I admit there is inefficiency and waste. However with the clipless pedals I can't output as much power. Maybe others can stand on the pedals (and apply similar if not greater force) with clipless pedals, I can't. I'm willing to live with a 5%-10% or whatever it is inefficiency all the time to gain significant extra power output when pushing hard.

No, I use toe straps.

platforms for everything. rivendell grip kings (mks something, maybe "delta") or MKS sylvan touring pedals.

Always. I have SPD's for the commute and swap speedplays on for training rides. I'm thinking I'll get a set of eggbeaters for the winter as SPD's don't seem to shed snow very well.

I spend about half the year riding in snow and ice. On SPD's pretty much scrapping the cleat and pedal and stomping on it works every time. I brush out the mechanism when it get uncooperative and spray in a bit of WD40 if necessary.

That being said I am considering getting a set of Crank Brothers Eggbeaters as they are supposed to shed snow better.

I've never lived somewhere where changing shoes at work wasn't a good idea whether it be the wet coast or frigid east or prairies. The work shoes last longer at the very least.

It's possible to get shoes pedals and cleats now for about a $100 and really they are easy as anything to use. As for performance, there is a reason nearly everyone less DH riders and free-stylers use them,

You don't think it's possible to spin with platforms? The implication that clipless riders are automatically more skilled than riders who prefer platforms is kind of irritating, to be honest. I can use clipless pedals; they're easy to use. Moreover, I totally respect others' choice to use them. But if you can't ride up a steep hill while using platform pedals, why should you brag about it?

No it is not possible to spin with platforms...your efficiency is reduced, period. Never said I was more skilled. And who said I can't ride up a steep hill with platforms and who is bragging?

Bragi your dealing with a young rider who doesn't know the history of cycling.

I'm an older guy, 56, and back when I raced they didn't have clipless pedals yet and everyone could spin at 80rpm and beyond, in fact up until just the last 15 years track racers were using toe straps because they were stronger and all those guys spin the pedals and there is still old school track racing where they use steel bikes and yes toe straps.

Really there isn't much difference between the two except how the foot enters and disengages, degree of float, and the weight of the pedal. A proper toe clip style shoe has a cleat on the bottom of the shoe with a grove that "clips" onto the rear portion of the pedal cage, then you tighten the straps to your comfort level. Some argue that your foot comes out of the straps unlike clipless...that's so full of crap. I watched the TDF and happen to see several riders come unclipped from their clipless pedals by accident just as would happen occasionally with toe straps. I adjust my straps so I can get my foot out without having to release the strap and it still holds my feet in quite securely and only on rare occasion will a foot come out, plus my cadence averages between 90 to 95rpm so again there goes the spinning theory out the window.

So much for all those hours spent on rollers at 120+ cadence, when what I really needed was to invent clipless pedals.

But that was 30 years ago, now I have SPDs on almost all my bikes. I like them for comfort, but certainly didn't see any significant efficiency gains when converting to clipless. That is, I couldn't ride any faster or farther with clipless, and they didn't improve my average speed by even 0.1 mph.

I can do that with the pegged platform pedals, as long as I'm wearing a shoe with at least 1/4" of soft sole material for the pegs to dig into. My cadence is quite high, as I'm an ex-trackie who used to train for at least 100 rpm in 3000m individual pursuit. The only thing I can't do with them is use my hip aductors to pull the pedal up over the top of the stroke, but there isn't much call for that in a grocery run or my 4k commute. If I want to do a ride where that's a necessity - i.e., a long highway ride - I'll ride my road bike with the Look Keo pedals.

It's nice to see that the same old arguments and counter arguments are still occurring in this forum.
I like clipless. Ergo I run clipless. That is except for my mtb that has a dual sided spd \ clipless so I can jump on it in sneakers for short rides or cold snowy winter rides.

Toeclips n' straps ≠ "platforms", at least not in this context.

"Proper" track pedals are pretty different from, say, touring pedals with toeclips bolted on anyway.

So, I end up saying the same old thing -- I like clipless better than toeclips n' straps because I think they're more secure* without having to cinch down my feet to make exit unnecessarily difficult. I also don't like dragging toeclips on the ground when the light turns green because I haven't got the pedal flipped just right yet.

* At least the pedals I've had have been secure (CB, Time).

Always. Speedplay Frogs

Just like a few other people here, I use Shimano A-530 SPD pedals. I normally clip in, but I like them because they're double sided: platform on one side, and SPD on the other. It gives me the option to ride clipped in or not, but I prefer to clip in because it feels much more secure.

It would be interesting to know who you are referring to.

Now, tell me how you pull up on a platform pedal folks. If you can't pull up on the pedal, you can't truly spin.

You do it by screwing some straps onto it.

Now, is it still a "platform" pedal, or is it just cheating?

So you can pedal fast without clips. That doesn't mean you are efficient.

Clips or straps are the same thing to me. Your feet are attached to the pedal. I guess when someone says platform, I just assume it's a pedal with no attachments, right? Those you cannot truly spin on.

Can we modify the question to say, "Do you use foot retention for commuting? If so, do you use clipless, toeclips & straps, or something else?"

HAHAHAHAHAH more old wives tales. Once you exceed more then 75 rpms or so you can't pull up to be effective in power production, the most you can hope for is to dead weight the pedal. This wives tale has circulated for years and years. It's purely a psychosomatic effect.

https://www.spinning.com/images/Spin...am_Science.pdf

That's what I assume, too. I think it's been getting silly, what with people saying that they ride track with platforms -- but they're still using foot retention, sometimes even with cleats that help the shoe stay extra-secure to the pedal.

The REAL question, IMO, is whether a rider thinks it's worthwhile to have a pair of shoes specifically for the pedals they have on the bike.

As always, that ends up dependent on an individual's scenario. Personally, I can wear darn near whatever I want on the bike, because I change into a uniform at work, shoes and all. If I had to work in the same clothes I was wearing as I left the house, then I might do things differently.

75 rpm isn't that fast. Even I can pedal 75 rpm.

Right, my mistake. Clipless pedals are useless. No more efficiency is achieved with them. They are a waste of time. Whoever invented them didn't know what the hell they were doing...after all, it's wives tale that they make you a better rider. :rolleyes:

you can't comprehend what I wrote can you? Where did I say 75rpm was fast? Please reread my post for further edification.