cobrabyte

LOL! Very accurate observation.

khutch

I don't see where it is a safety issue. If you don't have clipless pedals you will not have the classic clipless pedal but forgot to unclip fall. I suppose if you did that in traffic you could end up under the wheels of a motor vehicle but by themselves I have never seen someone get injured by them. Once you get in the habit of unclipping, which you should do before commuting with clipless pedals, it won't be a problem. I ride clipless pedals exclusively on my recreational bike in all kinds of traffic conditions. I have platform pedals with plastic toe "clips" on my commuter which keep my feet where I want them fore and aft on the pedals well enough that I have never slipped off. My commuter is a folder which I use to bridge the gaps between a train line and my home and work so I ride it only about 8 miles total in a workday and those on quiet residential streets. At that level of riding I don't want to deal with clipless pedals because I just don't want to be bothered with bike shoes. At my previous job I would occasionally ride the 52 mile round trip on my other bike and keep a change of shoes in the trunk bag but for several reasons that is not an option now, the distance being much farther for one. I think there are reasons to prefer one kind of a pedal over another for commuting but they are detailed, personal reasons, not broad, general reasons like safety.

qclabrat

my clipless pedals are speedplays and older DAs but find them horrible for commuting

usually use platforms or toe clips because I have many on hand

mgw4jc

Do they make straps for clipless pedals? I may want to try those.

And I still don't know why they're called clipless when I have to clip in and clip out.

alan s 

None of this would have happened if the guys were just using platform pedals. Wake up, folks!

Leebo

I have never not unclipped from my shimano 520's. I use them off road. It is a poor biker who blames their equipment.

12strings

I use double-sided spd pedals with a flat pedal on the other side. Best of both worlds. since going from plain flats to these, I definitely feel safer and more in control when clipped in.

Being able to put down a foot quickly will not help you much in a high speed crash, only a low-speed one. I fell over one time when first learning how to use my new pedals...since then, it's been almost second nature.

SO MY SUMMARY:

1. So, for regular riding and worries about crashes at speed, I'd say clipped in Is safer because it gives most control without feet slipping from the pedals.

2. If you are practicing your track-stands, and are worried about falling over, then flat pedals are safer.

3. I can't imagine using old-fashioned straps. That's scary to me.

Squeeze

Same here. I'm not anti-clipless but I've never thought there was wrong with quality platform pedals or been motivated to spend money on different pedals and special shoes. Maybe one day, but right now I can't see a need to change how I've always ridden a bike.

cobrabyte

wow that looks like one intense commute!

cobrabyte

from the old toe clip days. no toe clips = clip'less'

Darth Lefty 

Never got a gash on my calf from clipless pedals...

TenSpeedV2

My switch to SPD M520's came from my mountain biking days. My shins and calves have the pedal bite marks to prove it. Get better pedals and shoes they said, get something pinned and a grippier shoe they said. I opted to go clipless, and have not looked back since. Riding fixed means you need retention of some sort, so SPD's were a no brainer. I have them on my fat bike as well, as I have grown accustomed to clipping in and out.

Adjusting to them was fairly easy. You may forget once that you are clipped in, but that is usually all it takes. Unclipping becomes second nature, and when I was mountain biking and wrecking, it was never because I was clipped in. I also managed to unclip every single time. Your brain figures it out quickly, and your muscles learn as well. It is no different than riding a bike to be honest. You don't have to think about pedaling, you just do it. Same when you go to stop and you naturally unclip.

79pmooney

But the flip side - how many crashes didn't happen with straps pulled tight because the rider knew he had no choice but to find a way to ride through the situation? I know I've ridden through my share. Knowing you cannot pull your foot out has a way of sharpening your focus. (Rode clips and straps exclusively until 2000. The vast majority of those miles was with deep traditional cleats and straps pulled tight. Last platform pedal was 1965.)

As far as injuries after crashing, ie unclipping or still clipped - those injuries are different but I am not sure that one is substantially better than the the other. More skin gets shed in strapped in crashes. I suspect the odds of the bike taking some impact for the rider is better still strapped in.

I don't think safety was very high in the thought process when clipless pedals appeared. As I recall, it was all about the float. LOOK pioneered float. Time and then Shimano followed a few years later. Until Shimano the focus was geared toward the racing crowd. I don't recall safety even being mentioned. Shimano stepped in and from then on, it was all about marketing. Then you heard about "safety" but how much of that talk was market driven? And certainly to the uninitiated, ie the untapped market, arguing that clipless was safer than toeclips and straps was an easy sell.

When I watch criteriums these days, I regularly see riders unclipping for crashes ahead of them and often not making that turn. There was a lot less of that 40 years ago. No one had time to loosen their straps! So it was "what do I do to get around this?" And often we found a way. And when we didn't? The level of carnage wasn't all that different.

