I'm so glad you found a pedal you like, and it's working out for you. Kudos for sticking with it through the first, jittery rides. Once you are accustomed to riding with clipless pedals, I'm betting you'll agree that having that secure foothold gives you far greater control on the bike, and allows you to harness the power of the pedal stroke, for a faster, smoother ride. Snapping in and out will become second nature, even in urban areas of dense traffic. If I'm going from stoplight to stoplight and the distance is short, I often will ride with my left foot just resting on the pedal and not clipped in. However, it's kind of hard to do that - just pedaling will make my cleat engage.

The advise I got about which foot to leave attached was to alway leave your dominant foot clipped in. For me, that's the right leg - it's the one I want to push off with when I mount the bike. Also, leaving my right foot clipped means I never get the greasy chain "tattoos" on my calf!

Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy your Speedplays -
Mary