foot retention > no foot retention

Pretty much essential on a FG as if a foot comes off the pedal at high speed it could be akin to sticking your leg in a blender and could cause a serious accident..

I usually ride clipless because of neuropathy in my left leg from the knee down and foot as without having my foot secured it will often drift off the pedal.

This does not slow me down very much as your power comes from your upper legs and your lower leg and ankle just transfers that power and pulling up with the opposite foot is not that efficient except for very short periods and can cause excess fatigue and it denies your leg that brief rest cycle.

I still like my quill pedals with their clips and straps... these are nice when you want to ride in regular shoes and have some very toothy BMX pedals that keep one's foot in place and serve as a decent retention device.

Today was the first day this year where I used clipless shoes and pedals as it was actually warm enough to not need warmer footwear and toe clips / straps and could really feel a nice difference in how much smoother and faster I was.

If you're switching from no clips/straps to having them, be prepared for a couple 0 mph crashes (tipping over cause you forgot you were clipped in).

As far as the clips with no straps, I wouldn't recommend them. I find that they mostly just give a guideline for where your foot should be to pedal efficiently. But they're not gonna help you skid, crank on the upstroke or really keep your foot in place.

Double straps provide better foot retention, but it's probably not necessary for you. Get the singles in a quality leather if you can because the cheaper ones stretch and the insides can get torn up if your pedals are banged up. Plastic clips are cheaper and just as good as metal ones, it just depends on what you like better.

oh and learn to track stand right away, unclipping and clipping back in at red lights gets pretty annoying.

that is why strap buckles have a flick tab on em if you have never used the tab then you still haven't learned how to properly use straps