Technically you can do a bunny hop without being clipped in -- I've been told, and I've seen it. But it sure doesn't hurt to be able to pull up with your pedals!

I've done bunny hops before, but never over anything, so I guess that doesn't count =P And it's been a couple of years.

I don't know how climbing gyms compare; my 5.10 may be your 5.7. I'm just psyched to be climbing. There was a time when I thought I'd never be able to.

I started with clipless because of ego. I switched to flats for a while when I realized I was agonizing about them to the point where I rarely cleared obstacles (indecision about whether to be in or out would lead to me bumping up an obstacle without enough momentum to clear). Eventually I missed the ability to pedal both sides of the stroke, so I switched back to clipless, but a style that I thought would allow me to use them as flats when necessary. As it turns out, I slide in and out of them so easily that I never, ever clip out before an obstacle; if something happens and I'm falling, it's smooth as silk to get out, and I've never felt trapped.

They're the Shimano (SPD) PD-M647

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/cont..._mountain.html

Not for weight weenies or people with tight budgets ... but I love them so much I've kept them (the same pair) across three bikes.