Toe Clips

[Munch]

Hey everyone,

This is only my second week of cycling but I'm loving it. I'm thinking about getting some toe clips to make things a bit easier on myself. My bike is pretty junkie and I don't have the money to buy or the bravery to try clipless pedals. I was thinking getting some toe clips first would be a good place to start. Any kinds you ladies would suggest? Any advice is very welcome!

Thanks!

[malkin]

Get something that your shoe will fit into.

[Crankin]

Toe clips are scarier than clipless pedals, in my mind.

[Munch]

Toe clips are scarier than clipless pedals, in my mind.

How so?

[Crankin]

Well, with the traditional kind of toe clips, you have to reach down with your hand and release straps, to get out of the cages. To me, that's a lot more coordination than twisting my foot out of a cleat! I know that some people use the cages without the straps, but I am not sure if this works well.
Have you thought about getting Power Grips? They are basically a velcro strap that you slide your foot into. You get out of the strap by using the same motion as you would use in clipless pedals. My friend, who said she would never use clipless, got these, and within 6 months had clipless pedals. It was a good intermediate step.

[goldfinch]

I use Powergrips part of the time on my hybrid. I like them well enough.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41PUvJb8kgL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Grips-Sport-Pedal-Strap/dp/B001FYGGLC/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1338595991&sr=1-1

Another possibility is to get "half" clips that don't use straps, for example:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41uuFusRBrL._AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Zefal-Cristophe-Mountain-Bicycle-Clips/dp/B000JDZQ0W/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1338595850&sr=1-2

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JMTVDWX7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Bicycle-Strapless-Toe-Clips/dp/B000FSQQMS/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1338595850&sr=1-1

[Munch]

goldfinch:
I was looking at these on amazon myself and these are actually what I was talking about when I said toe clips. Are these very good? Do you know anyone who uses them?

[goldfinch]

goldfinch:
I was looking at these on amazon myself and these are actually what I was talking about when I said toe clips. Are these very good? Do you know anyone who uses them?


I know one person who uses the mini toe clips and loves them. He rides a lot of miles. He likes them because he can get his feet out quickly yet they still provide some stabilization for his feet. I've never tried them so I just don't know. They would be easier to use than the Powergrips.

[Munch]

Yeah, but my my reason for getting them is to help pull up when I'm pedaling and I just don't know if the mini toe clips will be rigid enough to help me with that. Also from what I'm seeing on amazon, the powergrips are screwed on to the pedal, I haven't see any of the velcro ones that were mentioned.

[lovelygamer]

This is a fascinating thread. I've never seen special pedals up close, only read about them. I was curious too.

[Artista]

I stopped using clipless pedals and went back to traditional toe clips this spring. The way I use toe clips is much easier than clipless since I don't cinch the straps down. They're just loose enough to get my feet in and out. The clips help keep my feet straight and centered on the pedals and keep my feet from bouncing off the pedals when I ride over big bumps and during rough shifts. I obviously don't use them to pull back or up on the pedals since I keep the straps relatively loose. I didn't notice any loss of power when I switched from clipless but I also spent last winter building a lot more muscle.

[Artista]

I just read the post about pulling up on the pedals. The huge majority of our power is generated during the downstroke. There is very little to be gained by pulling up and can actually interfere with the downstroke. With that being said, I did occasionally pull back and up with clipless pedals to give my most used leg muscles a break when I got tired. But I don't even miss that break now that I'm a whole log stronger.

[shootingstar]

I have the last 2 illustrated toe clips or toe cups for middle one on my bikes.

http://thirdwavecyclingblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/businesswear.jpg You have to look abit hard at my feet area in this year's photo.

Another recent photo. I probably look too "cycling" oriented. But honest, I have little interest in clipless....after um, last 20 yrs. of cycling. Howeve on the other side, I have no interest in cycling just high heels, dress shoes or my walking shoes.

I've gone bike touring for several weeks, etc. Yes, they keep feet from slipping off pedals and provide a lever to get up hills.

[goldfinch]

Also from what I'm seeing on amazon, the powergrips are screwed on to the pedal, I haven't see any of the velcro ones that were mentioned.

They aren't velcro. You put your foot in at a slight angle and then straighten the foot out, resulting in the Powergrips holding your foot tight. I actually loosened the left foot grip for ease of getting in and out of the Powergrip. Right now I am not using them but I may go back to using them on my hybrid. Or not.

[rivergal]

Another vote for PowerGrips. I use them on my road bike, my sis uses them on hers, and my brother uses them on his commuter bike. They give you more power than cages, not quite as much as clipless, but good enough. They are also kinder to my knees, which need all the help they can get!

