Unclipping
Barbara found a piece by Grant Petersen asserting that the benefits to using clipless pedals and cycling shoes are largely illusory, and that there are tangible benefits of not using these devices.
Being retrogrouchy myself, though not, perhaps, to the same degree as Grant or Barbara, I listened to Barbara's summary, then went back to read the article myself.
As an aside, I think the term retrogrouch was coined by the cycling community, but the Urban Dictionary allows it to be applied more generally. I realized that there's a certain retrogrouchiness about my black terminal window, command pipelines, text-based email client, and text editor. But back to the actual topic...
Repeitive stress injury, Barbara intones ominously. Bad knees!
Okay, my knees crackle a bit, and there was that time we thought Barbara was going to have to summon the Coast Guard to pluck me of the cliffs on the Cornwall coastline, but on the whole I don't think my knees are that bad.
What's more, I think Grant overstates the risk of repetitive stress injury as a result of clipless pedals, at least with regard to knees. Even if my feet move around a little, my knees are still doing the same thing and undergoing the same stresses over and over. The trick is keeping the knees aligned with the feet, and this is more about proper frame size and seat height than about being clipped in. So basically, [citation needed].
What I tend to agree with, though, is the idea that special clothes are not required for day-to-day riding. Today, I commuted in regular shorts, a cotton t-shirt, and shoes with no cleats. In fact, I took extra care not to kill myself, or treat my commute like a time trial. I used a lower gear, spent more time coasting, and didn't not actively overtake other cyclists like I usually do. The result wasn't too surprising: I got to work in about the same amount of time.
I have developed the habit of wearing cycling-specific clothes to commute in, like a wicking jersey and cycling shoes and shorts, figuring, since I'm going to change clothes anyway, I might as well wear clothes designed for the activity. Well, my Brooks saddle is more comfortable without the chamois between it and me, at least for six miles, about the distance of my commute, so why bother with shorts? Eliminating cycling shoes means I don't have to carry shoes to change into (or keep a pair in my locker), which makes the logistical gymnastics simpler—a good thing.
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