Clipless pedals...do I really need them?

[Sloth]

I have a flat bar road bike (Giant Advanced Fast Road 1) only ride for fitness and fresh air/scenery, by myself, mainly, almost exclusively on country back roads.
I'm not in a club, nor do I intend to join one, and I'll never race or be overly competitive.
However, I have been wondering if I would benefit in any noticeable way from having clipless pedals?
Not so much for speed (the speeds I go any difference would be negligible perhaps?) but more for ease and maximising power input up hills and generally riding more efficiently = getting less tired as quickly for further.
Would I benefit or would I be wasting my money and risk falling off for negligible gains?
To add further context, I don't wear lyrca either, other than an old pair of padded cycling shorts that I wear under a pair of standard shorts (or old running/Ron Hill leggings in winter).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Oldhippy]

No you don't. I wear walking boots or sandals. A lot of road cyclists use clipless I think and some tourer. Never seen the need for them for me.

 

[Alex321]

You would probably benefit from clipless pedals, but only fairly minimally.

For me, it just basically means my feet feel more secure ojn the pedals, they don't slide around at all.

Which really doesn't matter much when just pootling along on the flat, but does make more difference when climbing, particularly at a level where you want to be gettingf out of the saddle.

 

[Oldhippy]

Strapless toe clips are quite good I think.

 

[presta]

No.

I've used toeclips all my life, but they're not a necessity either. I just like being able to pull the pedal up to the top of the stroke for starting, and feeling secure that an unexpected pothole won't bounce my feet off the pedals.

 

[Drago]

Do you  need them? No.

May they be of benefit? You'll never know if you dont try.

 

[markemark]

Nope. Didn’t have them for years. Had them for a couple years. Then didn’t have them for years. My average speed, feel of connectedness to the bike or feet slippings over all of this? Unchanged.

 

[Sloth]

Do they make hills easier?

 

[Drago]

Do they make hills easier?

In the wet when flats can be relatively slippery, yes.

 

[markemark]

Do they make hills easier?

I don’t believe they make any difference other than people liking the feeling of being clipped it.

People with them think that without your feet will slip off. People without them think you struggle to clip in/out. Neither are routed in much fact. Some think it helps keeping your feet in the correct position. I’ve not had any issue since I was 4 putting my feet exactly where they should be.

I think the only real benefit is when giving max power in accelerating for a short period. The other 99.9% of the time it’s just a feeling.

Most ‘proper’ riders will disagree with me.

 

[Sloth]

In the wet when flats can be relatively slippery, yes.

I was really referring to possibly requiring less effort as more power goes to the crank with the extra from the upstroke?

 

[Drago]

People with them think that without your feet will slip off.

As someone who used to commute in all weathers, 24/7, all year round, I can categorically state that it's indisputable that in the foulest of conditions the foot-pedal interface on flats is far from secure.

I still have the scars to prove it.

Of course, if Sloth doesnt participate in the sport of Extreme All Terrain Commuting there is probably little benefit for him (or her) personally.

 

[Drago]

I was really referring to possibly requiring less effort as more power goes to the crank with the extra from the upstroke?

Very minimal, tiny improvement at best. Almost certainly not worth it for that alone.

 

[markemark]

As someone who used to commute in all weathers, 24/7, all year round, I can categorically state that it's indisputable that in the foulest of conditions the foot-pedal interface on flats is far from secure.

I still have the scars to prove it.

Of course, if Sloth doesnt participate in the sport of Extreme All Terrain Commuting there is probably little benefit for him (or her) personally.

London commuting in all conditions for a decade. Flats? Never been a problem. Proper ones though, not the plastic ones that come with.

 

[Profpointy]

I am very much a convert, primarily because it feels a bit more secure. To me at least, it seems to make pedalling a bit easier though others deny this. Grunting away from rest, as you need to do when commuting in town, it is decidedly safer as it reduces the risk of slipping. It is also noticeable uphill as feeling easier - but I personally don't think "pulling up" on the pedals is really a thing though. I also learned a lesson cycling down a rocky gully on a rather unsuitable touring but not mountain bike, where I unclipped in case I came off. Big mistake as my feet were flailing around. Would have been much safer clipped in, albeit I got away with it.

That said, others pooh-pooh them, but perhaps they are stronger and fitter than me so don't need any extra help.