In order to have a better understanding of how cyclists rode BITD, I tried this again, only this time putting on some proper pedals, with Christophe toe clips, and took another spin on my short test course. The pedals worked well with the vintage Vittoria shoes, and I can see why serious cyclists rode with such an arrangement. They do let you pull thru at the bottom of the pedal stroke; much better than platform pedals. However, not surprisingly, they are not convenient for local riding, where there is more need to get in and out of the toe clips. Getting in them especially was a pain in the ass. Sure, I might get better with time, but it was a real distraction while pulling away from a stop. I can see why clipless pedals caught on, especially SPDs (my clipless pedals of choice). I may go for a longer, open-road ride with this setup sometime, just for the Hey of it, but for now, I reinstalled my half-clip pedals and will ride that bike with no cleats on my shoes.