especially when they recommend Look Blades and $10K bikes.

The times I have crashed, my feet had absolutely no trouble separating themselves from the pedals.

I guess your dad doesn't ski.

You tell your dad…[distasteful derogatory comment deleted]

OK, clipless pedals might be slightly more dangerous in that you can fall over at a light or stop sign if you don’t get out of them in time. But, how far would you fall, really? I mean, it’s not like you’re falling from 6 feet above grade (which is where OSHA gets concerned). You might get a little banged up – most likely the thing that will be damaged most is your ego (Rule #1, fall away from the traffic). As has been mentioned before, scars (both mental and physical) make you more interesting and well-rounded. Besides, if you aspire to race, sooner or later you’re going to face the deadly dangers of clipless pedals – better to start now when you’re young and resilient.

But for that matter, does your dad really know what clipless pedals look like? I have some pedals that have SPD on one side and look platform-ish on the other. Not a sure thing, but they might pass a casual inspection.

My brother was riding a bike without clipless pedals once and his foot slipped, causing the drivetrain to freewheel backward and the pedal came up and cut up his shin. He got 6 or so stitches in one of the more sensitive places to get them.

Parents just don't understand !

Right. Good analogy. Clipless pedals are just like safety release ski bindings for the most part. In fact the French company that essentially invented them in the 1980's, Look, was and is a ski binding maker.

That happened to me so many times when I was like 10-12 riding a BMX... Never got stitches though, but still have the scars. Today if I ride a bike without a clipless pedal or at least a cage I can't go over like 10mph.

good logic. educate your dad about the dangers of NOT going clipless.

One of the dangers of platforms is having your foot slip off, your nads smash on the toptube, and your dad will never become a granddad.

the fear tactic...works every time!

ask your dad how safe is this?
https://www.yellowjersey.org/how2clip.html

I thought the benefit of clipless was power transfer, not safety. Slipping off of platforms seems more of a result of poor coordination. The same poor coordination that would affect your ability to safely unclip or stop yourself from toppling over on the street with clipless.

I mean seriously... if you can't ride a bicycle without slipping off of platforms...

get a set of Power Grips - for most of us they're probably as effective for pedaling efficiency as automatic (aka "clipless") pedals. They really work well and are easier to use effectively than cages and straps because they "tighten" automatically and are easy to "release" out of.

For shoes, if you find your runners don't cut it, get some walkable cycling shoes, depending on your budget. Later when you get automatic pedals, you can add the cleats to them.

Ease your old man into it. This is a good compromise for you - he won't automatically think they're dangerous even though they probably have similar + and - to clipless.

Do you have a local racing team that does juniors development? Talk to them about joining up (I'm guessing they'll ask you to wait a couple of years). When you do join up ask them if they can educate your dad on clipless pedals.

For now, go sign up for juniors races with your platforms. At 13, in a juniors race, the sprint won't be an issue. You'll be miles ahead or behind your competition, which will probably have more to do with age than ability. Have fun, you'll be okay on platforms.

I have several bikes, most have clipless pedals. I still do almost half my riding on platforms and it's not that big of an issue.

Sounds like the sight I saw when I did my first and only triathlon--a rider on the side of the road with one bare foot, trying to extract the shoe that got caught between the fork and the spokes.

Tell him that the junior racers who are now his age used platform pedals, toe clips, and slotted cleats, with the straps pulled down tight. When they wanted to get out they had to reach down and loosen the strap first.

I'm 15, started using them at 14. I fell, but let him know that *every* single time, it was below 3mph. It isn't dangerous, it's fine. I took me about two weeks to get used to them. Set the tension to low and practice clipping in and out before going on the road, and you'll be fine. I did find it much easier to bike. If you need me to tell him something from a teen's point of view let me know.

Also tell him that many younger riders, as young as 10 (there are probably younger kids riding too, but they're not too common) ride with clipless pedals. A lot of cycling associations/divisions have huge groups of 10-12 y/o who race, some who have a lot of bling on their bike, including clipless pedals/ shoes.

Riding with clipless pedals isn't rocket science!

but it works!... for me at least. If you bug em enough they are bound to give in eventually is my philosophy.

on topic, i started with them at 13 i think. at 15 now i cant imagine not having them! i havent really had to argue with my parents much because my dad gets it and as a family we have a good relationship with the lbs so they help set me up nicely too!

this

Smart idea for now. No sense in trying to prove your dad wrong. In the meantime I would suggest looking at pedals and shoes for downhill or freeride mountain bikes. Between the pins and the sticky soles, your feet actually stick quite well to each other. I run clipless on my road bike and my cross country mountain bike, but on my downhill bike I use platforms and sticky soled shoes. I just want to know that I can dump the bike very quickly if I get in over my head. This is mostly mental, but seems to give me more confidence when the terrain gets nasty. That being said take a look at some of the low profile downhill pedals like the Azonic 420's or Deity Decoy pedals, and shoes by Five Ten. This combo really will reduce the chance of your feet slipping off the pedals.
https://www.azonicusa.com/azonic_2010_pe/index.html
https://www.deitycomponents.com/decoy_2_pedals.htm
https://fiveten.com/products/product-.../Freeride_m23/