-
I agree with SalsaMTB. I too had been riding on the road with clipless pedals for years before starting to mountain bike last summer. I started out with clipless on my mtb and did fine with them. I did have a little trouble clipping in on the second foot on rough trails, but after switching from Eggbeater Candies to Speedplay Frogs, I no longer have that problem. There have been a couple of times when I started to fall and *almost* couldn't clip out in time, but I've always managed to. The other falls I've taken were so quick that I couldn't have put a foot down to break my fall even with flat pedals. Clipless will give you a lot more leverage on the climbs, so I wouldn't bother going any other way since you're already used to them; they'll feel second nature to you.
Emily
-
Keep with the clipless
I'm a roadie too that just ocnverted to MTBing. The BF thought I might want to start out with regular pedals but I insisted we put my Speedplay Frogs on and haven't regretted it.
It was a little harder to unclip than being on the road but it's doable.
Jeni