Originally Posted by
Ironfish653
Are we doing this again?
Seems like every few months somebody discovers a ‘ Hidden Truth’ about clipless pedals to confirm their preference for flats, and the rest of us are either industry dupes, or subjecting ourselves to unnecessary risk.
I agree this is a pointless argument, but I come at it from the opposite side--I literally can't use clipless because of a congenital defect in my right ankle. I should probably qualify that--I won't use them because I used toe clips when I was a teenager, and the stress on pulling up caused my ankle to become incredibly painful, I simply am not willing to run the experiment with clipless, especially because I know walking in the shoes even for a short distance would also probably wreck my ankles. So, I have been riding platform pedals for all of my life and I'm now 59.
Long story short, I see a lot of claims about the supposed inefficiencies and hazards of platforms (slipping off, bad feet placement, etc.) that I know from very long experience are not really valid, at least for me. As you say, a lot of these threads are platform users seeking to confirm their preferences, but I submit that there's at least as much energy put out there by people trying to confirm their own preferences for "clipless."
Use what you like and what you feel safe/comfortable on. I have no reason to care about it. I will counter BS I hear about platforms, but since I've never used clipless and never will, I really don't have a valid opinion on whether they're "better".