Going back to unclipped (cages) from clips

[Owlie]

Clipless, IMHO, is completely not worth it on a commute/errand bike or if you ride in urban areas. There's not enough open road to get the benefits of clipless, but you get all the hassles of having to clip in and out, and you have to do it more often. Plus the shoe thing. I use SPDs, so I can walk around just fine, but it would necessitate bringing a second pair of shoes.

I'd put clipless on a fun-only road bike in a heartbeat, but probably just BMX pedals on an errand bike. I should add, though, that I went straight from platforms to clipless. The movement necessary to get out of cages is not exactly intuitive for me, and would probably have been more dangerous.

[ZenBiker]

I agree there's no real need for clipless for most commuter/errand bikes (though there are some folks with long enough commutes to be an exception!). I chose to be clipless on both my road and commuter bike just because I want clipping out to be pure reflex. I don't want my brain to have to jump through the "which bike am I on?" hoop before reacting in a tight spot. Others may have more nimble minds. Plus having gotten comfortable with clipless, I do prefer them to platforms now even on short trips. But preferring and needing are two different things, and no one needs to feel like they have to use clipless.

[featuretile]

I use platforms with half toe clips (no strap). They are easy to get into and feel like there is nothing obstructing getting out. I have never fallen because I could not get out, so I don't have any anxiety. I also tore my ACL skiing some years ago, and don't want to risk re-injury.

First, I used plain athletic shoes, but people in the club kept telling me about how much more power you have with a stiff sole. So, I bought a pair of cycling shoes at a PI outlet store and use them with the half toe clips, but no cleat. It is also easier to walk in them. The mountain bike soles are a little too thick to fit well in the half toe clips. Anyway, that worked even better then the athletic shoes. So, that's my recommendation.