steve-in-kville 

I just found a new pair of these in a box of parts. I've been toying with the idea of trying clipless pedals but cannot justify the bucks right now. After all this rain is through I may spin these toe clips on a try them for a few days.

Is anyone commuting full-time with toe clips? There has to be a following since they are still being made.

Medic Zero

Not seeing a picture, but I'm assuming these are the ones with a plastic cage over your toes and a cloth strap over the top of your foot? I tried those for a while, but was irritated with constantly having to get my foot into the cage since my commute seems to have a stop light or stop sign every couple of blocks for most of the 8 miles.

LesterOfPuppets

I do. Some Shimano 105 three-holers and a few sets of regular front-mount two-holers.

I have a couple of sets of clipless pedals but have never gotten shoes/cleats for them.

I only ride clips and straps on dry days this time of year, however. I run BMX platforms and Goretex hunting boots for wet commutes.

steve-in-kville 

That would be it.

steve-in-kville 

[QUOTE=LesterOfPuppets;14889247 I run BMX platforms and Goretex hunting boots for wet commutes.[/QUOTE]

That's what I have on all my commuters now. Wellgo studded flats.

JanMM

The clip part could be steel, plastic or aluminum.
Leather, nylon or plastic strap.

MichaelW

I have posted some top tips about using these for everyday commuting (as opposed to racing), you can use the search function to find it.

sudo bike

I use them. Great if you want a way to keep your feet firmly on the pedals and you want to use normal shoes. I go to college and run errands, so carrying extra shoes isn't really practical for me. The less space between lights, the more annoying this can be. It also depends how tight you keep them. If you like them cinched down it can be more of a pain if you have lots of lights. If you don't need them really tight and just want a way to keep the feet from slipping, you can just leave your right foot more loose, so you can slip out and in without needing to tighten.

jrickards

I have a new-to-me older bike ('80s Bianchi) that came with the clips and straps pedals. I was thinking of swapping them out for clipless but then yesterday, I found my old Duegi shoes (with the proper cleat for this type of pedal setup) so I think I'll keep them or maybe switch pedals for a better quality but with clips and straps.



I found it quite easy to, in an "emergency", to pull my shoes up, stretch the strap a bit and pull my foot out but I was just getting used to being locked in to my pedals years ago when I was riding with those pedals and shoes. I tended to keep my right foot a bit more loosely strapped in so that it was easier to get out at stops.

Ira B

Use them on all my bike. Mainly because I have 10 EEEE feet and can't find cycling shoes that fit anyways.

Notso_fastLane

I used them for years. Nice not to have to carry extra shoes to change at work. Now, on a recumbent, I use clipless, and just leave my dress shoes in my desk at work. But for most commuting, clips are fine. Just don't overtighten them.

fietsbob

Toured on them, but then I don't have to flip the pedal at every stoplight ..start
now i use platform pedals.. Ergon my current favorite..

steve-in-kville 

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully Wednesday I will be on the bike again and I'll give 'em a whirl. I don't think I ever tried toes clips before... always over looked them.

noglider 

Toe clips were all I used for many years, in all conditions. I think I still have them on one of my many bikes. Mostly I use SPD's. I like them both, but I like SPD's a bit better. The nice thing about toe clips is that they work with nearly any shoe.

spivonious

I commute with them. No need for special shoes like clipless pedals, but still get the benefit of being attached to the pedal.

I don't keep them super tight. Just loose enough where I can slide my foot out if needed.

Ray R

On my '89 Olmo CX commuter bike I use a pair of KKT Pro Vic pedals with chrome steel clips and leather straps, Adidas cycling shoes with slotted cleats.

Leisesturm

You and others in this thread are prime candidates for "PowerGrips". I use toe clips and straps on two of my bikes. Never tightened down, purely for foot location. The other three have PowerGrips. When you want the ability to apply power all the way around the pedal stroke on the street, in traffic, there really are only two alternatives: clipless pedals/shoes and PowerGrips. I paid around $24 for the last pair I bought. No special shoes needed, and if you can fit toe clips and straps to the pedals you have, they will also work with PowerGrips.

H

hubcap

I use powergrips with MKS GR9 pedals on one of my commuters. They are easier to get in/out of than clips and cages and hold your feet very securely if you wish. They are the regular length powergrips and are a little tight when used with some sandals I have with wide tread. They also don't work well (really at all) with bulky boots.

Ray R

I use Power Grips on all my MTBs, including the Colnago Master with Schwalbe Marathons and fenders I use for commuting during catastrophic flooding.

neil

I used to. They're a decent compromise between the advantages of clipless and the advantages of standard platforms, giving your foot a fair bit of stability and a good position, but still easy to dismount and no inconvenience of crunchy feet.

They have some downsides, though.
- Mounting with them takes a bit of getting used to. Muscle memory takes care of it now, but flipping the pedal correctly isn't instinctive at first.
- Some shoes don't work very well. If the toes of your shoe are fairly high (lots of wiggle room up and down), you can't get the shoe all the way in. They definitely won't work if you routinely ride in work boots, winter boots, etc (fashion boots might work, but the toe clips may ruin the fashionability).
- Related to above, they do wear down the tops of your shoe if you use them a lot.

In the end, I gave up on toe clips, and use a platform/clipless reversible pedal instead. I commute in normal shoes, but have clipless available for longer rides where I can get more benefit from them.

ThermionicScott 

I've got PowerGrips on my fixed-gear MTB, and clips/straps on my road bikes. I think PowerGrips have an edge in start/stop traffic where you need to get going quickly from each stop -- scraping the pedal on the ground or mashing down the cage after botched entries are both bruising to one's pride.

steve-in-kville 

Thankfully in my commute to work, I would only need to get off the pedals twice... usually.

joshuatrio

I currently use Power Grips - but this is my biggest gripe. It's caused me to limit my commuting to two (of the exact same type) pairs of shoes.

EKW in DC

I used to use toe clips... Did so far a couple years, in fact, for commuting, both on m my old hybrid and on my Surly LHT, which I ride now. Most of that time I had them paired with a cheap pair of Nashbar shoot platform MTB pedals. Curiosity got three better of me, and I went clipless back in January. I prefer my SPDs, but have m my old toe clip equipped pedals in my parts box as spares. I would also consider putting them back on if going on a long tour, but I think I'd probably still just end up sticking with my SPDs.

In any case, toe clips are way preferable to plain platforms IMHO and sound like a good solution for you right now. Muscle memory catches on pretty quick and flipping the pedal over soon becomes a no-brainer, just like clipping and clipping from clipless pedals quickly becomes second nature.