Forum member
79pmooney swears the old slotted cleats and leather straps were and still are the bees knees. (Okay, maybe I shouldn't put words into his mouth. But I believe that's what he'll swear, based on many of his posts.) Of course, he also chooses to ride a fixed gear up and down long, steep Oregon hills. A guy who carries an extra fixed gear cog or two and the tool to change them on his hub, a century after the derailler was invented, is probably the only kind of guy who will shun clipless pedals (assuming some kind of retention is called for).
Don't get me wrong--I have some fixed gear and single speed bikes, and I ride them often, on flat-ish terrain. I also have some flat pedals with straps and plastic cages that I use with everyday shoes. I like them as a compromise between bike-specific shoes/clipless pedals and no foot retention. In more extreme riding situations, especially big elevation changes, I don't see why anyone would shun deraillers (or an IGH, or pinion gearbox... something that lets you shift on the fly just by moving a lever). And I fail to understand why anyone would still want 100 year old technology for foot retention, when modern clipless pedals are
so good.
Luddites, amiright?