stick or other object.

Clipless pedals felt like I had a lot more control and ability to pedal in circles than the loose toe clips.

For me it depends. The intersections in L.A. have a countdown on the walk signals, so if I approach one and the countdown shows that the light's about the change, I might try to wait it out on the pedals, but if it's still got the walking man signal, i'll unclip the left side (or right if a curb is close). I used to do this with my regular platforms too though... well, except the unclip part.

What is "about to change?" Most ( but not all ) Seattle lights have the countdown, too. If you come to a light with 5 seconds left, do you balance, or stand? What if it's 15 seconds?

I find I can hold myself steady at a stop for about 10 to 15 seconds, but not longer. When I'm coming up to a light I'll have to stop for, I'll try to slow down to a crawl with a little bit of distance to the line ... assuming it's not crowded on my side of the intersection. This gives me a little more leeway to balance with the help of some very slow movement. Otherwise I'll generally hold it as long as I can, and usually step down about a second before the light turns.

If there aren't any good indications, I usually try to balance as long as I can.

With mountain bike shoes / commuter sandals there is a recessed cleat. This allows you to walk around comfortably in clipless shoes.
I originally bought a toe cage and found that i needed special shoes just to fit properly in the cage and cinching it down was always a pain. I find clipless do offer a slight advantage over the toe clips and they are MUCH easier to use.

I just bought these because Keen's sandals have the worst ridge in toe. I love them so far ;)
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...5_10000_200530

I had more problems getting my feet in and out of toe clips than I ever have with clipless. I went from open platforms as a kid, to toe clips with tennis shoes, to toe clips with riding shoes as a teenager (I really cinched them down tight), to clipless (spd) as a young adult. There is really no comparison.....clipless is just all around better, IMO. Better power transfer, better control of the bike, better release, more comfortable, etc., etc. The shoes are really only an issue if you let it be. Choose a more relaxed, walking oriented riding shoe with a good footbed and you don't need to carry any other shoes. I'm perfectly comfortable wearing my riding shoes at the office, grociery store, farmers' market, bike shop......

I have no problems unclipping to put a foot down and clipping back in when comming to a stop. It's second nature.

I will balance if I know the light will be changing quickly (I know the light patterns on my normal routes so have a good idea when I'll get a green) but will click out and put a foot down if it will be very long or if I'm unsure.

I rode toe clips for 30 years before trying clipless. I did not cinch the straps down (had to be able to exit) nor did I use stiff-soled shoes so clipless was a big advantage. Personally, if you are planning to get the full advantage of toe clips by wearing the right shoes and cinching the straps down every time you enter the pedal, it seems to me it would be a whole lot easier to just go clipless.

I do have clips and straps on my '77 Le Tour as it just feels right on that bike and I don't do much distance or frequency on it. I have a set of pedals with clips and straps that I sometimes use on my MTB when I know I'll just be bopping around a campground and want to ride wearing hiking boots.

Well I had a different model, but the thing I always hated about the 1 sided pedals like those was getting clipped back in. I always had to look down to see which side was up, then half the time I had to flip it over with my foot....and you're always clipping in at the worst possible time to have this distraction. You're at an intersection where your eyes should be watching cars, traffic, and pedestrians, not screwing around with your pedals.

On the other hand many other people have said they liked them, but that was my experience.

I haven't used them myself, but I always thought these looked like a better compromise -
http://media.rei.com/media/m/1057340.jpg

Really I'm not being a jerk for mentioning after the OP bought them, lol, REI has a great return policy and he could still go back and exchange them! :-)

I just got a bike fitting a couple of weeks ago, and one of the things the guy did is try to get me to even out my pedal stroke (I have clipless pedals and shoes). I was putting a lot of pressure on the downstroke but nowhere else, one of the things he had me do was try to pedal with just one foot, and keep the whole rotation perfectly smooth (well - as smooth as possible). I've been working on it, though it seems to be using new muscles so I can't go full out for as long. I assume that will go away eventually, but even right now - I biked an hour and a half in the same amount of time that I used to, with the same average speed that I used to, but I was *much* less tired at the end of the ride! Could have kept biking a lot longer, whereas usually I'm totally exhausted. I imagine I'll just be faster (and more exhausted, lol) once my muscles get used to it.

So I don't think that's quite as possible with clips, because you can't pull backwards. To be fair, it may not be an issue if you were like me last year where I didn't have a smooth pedals stroke anyways. :-)

I wish I could offer advice about switching from toe clips to "clipless", but I tried toe clips a couple of times and they scared me so I'm probably not the best person to ask. I didn't like that you had to remember to slide your foot backwards first. To be fair, clipless also scared me at first but I figured I'd get used to clipping in and out of them without thinking about it eventually, and that's what happened.

Changing shoes is certainly the drawback. With mountain shoes and cleats you certainly don't have to change shoes "everywhere" - I'd go grocery shopping in my bike shoes, at friends houses they always ask that you take off your shoes anyways, and at work I have a desk so I can keep a pair of regular shoes here. But any time you're going to spend any large amount of time off the bike standing up or walking it's annoying, they're certainly not as comfortable for regular walking as normal shoes.

+1
I put these on my hybrid after it became (n-1), I like them a lot with the dual side clips and the platforms are just fine for regular shoes.

I can balance for only a few seconds so I usually unclip my right foot before coming to a complete stop. If I am waiting for oncoming traffic to clear an intersection, I can slow down to the point of nearly stopping (maybe a few inches per second) and "stand" without unclipping. My panniers vary in weight daily so I haven't even tried to master the track stand. Too afraid of losing my balance, tipping over and getting my melon squashed by a passing truck.

http://www.bhop73.com/stuff/spd/pedal_clip.jpg

http://www.bhop73.com/stuff/spd/pedal_platform.jpg

Shimano mountain shoes.. passed on the roadie style. Being able to walk is nice.
http://www.bhop73.com/stuff/spd/shoes.jpg[/QUOTE]

(Must be an LA thing!! I have the exact same pedals and shoes from REI as well!) +1 on the M324 pedals and Shimano Mountain Bike shoes. Got mine from REI about a year ago and haven't gone back. Clipless pedals take a little bit of getting used to, and of course one has to have at least one mandatory slow motion fall, but after you get the hang of clipping in and out it becomes second nature. I've even had a few panic stops on my commute while being cliped in, and had the presence of mind to pivot my heels out to unclip. Congratulations - you made a great choice.

I also have the same shoes and peddles on my new Surly Cross Check, very nice.