I think this is a great option for commuting, especially for those of us with dress shoes who don't like to change shoes/clothes at work.

I started commuting this week (13 miles RT) but wanted to practice with my 105 clipless pedals first. In the two short 10 mile runs I made this weekend I fell twice. Thankfully I wasn't moving. I am going to stick with my platform pedals for my commuting. My reasoning is that the ride is short, and there is quite a bit of stopping between home and work since my area is pretty populated. I may keep my pedals for when I start to bike for longer distances. I do think I need to upgrade my crappy platform pedals since they are the stockers that came with my Allez. Maybe I can find someone who wants to trade me for some Power Grips.

It's possible I had crappy pedals. I would constantly slip when coming out of a stop and winded up battering my shins/heel pretty bad. I've yet to have a problem unclipping in traffic. I fell once while learning in my driveway and it's become pretty second nature at this point. I like being attached to the bike, it's a good feeling and makes for a less stressful ride for me. Toe clips just didn't do much for me and ended up being more problematic at times because it was awkward to detach. Obviously people have used platforms successfully over the years, I have just become so accustomed to clipless that it's kind of challenging to ride on platforms/toe clips nowadays.

I feel that clipless has bettered my acceleration and made me feel more secure. I don't like the idea of hitting a large bump and my feet "leaving the pedals." I wish there was a way to actually clone myself and have the same bike one with clipless and one with platforms. I would probably bet the clipless would win - especially if hills were involved.

Clipless pedals smooth out my pedal stroke. Circles and all that. I feel that my hammies take some load off my quads.

As for increased power that will be a function of strengthening the leg muscles. Squats and lunges for quads, dead lifts, good mornings and cleans for hamstrings.

Falling became your second nature? You see? That's what I meant :p

I was looking for some replacement platform pedals and I found the Ergon PC2 pedals. I ordered them but I haven't recieved them yet, but from what I've been reading everybody raves about them. The only problem is the price. $80 from REI, or I think I saw them on Amazon for $70. Of course, given the choice between $20-30 for clipless pedals and $100+ for shoes (I have unusually large feet), I'm going with the Ergons.

That's some pricey platform pedals! Even my MKS Lambdas were ~$50 w/ shipping. Would love to hear what you think of it afterwards, though. May have to give it a try next time they have 20% off deals at REI.

The power increase you get from using clipless pedals is measureable but nothing close to 50% and a good deal of this stems from the clipless shoes being stiffer and transferring power better.

I use clipless for most of my riding and prefer 50/50 clipless spd with a platform should I just want to hop on and go with whatever I am wearing on my feet..

SPD = "Shimano pedaling dynamics" Everybody's got an opinion as well as something else. For me I rode for years with platform pedals and then later with toe straps. It was perfectly fine. However, I now am totally used to spd. In a sense my shoe has now become the pedal platform. Clipping and unclipping are automatic. For me (notice how I preface everything with "for me") clipless work better. I have gone back on occassion but the experience has been completely unsatisfactory. I do like spd shoes in particular as opposed to road pedals and shoes because of the walkability feature. I walk around in a pair all day and think nothing of it. I am just waiting for some shoe company to come out with a whole line of regular shoes with recessed spd cleats.

I've used clipless (SPDs) and platform, but after a bad fall I've switched back to platforms. The clipless are more efficient and, over long rides of 50 or more miles, do make a difference. For speed and long hauls, clipless are superior.

I bike for fitness and fun, so max efficiency isn't necessary. Good platforms (mine were ~$100/bike) serve very well, are safe, simple and pretty efficient.

I don't agree that everybody should go clipless. It depends on your actual circumstances, especially how you'll use your bike.

The pros use aero helmets when doing time trials. They probably make a difference when you're averaging 30mph. When you're averaging much less (the way those of us who aren't professional cyclists do) I'd reckon they make a lot less difference. To the average commuter they probably make less difference than the vagaries of traffic would cause.

To show how the clipless mentality can affect our thinking, I had a bike fit pro tell me that he feels safer on slippery surfaces (even in light snow) with clipless because he has better control of the bike. I just don't get it.

As one who has had a serious fall after riding clipless for several years, I can tell you that anything mechanical can malfunction. When my right foot wouldn't unclip, I went down big time and required medical attention. It probably doesn't happen often, but when it does the consequences can be serious.

It's always good to have choices, and I respect those who prefer the clipless route. I just think we should be honest about the benefits and disadvantages when we discuss this important equipment decision.

A generic paraphrase because I've seen this from lots of sources, generic conventional wisdom*. So my generic question is: if this is true, then couldn't we get much of the advantage of clipless pedals by inserting a piece of stiff plastic in our athletic shoes?

*ps, I believe it's true, and I sometimes get hot spots on my feet on long rides on platforms. I believe stiffer shoes would alleviate them.

I ride with touring shoes (spd), mountain bike shoes (spd), my road pedals are Looks, and I have a number of bikes fitted with period correct toe cages and straps and have a number of bikes with flat pedals.

The touring shoes are the most walkable, the mtb shoes are much stiffer and are less walkable but a great all round cycling shoe, and my road shoes are only for the road. I have switched between the touring shoes and mtb shoes on the same bikes and the difference in the stiffness of the shoe and padding makes a good deal of difference in performance and relative comfort.

I have trouble wearing normal shoes off the bike as they trigger back and leg pain so spend most of my off bike time in barefoot shoes which have done a lot to correct some poor biomechanical issues I developed after fragging my back.

I like riding on flat pedals in my barefoot shoes... they are as cool as sandals and on a fairly aggressive platform pedal I don't have to much problem with my foot wandering on me but if I want to kick things up a notch I rock the clipless pedals.

Because the primary goal is, and always was, foot retention -- keeping the feet on the pedals when spinning fast or sprinting/climbing out of the saddle. That's why they're important for fixed-gear riders as well -- oftentimes, the feet are handling braking duties, so it's critical that they never leave the pedals.

- Scott

I like my studded free ride magnesium pedals. They stick like glue to your feet and you can pull back on the upstroke almost to the vertical. They give me most of the advantages of clipless, but I'm not attached to the bike. They are also very light.

Having your foot leave the pedal when the cranks are spinning at 140 rpm plus can be pretty ugly... having solid retention is key.