I found everything in that manifesto to be true for me. I rode cross country on flats for years. I did one season of technical riding with clipless pedals. I spent that entire season worrying about whether I was going to be able to get my feet off the pedals in time and avoiding features that I rock on flats. The "fun factor" is back now that I'm on flats again.

Any new riders out there who would like to buy my SPD's?