The main advantage of the toe clips without straps (or without them tightened), compared to flat pedals, is that your feet can’t accidentally slip off the pedals. And you can keep your usual walking shoes with them. To someone unfamiliar with clip-in pedals I would recommend toe-clips without straps as an efficient compromise.

After a little practice, it becomes second nature and is just as quick as without. I do a lot of mountain biking on technical trails and rarely feel unsafe due to my clip-in pedals!

Unless you tighten the toe clips up once you get moving, you’ll find that you won’t be able to ‘pull up’ as much as if you use a product like the Powergrips. Alternatively, a grippy flat pedal with a large platform tends to feel more comfortable (and just as secure) as a toe clip system.

You’re correct – definitely a stiffer sole on cycling shoes. As for the weight, cycling shoes may be lighter than hiking shoes, but definitely not lighter than running shoes!

We actually don’t carry hiking shoes anymore – they just weren’t getting enough use. Instead we carry running shoes because they save a bunch of space and weight.

I’d suggest that the rotation weight and sole stiffness of a shoe would be pretty minimal factors on a loaded touring bike. With power grips, I’d recommend picking a shoe that you will find better to use off the bike, rather than on. If you’re a big hiker, take the boots.