Big thanks to everyone who replied. Learned a lot here, the bottom line for me that I might be disappointed if I expect a huge performance benefit from switching to clipless.
I might try the cheap clipped cages just for fun, but I think the main message on this thread is clear and I won't expect miracles. 😁
Other options I might consider in the future is to upgrade the gears for a better gear ratio. I am currently using 50/34T compact on the front and 11-32t on the rear. Haven't checked what's available for flat bars, remember seeing in the past something like 50t - ??? - 26t on the front and 11—34t, should give me ~40% of extra torque.
Last edited by alexk_il; 06-06-22 at 06:57 AM.