Toe Clips

[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.

[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.

[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-r...or-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.

[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.

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.

[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.