I always could too.....until that one time when you can't....then it's too late. Paralyzed arm and lotsa surgery.

I think this debate will go on for perpetuity. I use clipless, cranked down to the max on the road with the fixed-gear commuter. It's just easier when running winter shoes, etc. But I use clips and straps when racing, for a number of reasons, most of which have been laid out by carleton, but to add a few:

--Shoe upper flex
--breaking cleats under effort
--pulling cleat out of bottom of shoe

Speaking as one who has those last two, nothing good comes of that. But for most single-speed riding, clipless is just fine, though my vast preference is for a road-type pedal such as the Shimano Dura-Ace.

Grammar rules.

Not to be argumentative or insensitive, but I still don't see how this makes clips any better. The vast majority of my spills have been in clips even though my miles are about equally mixed between clips and clipless. Fortunately, my worst spill only involved some lingering wrist pain that resolved in about a year -- sorry to hear yours sounds to have been a lot worse. But mine was indeed a slow-motion fall in clips that I'm fairly confident I could have saved on my atacs.

YMMV.

Mine was on a mountain bike trail and involved a tree. I feel better with toe clips because it's pretty much impossible to fail unclipping in an emergency.

I think your terminology is a bit mixed up here. You are not truly "clipped" into toe clips / straps unless you are using cage pedals and shoes with slotted cleats, and have pulled the straps tight to lock the cleat into the pedal. In such a case "unclipping" is far more involved, especially on a FG, than doing so with clipless pedals and shoes. If you are using regular shoes with toe clips and straps, then you are never truly "clipped" in, and can always pull your foot out if you pull your foot back hard enough. Unfortunately, this also limits your ability to climb out of the saddle or backpedal / skid. All but one of my FG / track bikes have clipless pedals, either road or mtb, and the one bike that does not has bmx platform pedals and wide soft straps w/o and clips for riding with soft soled shoes, and it is geared very low, since I can't pull back w/o my feet coming out. I use SPD clipless pedals on my mtb and cross bikes, where I have to frequently dismount and remount the bike, and getting into and out of the pedals is a no brainer, much much easier than with clips / straps, which I stopped using decades ago.

Yeah, I'll admit I fell once or twice when I first started using clipless pedals. But once you learn how to use them they're so much better.

If you can easily pull your foot out of a toe strap/clip then they aren't tight enough to do much good. You're better off just getting some knobby BMX pedals rather than dealing with getting the pedal oriented correctly then jamming your foot in. Clipless pedals are so much easier. Place foot on pedal. *click* Want to unclip? Rotate foot. Done.

So I got my Shimano spd-sl pedals and shoes today. Practiced getting in and out a number of times before hitting the road. Went on a ride with a buddy and as soon as we hit a stop I unclip my foot and fall over to the other side still clipped in. What a lovely way to try clipless for the first time. I hope this doesnt happen anymore.

I'm pretty sure everyone will tip over at least once when the start using clipless pedals, I know I did.

My MTB shoesiez are supposed to come tomorrow. I should go find a grassy field to practice in.

I have been riding clipless for years and I fell while doing a track stand on a road bike. So yeah, you risk falling, but it isn't a big deal.

To the folks complaining about falling:

Didn't you fall when you first learned to ride a bike? Why get so upset about it now?

You have to give your body time to adjust to the new system.

Step 1: Put on clipless pedals
Step 2: Expect to be perfect at it

is just like

Step 1: Get my first bike (learning to ride)
Step 2: Expect to be perfect at it

or

Step 1: Buy my first skateboard
Step 2: Expect to be perfect at it

I've fallen after riding with them for years. I've seen people fall who have been riding for 20+ years. Saying it's a noob thing is to be in error. If you have stop suddenly or bail on a start before you have momentum, you risk trying to do a quick yank and failing to unclip and falling over.

I've got a set of cheap SPD-SL pedals, but no shoes yet.

I fell over with clips and straps and dealt with pain in my left wrist for three months, so clearly I'm either completely uncoordinated or it's possible to have exactly the same problems with clips and straps as it is with clipless.

ok. I have seen the same thing done with clips/straps

I've been thinking of trying clipless pedals lately. I find straps and clips hard to get out of when I have them tightened enough to feel secure (and hard to get back into). I fell once while waiting for a light and have just barely made it out of the straps and clips many times, I always think I'm going to fall over. I need to plan my stops and wiggle my feet out ahead of time.

by the way, what would you guys recommend for a first pair of clipless pedals, shimano m520's or eggbeaters?

I think a lot of the problem stems out of what TT said, most of us use toe clips and straps in a very low key way so it is easier and maybe you will be able to get out and not fall over, but clipless is much more effective at transferring power. Everyone falls over and whatever the cause may be its life, clipless is just one way that people can easily see and blame so it gets picked on. Hell I took a turn way to fast coming out of my dorm this morning and fell pretty hard which was my fault for being stupid but if your going to ride a bike your going to get hurt sometimes and if its a result of not clipping out then deal with it. If you cant then go get a scooter or something. You will hurt yourself sooner or later so don't act like clipless is terrible and not worth cause a lot of people fall with it, if it was that bad then it would've been phased out by now.

The ATACS XS have adjustable tension. hell I have a brused knee that says you cant get out of them too easy...

I have been riding for years and I have yet to see one person fall over because of clipless pedals. I have seen a couple fall that were using clips and straps because they couldn't loosen the straps up in time. Where are you riding, in the back yard of a retirement home or in the special olympic training vacility?

Typically, people don't fall because of the pedals they fall because of poor planning.

I did the same thing the other day

Right before we went out to ride I bet him I'd eat it at least once...first traffic light = slow motion fall
Hilarious

Best part was not being able to unclip after I fell so I kinda just lied there for a minute

Lol I fell in my driveway trying to perform a sw8 trackstand. How embarrassing.

Scuffed my shoes and left pedal. Darn.

Just picked up some road shoes and pedals to replace my MTB shoes and eggbeaters....they're so much more secure.

Just made the switch to clipless. I installed some look keo classics. Why the **** havent I been using these forever!? Cant express how much I like them over toe-clips/straps.
I dint have any falls and I was able to clip in really easily. Accelerating and braking are so much easier/better now. Never unclipped accidentally.
I just wanted to chime in.

I should be getting my eggbeaters some time next week... can't wait!

I think most people who switch to clipless take a few rides to adjust. It eventually becomes second nature. I myself have been using various systems for over 20 years now, and did indeed have a 'falling over' episode early on. It was a steep hill that I simply ran out of gas on. I fell over before I could unclip. Many thousands of km and 20-odd years later, and it hasn't happened since. Clipless is definitely the way to go, and imho there is no one 'best' system out there. They are all pretty darn good these days, with a few subtle differences that will take very little time to get used to.

I remember going MTB riding with friends back around 1987 or so. I was using clips on it, and my friends thought I was nuts for wanting my feet secured to the pedals. A few nutsacks colliding with crossbars convinced a few of them to try it. I went clipless shortly after and have never looked back.

For my city bikes or MTB, I use a MTB shoe that I can walk in and either Crank Bros. Quattros or Candys. For roadie-type or track use, I use Look Keo with non-walkable shoes. It's all good.

My right pedal (Egg Beater 1) is significantly harder to get in/out of than my left pedal. What's the deal?

Can you adjust the the tension on them? The tension on my pedals are set fairly low. I use a brake so I don't ever have to worry about accidentally unclipping.

You might have to re-grease that pedal. Maybe one of them wasn't greased enough as the other.

Of course, but sometimes you cant plan for the unexpected.