BigSteev said:
I don't think that that was anyone's intention. I believe that it was more a case of arguing that they're not essential and in some (in my view many) cases they're not the most practical solution overall. Most cycle journeys are relatively short (commutes, to the shops/pub etc), often involve a reasonable amount of walking at the destination, in urban areas will encounter frequent stops (assuming a lack of rljing) etc etc, and in these cases I'm not convinced that clipless pedals are the best solution. But I feel that there are a lot of voices out there that would still advocate their use for these journeys and lots of newer cyclists are only hearing these opinions and that is what I feel is the point that was trying to be highlighted.
and that is basically where I'm coming from.
I tried clipless, possibly not enough to satisfy the advocates, but enough to make me change back to flats. The experiment cost me £120 and I don't lightly spend that sort of money, so it was given a serious go. I did find hill climbing easier, but not earth shatteringly so. I fell off a bike, clipless moment, for the first time. I also knackered my right knee and was off riding for nearly 3 weeks. Accept that the injury will be due to cleat position. But most of all I hated the feeling of being clipped in, I also hated not being able to hop on my bike in any shoes.
As said already, if I was a different type of cyclist then I believe clipless would be a requirement. My priority, at present, is utility and so flats will do me fine. I do have some powergrips and quite fancy these but I go the standard size and they don't fit my clodhoppers. When I get round to it I'll try to trade them for the longer version.