Ben

seldomsean

The reason I prefer flat pedals with old fashion straps/clips isn't so much about safety as it is about wanting normal footwear to go about my daily buisness at work, the grocery store, and etc. Do those of you who commute with clipless pedals bring along other shoes to change into?

tjspiel

I keep a nicer pair nice shoes at work and change regardless of whether I'm riding clipless or platforms. The clipless shoes I use most often have recessed SPDs and are comfortable to wear and walk in almost anyplace.

I currently have 3 different bikes I commute on and a few different pedals that I rotate through. In the winter I use platforms with pins exclusively and that is what is on my winter bike. On the fixed gear I usually have "campus" pedals which are clipless on one side and platform on the other. I will use regular shoes for quick trips with it.

I also have a road bike and sometimes I have road pedals on it and sometimes I have campus pedals.

So the quick answer to your question is that I don't bring extra shoes with me.

kickstart

This debate seems to be a fairly common one where the advantages and disadvantages of foot retention get exaggerated. If you've never felt the need than its likely your riding style doesn't call for it.

AlTheKiller

I think clipless pedals are safer and more reliable, FOR CERTAIN RIDERS, and I feel that their "efficiency" benefit is negligible for MOST commuters.
For me, that locked in feeling is extremely reliable, I can trust my feet, my bike, and my handling skills (which aren't much). That, coupled with the stiff soled cycling shoes just keeps everything exactly where I need it, all the time. and in a panic "tip over" situation I unclip subconsciously. Even if I thought I might get that "tip over because I can't clip out" situation (which has only happened the first day I had clipless pedals, like ten years ago), I'd still rather have a slow/no speed tip over then bash my youknowwhats on the top tube because a stupid platform pedal flipped over when I shifted gears.

There's no absolutes in this, it's all personal preference. But I believe if you are a competent cyclist, have good balance and forethought, and just a week or two experience with the clipless, clipless is safer every time. It doesn't make them necessary, though. I just built up my beater bike with platforms and I've been loving riding it, and have hung up my nicer biked with clipless for awhile. But I definitely have those moments where I don't trust the platforms and I have to stop pedaling or reposition my foot and make sure I won't slip off before a certain maneuver. Something I never have to do with Clipless.

Toe cages are horrible, though. They keep your foot locked in kinda, but give no emergency exit procedure unless you keep them so loose that they don't do anything for your pedal stroke.

AlTheKiller

That's the biggest downside to clipless, IMO. Though my Fizik MTB shoes are very walkable, and I've literally been into fancy restaurants, then out to bars afterwards with people not noticing until the end of the night when they saw me hop on my bike. But I'll usually opt to throw my flat/lightweight canvas shoes (I have some knock off Tom's style shoes called BOBS which work well for this, lol) in a pannier if I want to walk more like a normal person. I keep work shoes at work, so don't worry about that. I can pop into stores and friend's houses just fine, and even do a short hike if I want on the MTB shoes.

noglider 

I am safer with my cleats than without, but that speaks of only one person and doesn't say anything about anyone else. It is not a safety issue. I'm safer with them because I'm used to them. If I weren't used to them, I'd be better off without them.

It really doesn't matter. Use whatever you like. Getting other people's opinions on this matter is not likely to help make your decision.

I have those pedals that I call one-sided that others call double-sided. Why do they call them double sided when nothing is doubled? They accept a cleat on one side and not on the other. So today, I rode with plain old shoes because I'm riding over snow and ice and also because they are warmer than my cleated shoes. I didn't slip off, so it's safe enough for me.

tjspiel

There is a definite terminology problem when it comes to clipless pedals.

caloso

I generally feel safer when I have more control over my bike so I prefer clipless pedals in most situations. But it's no big deal to treat SPD-SL pedals like platforms for a short mellow ride. I do it all the time when I don't fee like changing out of my dress shoes. I'd just recommend against leather soled shoes, though.

BobbyG

All it needs is an airbag and blind spot sensors!

tjspiel

Say what you will but the Huffy of old definitely knew how to think outside the box. The attention to detail was admirable. Notice how the rear reflector could swivel making sure it would be properly aligned even if you were doing an extended wheely.

wolfchild

I have two bikes set up as fixed gear. One has toe clips and straps and the other one has pinned BMX pedals. Riding fixed gear with toe clips and straps is a lot safer, but I also don't have a problem riding fixed gear without foot retention as long as the gear ratio is low and I am not riding too fast... I have a lot of stops, I run errands and walk a lot so I hate cycling shoes and I hate any type of cycling specific kit. Platform pedals are easiest and most convenient to use for my style of riding.

downwinded

Just put some Tioga D-Spyder platforms on my commuter. I use the plastic toe clips (no straps). I only put 3 pins in the top of the pedal and 2 pins in the bottom. I think, because of the length of these pedals, that it feels like my shoe is almost attached to the pedal. I mean it doesn't move. By only using 3 pins it is super easy to slip my foot into the clip. They are a definite improvement over the stock cage pedals. I just like being able to ride in whatever shoes I'm wearing.