[Zen]

Goldfinch- I use those half clips on the bike I ride on the bumpy towpath mainly to keep my feet from slipping off of the pedal. They screw into the bottom and they're just fine. Like someone else said, most of your stroke power is generated when you're pushing down.

read about it here
http://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=45

[Berrybiker]

I found these at the Philadelphia Bike Expo last fall:

http://urbanvelo.org/hold-fast-frs-review-straps-for-bmx-pedals/

They were designed for BMX riders but they can be used for every-day riding. They do work best with BMX pedals, but I was looking for new pedals anyway and I wasn't quite ready to go clipless yet. I had already replaced the stock saddle on my purple Vita elite with a brittish racing green Brooks B17 saddle, and there were these bright purple straps with lime green piping...how could I resist ;)???

It took me awhile to change my pedals and get these on, but I have been using them for about month now. I can't really compare, since I haven't tried clips or clipless or power grips, but so far I like the hold fast straps. They hold my foot on the pedals well and I have no problems getting my foot out when I need to. When I stop, I leave the left foot strapped in and slide my right foot out. When I start off again I sometimes have to reach down and rearrange the strap to get my right foot back in, but I am getting better at it as I practice. Most of the time I can now get my right foot back in without having to look or reach down. I started out with the staps fairly loose but tightened them as I grew more comfortable with them.

And I do think they look cool on my bike:):):) - I haven't taken pictures yet, but I will try to post some soon.

[Crankin]

Sorry for saying the Power Grips are velcro. They are not.
But, what everyone else said about them is exactly what my friend said.
All I know is that when I first started riding, DH bought me some toe clips, thinking they would be a transition between flat pedals and clip less. I took one look at them and said "send them back." When I got my first road bike, he put the dual sided SPDs on, and I had little issue learning. I am not particularly coordinated (quite the opposite), but I took a "planful" approach, and after about 3 weeks of practicing with each foot clipped in, but one resting on top of the pedal, riding round neighborhoods with flat streets, and getting the muscle memory down, off I went.
I don't think Power Grips were around back then, but I might have tried them, if they had been.

[Catrin]

I tried to go clipless within 2 months of learning how to ride and failed, I went back to BMX pedals for another 6 months and tried it again. The second time the transition was seamless and I had no problems outside of mechanical problems with the cleats. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have had the same problem with toe clips that first time.

This is your decision to make, but if you are just learning how to ride, you might want to consider giving your body time to develop a strong muscle memory related to cycling, especially starting and stopping. There is nothing wrong with sticking with a quality set of BMX or other platform pedals for the time being - and you can ride a gazillion miles on them, I certainly did. With the right shoe/pedal combination there isn't a problem keeping your feet on the pedals.

You don't HAVE to be attached to your pedals to be a cyclist, and don't let anyone tell you that (I did when I was learning). I literally rode all day long with BMX pedals, and was more confident in climbing with them than I am with my clipless pedals but I think I may finally be getting over that. You will need to decide what is best for you, and I think that we have covered all possible types of pedals in this thread :)

[Owlie]

I'm another who skipped the cages and went straight to clipless. To me, they were more dangerous because (in theory) clipless pedals will release if you crash, whereas you may end up breaking bones in cages because you're pretty much stuck. The other thing for me was that the movement required to get out of cages didn't feel natural.

That said, take some more time to get used to your bike and build the muscle memory to stop smoothly consistently before you consider attaching yourself to your pedals in any way. You don't need to be stuck to your pedals to be a cyclist.

[soprano]

When I tried them one winter so I could wear nice shoes everyday, I found clips/cages to be a bit more hazardous than clipless. My experience was that I needed a lot more time to disengage from the clips. This was a problem in emergency stop situations. One would think that you could just let the cage hang down and pedal on the flat side of the pedal when necessary, but they would strike the ground on even gentle turns and cause balance and handling problems. In November of that year I couldn't get out of my pedal at a stop, fell, sprained my wrist and was off of the bike until February.

I also discovered that I tend to pull back on my clipless pedals during the bottom portion of the stroke, as if I were scraping my feet on a doormat. With clips, that portion of my stroke was useless. So for some of us clipless really is more efficient.

I think that sticking to platform pedals for a while is a good idea. Most cyclists seem to go through a nasty fall or two when they switch, but I waited to go clipless after I hit the 1,000 mile mark and had zero problems. There are some very nice platform pedals available if you want to get away from the cheap plastic ones that came with the bike.

[laura*]

There are some very nice platform pedals available if you want to get away from the cheap plastic ones that came with the bike.

I doubt her bike has plastic pedals. From her other post describing the bike's brake levers, I think she's riding a 25 to 35 year old bike. That means she probably has steel rat-trap style pedals.

[malkin]

I have these on my Bike Friday:
http://www.amazon.com/Eleven81-Leather-Clips-Straps-Brown/dp/B002ISBYJ8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1338669425&sr=8-3

I don't tighten the straps.
If my shoes have bumpy soles I have to wiggle a little to get them in.

