Are toe clips and straps really that bad?

[kb]

I found toe clips could be annoying with some pannier types (low heel clearance)

[twowheels]

Quick question for those still riding them. What type of shoes do you normally wear with them?

Whatever I happen to be wearing, that is why I like them.
Don't often wear safety boots on the bike, but I can. Usually just runners, dress for the destination.

[ball bearing]

I recall having to loosen the strap anytime it looked as though there was a situation coming up where I might need to slow down or stop. That was very annoying. It was also a drag to reach down and tighten the strap after every single take off.

I used to wear really lightweight court shoes when I used toe clips. I raced many guys wearing stiff soled bike shoes without any noticeable disadvantage.

I love my clipless pedals.

[P!N20]

I recall having to loosen the strap anytime it looked as though there was a situation coming up where I might need to slow down or stop. That was very annoying. It was also a drag to reach down and tighten the strap after every single take off.

This amazes me. Unless you are racing (and if you are you don't need to stop all that often) I don't see why you need to have them that tight. I have mine 'snug' so I can get my foot in and out easily while still allowing me to pull up on the pedals. Right foot probably a touch tighter as that usually stays put for the duration of my journey.

But not arguing the benefits of clipless pedals, they are certainly on point when it comes to putting the power down.

[mikesbytes]

It does depend on your pedal stroke, if you are driving predominantly with the quads then how you are attached to the pedal is going to make a lot less difference than if your pedal stroke uses more of the other muscles. Hence some will notice little difference and others will find the difference much bigger

[uart]

Quick question for those still riding them. What type of shoes do you normally wear with them?

Whatever I happen to be wearing, that is why I like them.
Don't often wear safety boots on the bike, but I can. Usually just runners, dress for the destination.

I've got quite a few pairs of older pedals that I'm not currently using, mostly this kinda thing.


The problem that I had is that when I started riding longer distances with regular shoes (like joggers) the rear of the pedal would cut into the sole. Over time this was uncomfortable and wore out shoes quickly.

Now that I ride mostly with cleated (clipless) pedals I'm thinking of putting a pair of those old toeclip pedals back onto one of my bikes (probably my old beater) so that I can ride it with regular shoes. My thinking is that if I just used them for shorter rides (still use my clipless pedals for longer rides) that the "shoe issue" might not be so acute. At the moment I really just want to be able to ride to the gym without having to carry a change of shoes - that type of thing.

I do have a set of dual sided SPD pedals (regular flat pedals on the other side) that I've been using with joggers, but they're annoying without toeclips. Or maybe I should get new pedals for this purpose. Ones that wont cut into my shoes so much. Maybe some cheapies like these:
https://www.mrcyclingworld.com.au/catal ... nd-straps/

[RonK]

I've got quite a few pairs of older pedals that I'm not currently using, mostly this kinda thing.


The problem that I had is that when I started riding longer distances with regular shoes (like joggers) the rear of the pedal would cut into the sole. Over time this was uncomfortable and wore out shoes quickly.

You are meant to use slotted cleats with these pedals.

[uart]

You are meant to use slotted cleats with these pedals.

Yep I know that. That is exactly what I used to have back in the day when I rode a lot on those things. But I no longer have those old shoes (well I do but that are totally worn out) and I have no desire to use them anymore anyway. All I want is something to use for short casual trips in regular shoes.

[uart]

Whatever I happen to be wearing, that is why I like them.
Don't often wear safety boots on the bike, but I can. Usually just runners, dress for the destination.

Just a heads up twowheels, your images are not visible to me in firefox, so I didn't even notice that they were there (as would be the case for at least 50% of other members) until I replied with quote and notice the links.

Those are webp images (a proprietary Google format), and only visible from Chrome based browsers. Just wondering what app/tool you are using to upload/host those photos? Is it Google Drive or something else? Did you know that you can use Google Photos and it will link them as jpg so that everyone can see them.

Like this:

[RonK]

All I want is something to use for short casual trips in regular shoes.

Short casual trips? As previously posted, use flat pedals and fixie straps.

[uart]

Short casual trips? As previously posted, use flat pedals and fixie straps.

Thanks Ron. I'd seen those thing around but TBH I didn't even know what they were called.

What do you think of the idea of those cheap plastic pedals I linked before? They look like they do the job ok as well.

[eeksll]

why so keen on having a cage for rides to the gym?

On my commutes I kept my SPD's mainly due to more grip between the shoe and pedal, particularly in wet conditions (spd shoes also dry quicker).

last few years I discovered "proper" flat pedals like these and my shoes don't slip at all. Now for all my commutes I pretty much wear normal shoes just for the simple reason its easier to walk to the office after locking the bike (and usually running/gym training after work).

still wear the spds when wet, as they dry quicker and I want to walk into the office with a dry pair of shoes so people dont see my changing socks at my desk

[twowheels]

Whatever I happen to be wearing, that is why I like them.
Don't often wear safety boots on the bike, but I can. Usually just runners, dress for the destination.

Just a heads up twowheels, your images are not visible to me in firefox, so I didn't even notice that they were there (as would be the case for at least 50% of other members) until I replied with quote and notice the links.

Those are webp images (a proprietary Google format), and only visible from Chrome based browsers. Just wondering what app/tool you are using to upload/host those photos? Is it Google Drive or something else? Did you know that you can use Google Photos and it will link them as jpg so that everyone can see them.

Like this:

Used google photos to google+, seemed to be what the instruction thread said to do.

[uart]

why so keen on having a cage for rides to the gym?

It's still a moderately long ride. I'm just so used to riding with either cleats or straps that I just find it annoying to ride any kind of distance without them.

I have been using SPD the ones like below, that have flats on the other side. Ridden them upside down with joggers a few times but just don't like the feeling.

[uart]

Used google photos to google+, seemed to be what the instruction thread said to do.

Ok I just tested it with google+. It lets you right click and select "copy image address" from the small (tile) view but not the full page image, is that correct. Anyway, when I did it that way it gave me a link that said ".jpg" but was in reality a ".webp" file. So yeah, not visible in most browsers.

Why do you even need to use google+, try instead just copying the link directly from google photos. Yeah it gives a horrible long looking link, but it works fine. Just make sure that set up a shared folder first (in google photos). Make a folder to put the images in, and then set that folder's properties to shared. Also, in google photos you should click on the photo so that it displays full page (rather than tiled) and then do the "copy image address" thing.