Don't forget to also look for peddles and petals.

But again...How can you determine causation without examining the duck’s excretory system and observing it’s bowel functions? Guess we all need second hobbies.

When I first got back on my bike after 25 years I used old school toe clips and straps because that is what was on my bike. I'm in the hills and had to get off the bike and walk quite a bit so when I decided to get clipless it was SPD two bolt so that I could walk. I have SPDs on all of my bikes, 2 road, one gravel and one hybrid and use them on my indoor trainer plus I have two pairs of SPD shoes.

Over the last year my skills and abilities have improved to the point that I don't have to walk. I would like to have SPD-SL now but I'm too deep into SPD to justify the cost of them right now. Having said that I don't think I would gain much by switching with the exception of having a more comfortable shoe as my shoes are not high end and I think I would be better served with something better, higher quality. My feet are train wrecks.

Okay, clipless it is!

It doesn’t take much of a ride before I prefer MTB style SPDs over platforms. I’ve gotten so used to being able to pull a pedal up into the power stroke position for easy take off from stationary that I feel outright handicapped riding flatties.
Road-style SPDs have never featured greatly. Either I’m not pushing hard enough, or I’m not sensitive enough to perceive any of the merits regularly associated with road shoes.

There is nothing wrong with ordinary platform pedals until you ride with wet and slippery shoes. On those days the security of cleats is most welcome. Shimano M324 or similar dual purpose pedals are a useful solution. You can use regular shoes for short casual rides, or mountain bike shoes for longer or more challenging rides. The downside to the M324 is that they are a bit heavy so putting them on an ultralite road bike might seem a bit silly, but they are practical.