[Munch]

Lots of good info. I think I'm going to hold off on straps/clips until I'm more efficient at cycling as a few of you have said. Seems like the best bet as I'm still a little wobbly on my bike.

Thanks everyone! :)

[featuretile]

I also use the mini toe clips (with no straps). They keep my foot in position and I can pull up somewhat. It is as easy to get out of as having nothing. It feels very weird to ride with no toe clips and foot sliding around. But, I still have a resistance to going clipless. Especially since I have just recovered from an accident and don't know what other damage would have happened if I had been in clipless pedals. Cycling friends had almost convinced me to try clipless pedals before the accident.....

[jyyanks]

Those mini toe clips look real interesting! For those of you who own a pair, what size shoe are you and what size toe clip did you get? I'm considering the Zefals and am a size 7.0-7.5. Thanks!

[chatnoire]

I stopped using clipless pedals and went back to traditional toe clips this spring. The way I use toe clips is much easier than clipless since I don't cinch the straps down. They're just loose enough to get my feet in and out. The clips help keep my feet straight and centered on the pedals and keep my feet from bouncing off the pedals when I ride over big bumps and during rough shifts.

This is what I did all last year on my old Raleigh. It worked fine, and I felt safe getting in and out of them. I'll see if I can snap a pic tomorrow when it is light.

[shootingstar]

Those mini toe clips look real interesting! For those of you who own a pair, what size shoe are you and what size toe clip did you get? I'm considering the Zefals and am a size 7.0-7.5. Thanks!

Believe me, it's not such a big deal that people are making it to be. I've been cycling in such toe clips for the last.......20 yrs. I don't use straps at all. I have tried them, when borrowing other people's bikes and yes, straps makes it a tiny bit harder to disengage (to me).

My bike is my transportation, so I have to be able to do this all in 1 trip, cycle up and down hills with groceries, before that do a fitness cycle and walk around in stores. Stop at intersections with such loads..in town, etc.

I've gone on multi-week long bike trips with full loads also with mini toe clips. Some trips we had to do 60-100kms. each day. And in the rain for several hrs.

But then maybe I'm a freda. :)

[Catrin]

...But, I still have a resistance to going clipless. Especially since I have just recovered from an accident and don't know what other damage would have happened if I had been in clipless pedals. Cycling friends had almost convinced me to try clipless pedals before the accident.....

You don't have to go clipless to be a cyclist :) Do what makes you feel more comfortable and confident. That being said, most cleats (especially SPD) will automatically unclip when you fall. I fell/crashed a LOT during my first attempt to go clipless when I first learned how to ride - and my SPD cleats automatically unclipped every time - I have long since moved to Speedplay Frogs but I remember that weekend quite well. I assume all cleat/pedal systems do that but I do not know from experience and am far from an expert.

[malkin]

You don't have to go clipless to be a cyclist :) Do what makes you feel more comfortable and confident.

This.
And remember that everything will change all the time.

[shootingstar]

It's not a good thing if we want to encourage more cycling for more women in critical mass nubmers, to give them the impression that to become long-time, dedicated and experienced, but non-competitive cyclist, that one has to be clipless.

Not right. Misleading.

We have to get over this misleading clipless requirement.

[featuretile]

The mini toe clips come in 2 sizes. I had the M-L at first and they were too big - did not have my foot in the right place on the pedal. Then I got the Small size. It is perfect. My shoe size is 7.5 - 8.

Although some people on this site say that clipless pedals release when you fall, I am not sure about that. When I saw a physical therapist for my broken finger, she told me that she had seen several cyclists that week who had broken their wrists because the clipless pedals did not release. I have heard that they release when you are going fast, but not slow. I also know of someone with a terrible ankle brake because they did not release. I am guessing that different brands release easier than others. Also, there is some kind of tension setup that could be different even with the same clips.

So, which kind of clipless pedals always release when you fall?

[Catrin]

...

So, which kind of clipless pedals always release when you fall?

In my experience the SPD always unclipped when I fell - and I fell a LOT with those pedals, and they were all slow or slower falls. I had to move on from those since my knees didn't like them. I've only fallen twice with my Speedplay Frogs, once they released and the second time one didn't...but that might not have been the Frogs fault. I had a "Hey Vern, watch THIS" moment :o

[Artista]

My SPD's also always unclipped when I fell but I used the multi directional cleats and kept the pedals on the lightest tension setting. I'm not sure how easily the standard cleats with heavier pedal tension would unclip in a fall.

[Catrin]

My SPD's also always unclipped when I fell but I used the multi directional cleats and kept the pedals on the lightest tension setting. I'm not sure how easily the standard cleats with heavier pedal tension would unclip in a fall.

Good point. Since I didn't keep that first pair of cleats/pedals I am unsure if they were mufti directional or not. Knowing my LBS they were, but I can't swear to it...