That comes with it's own type of dangers. I watched one of my club-mates inadventently come unclipped, hit the deck, and then get run over by other riders. Ouch.

It is the over the handlebars scenario that is a problem for me. I avoid this situation whenever possible, because of the danger of broken necks, etc. But the couple times I haven't avoided it, the weight was already off the back wheel. There's no way to forcefully pull your feet out, and if you can get both feet twisted out in a split second in that type of situation, you are much more skilled than I am. At best, I might get one out - but then I'm still dragging my bike with me.

With platforms you just bail out, no worries.

Yep, but if you ride around in loose SPDs just like you ride when you're on platforms, then you're not gonna inadvertently pull your foot out.

Unless you go around inadvertently pulling your foot off of your platforms all the time :)

Watching me attempt to ride on platform pedals is frequently comical.

There is nothing as comical as a cyclist who thinks and believes that clipless pedals and a special kit is absolutely necessary for short 5 mile commute to work.

At the very lest, it sends a very confusing message when someone who's constantly advocating cycling as a safe, simple, efficient mode of transportation for the average person doesn't practice what they preach.

I was a died-in-the-wool toe clip user, then switched to SPD, on all bikes, mountain, commuter, roadie. I've since started mountain biking on some really technical trails and I had to dump SPD after two bad falls that would have been prevented had I not been clipped in. The situation where the front wheel gets cranked to one side or the other without any warning will throw me down if I'm clipped in. Since I went to platforms I've saved myself several times in circumstances that would have been a crash if I was clipped in.

Having said all of that, I ride on the road clipped in almost all the time if I'm wearing SPD shoes. If there's icing conditions I just unclip and use the other side of my Shimano PD-324s ;)

Is there someone that thinks this?

To long didn't read.

My answer is I think whatever the rider is more comfortable using is the safer option.

I'm used to clipless and I feel perfectly safe using them. Years and thousands of kilometers of practice made me comfortable i them.

I know that one of the claims against clipless is not being able to unclip fast for a sudden stop. I've never had an issue doing this, even with my son is his rear mounted seat which greatly increases my/the bikes center of gravity.

What is safer is what the user is most comfortable with.

*throws match on your massive strawman*

fire pretty.

i'm not sure i follow. what is the message and how does it get sent?

I recently threw a pair of PC, BMX platform pedals on my commuter for fun. The platforms are a little less efficient than the SPD clipless pedals are, but they are also much lighter. Back in the day, I rode steel bear-traps with straps and clips; I never had any real problems with those either. The SPDs work very well too.

I'm going to stick with the platforms for a while since they seem to be a little easier on my knees. I like being able to freely reposition my feet.

As for safer, I fell a few times back when I first started using clips/straps, but then I got used to them and never crashed again because of them. The same goes for the SPDs. After a few hours of riding on the clipless, engaging and disengaging became reflexive. Each style of pedal has advantages and disadvantages. If I were riding 30 miles + on paths without traffic stops, I would want the efficiency of the clipless pedals or clips/straps. For my 15 mile commute in traffic, I'm liking the platforms right now.

Yes... I find pedals as clothing is especially stylish.
They make a good replacement for the Italian Fig Leaves.

Simply put, the needs and desires of enthusiasts more often than not, don't translate well into what would best suit the average person for basic transportation.

Enthusiasts love to make simple things complicated.

My platforms weigh more than my SPDs. Odyssey Twisted PC (400g), SPD-M540 (352g)

I imagine my Nashbar SPDs might be heavier than the Odysseys, however.

I agree with the sentiment that someone doing 2 or 3 miles commuting doesn't need toeclips, cleats, or whatever. Not that it really hurts. Perhaps they do longer rides other times.

I am glad to see renewed interest in toeclips. They had virtually died out a decade ago as racers had shunned them, and commuters hadn't adopted them yet.

5 miles? That is pretty marginal. Not long, not short, but a moderate ride. The benefit would depend on the ride. If it is non-stop for 5 miles, then one might still choose foot retention. If one is starting and stopping every block for 5 miles, then the first thing might be to choose a better route, but one might not find the foot retention necessary.

Again, it might depend on the route. One of the roads I periodically hit has about 8 stoplights in 10 blocks. It is tolerable only if I can hit the section of road between 20 and 25 MPH, and hold my own with traffic. And for that, I feel the clips help.

I used clipless pedals for a while, but never really liked them, road shoes are simply too limiting and awkward so I went back to clips as they will accommodate a wide variety of footwear. I ended up shelving the clips as I found that pinned pedals provide virtually all the advantages of full foot retention for how I ride with greater convenience.
I just did the Cascade bike clubs 33 mile Chilly-Hilly http://www.cascade.org/ride-major-ri...out-ride/route ride that also included a 52 mile round trip ride to the Seattle ferry, and at no point did I wish I had foot retention or even think about it.

That said, this thread has got me thinking about giving SPD campus pedals a try when the budget allows, as it sounds like they may be a good compromise, allowing me to enjoy the extra efficiency of foot retention on long recreational rides while retaining the simplicity and versatility of platforms for commuting.

That reminds me for some reason of an endo crash I witnessed firsthand this fall when a stupid weekend warrior on a carbon-frame rig decided to pass me on a downhill curve at high speed in Rock Creek Park. If only this clipped-in rider hadn't been in such a hurry and had seen the woman in the middle of the lane huffing uphill on her bike he might have avoided her. He was a mess; she was unhurt.

Why do they call them "clipless" if your foot clips into them?

And what is the proper name for the plastic "cage" that attaches to a platform pedal?

Plastic "cage" is called a toe clip. Clipless pedals don't have toe clips.

Last time I got hurt as a result of pedals was when I forgot that I wasn't clipped in and got hit in the shin with my pedal. I ride a short distance - 8 km - especially today when it is -16 (-26 with windchill). I still would rather ride clipped in with my SPD's. The shoes I use though could easily pass as hiking shoes and have recessed cleats so I wear them all day in the office as my regular shoes. Very comfy. So I ride short distances in practical shoes that just happen to clip in. I would never wear road shoes into the office though - I don't even have any. But if someone did, I wouldn't really care. Why do you need to go over 5 miles to wear practical and efficient clothing.

One safety advance of Ergon pedals , is they incorporate a Huge wrap around reflector ERGON BIKE ERGONOMICS

and the grip tape traction patch wont come around and bite you in the shins like grip pins can.

Thanks. I've heard so many names used for the same things over the years. Interesting that a toe clip isn't a "clip" at all...it's more of a cage. And a "clipless" pedal is one that actually has a clip on it.

So what is an SPD?

Trade name .. Shimano pedal dynamics

I wouldn't necessarily say that clipless pedals have clips. They're really more like a latch, some sort of slam latch, perhaps.

People say clip in and clip out all the time but you could also call it clicking in and clicking out.

Not sure how the toe clip got its name but it is vaguely like a money clip in some ways.

Hmmm, I've been riding bikes for more than forty years now and none of this ever really mattered. It was so much simpler to get up to the task of hopping on the bike before all these gadgets came along. I agree with those who theorize that a big thing keeping people off bicycles is their fear that they will do something "wrong," like using the wrong type of pedal. But that's another discussion that's been had many times here.

All this said, I discovered plastic toe clips (cages) when I was mountain biking in the 90's. They worked great for that, and they enable me to make a full 360-degree push-pull motion when climbing a hill or looking to achieve a higher speed. Other than that, I think they are just a habit at this point. As I said earlier, I've tried taking them off, but it never lasts. I'm not sure why.