I've only been riding for a year and a half, mountain biking for less than that. I've never tried clipless.
My friend got me some toe clips for my birthday this year, and I put them on my hybrid.
I really liked them, and was quite proud of never having fallen in them, when I had my first fall. Just forgot I was in them when I stopped, and toppled over onto the grass laughing.
The next time I fell wasn't funny, and scared me out of using them- I've taken them off the hybrid and gone back to platforms.
I was trying out a new route and changed my mind and decided to go back the way I'd come, and started to turn around. But a car was coming, so I stopped to wait and forgot I had my feet in the clips. I was at the top of an asphalt driveway with a steep downhill slope, and fell that way.
It hurt so bad I had to just stand for a while and wait for the pain to ease off so I could ride again. I still have some spectacular bruises all over my right side, and my knee is very sore to put weight on (kneeling or crawling up on a tailgait or something).
I never tried the toe clips on the mountain bike, because I still just simply fall over sometimes- in sand or mud, or when trying to climb a steep slope- would you have time to unclip in those cases?
vickie