FKMTB07

Does nobody in this thread use toe straps the way they're supposed to be used? That is, not tucking the strap through the buckle, allowing you to tighten/loosen the strap each time you get in and out of it?

Example: https://www.yellowjersey.org/how2clip.html

That was the original intent of the design.

The straps in the OP don't allow you to ever get them tight enough because they require you to have them set to a certain tightness to allow your feet to get in and out of the pedal without making adjustments.

jpdesjar

Yes, I use my straps properly.
I tighten them down before each ride.

When I first started riding fixed I kept my straps in a fixed position, I guess I was worried about not being able to get my feet out in time. Now that I have more riding experience I tighten them down each time, it really makes a difference.

feetpower

that's exactly how i strap my straps! i do see a few bikes with the strap ends facing upward instead of down. i suppose its just as good as long as you can tighten/loosen with little effort.

adriano 

plemons are the worst of them all.

PistaRider311

If you don't have something holding the first strap in place, it will probably move around a lot, and probably get annoying real quick.

I have used this setup for almost a year now and haven't had any troubles. The white strap is a $20 no-name and the black strap is a $7 no-name. Neither have stretched any considerable amount (not that it would be a huge deal anyways) and more importantly, they have never slipped during riding/skidding/skipping. The doubler is just some cheap fabric cut out, folded over, and riveted.

Sorry for crappy cell pictures.

Mr.Joey

every time I get a new set - my dog eats them.

carleton

THANK YOU!

99.9% of people on this message board that use straps or double-straps do not use them properly. They leave them loose. That's the problem. This is like when girls use a belt as a fashion accessory, not to hold up pants.

I bet that the 99.9% of you flex your foot upward on the knee flexing (pulling up part) of the pedal stroke, right? You do that to stay in the pedal right? If you were properly tightened down and using toe clips (or clipless pedals) you wouldn't have to do that. You would simply use your hamstrings and not your Tibialis Anterior.

In short, you're doing it wrong.

carleton

Also:



This buckle design is stupid because if you *are* using the straps properly by tightening them down, you'd have to take 30 seconds to unbuckle the strap to get out.

The design of buckle of the common strap (if you don't cinch it back in) allows for a one-motion loosening of the strap. Just like a boat tie down:



If you don't know this: You're doing it wrong.

LupinIII

A) then why would anyone care about stretch

B) I'm not racing, I don't need my straps killer tight. there might be times when i need to pull my foot out quickly to avoid an accident.

you gonna tell me to run cleats too because that's the proper way to run clips and straps?

carleton

Re A) I don't really care about stretch. I DO care about stretch to failure.

Re B) Then why use them? That's like saying I don't need my pants belt really tight or my seat belt really tight. There is the proper way and everything else is not.

And yes, I am gonna say use cleats because that is the proper way to run clips and straps (I know that's unreasonable). But, if you aren't gonna get cleats, *at least* cinch them down tightly. Either that or get clipless pedals. This, my friends, is the problem that clipless pedals solve. With clipless pedals, riders don't have to cinch and un-cinch pedals all of the time. They aren't connected to the bike as they tumble in a fall. They can exit the pedals in an emergency. At a stop light, a twist of the foot is a helluva lot faster than bending over and loosening a strap.

robotphood

I wonder how holdfast like straps feel? It's set and forget so you can't clinch down as tight. Although they are made for trick riding where you want to be able to pull out quickly, I still notice people bombing hills and locking their pedals without any slippage (although probably not ideal pedal stroke). Maybe it's because it engulfs more of your foot?

LupinIII

I run mountain clipless shoes on my road bike, i'm not gonna argue how much better clipless is.

but they're still inconvenient to walk in, and if I want something more on the casual side, i'll wear my vans and use these platforms and straps. they're tight enough where the play isn't too noticeable, and I haven't had my feet try and slip out.

running super tight straps and cleats really solves a problem i don't have. if i want to be super held in, i'll use my clipless set up, if i want something i can use for getting to school and can walk around in classroom and not feel like a dick, clips and straps serve their purpose

LoRoK

Yeah, that's what I've been saying. But I think there is a common factor here relating the girls you mentioned and the majority (not quite sure it's 99.9%) of posters here: Fashion accessory. Once one actually gets into bikes for the riding part, then one will likely experiment with some more practical/functional techniques/components. But I think that for most in this forum, it's more about fashion than function. The actual riding part is second to looks and ownership.

LoRoK

You DO have a problem though, it's called poor pedal stroke. Using clips/straps properly solves that problem. If you choose to live with poor/improper technique, that's fine, but it doesn't mean you don't have the problem, nor does it change the intended purpose of clips/straps.

Nuggetross

this doesn't really make sense for fg. i'd say, tighten them and loop them through before you ride. if you pull up on the clips without them being looped through, they don't hold very well.

LoRoK

Wrong.

Nuggetross

i'm sorry, but if you pull up on the clips with just that one roller part on the strap, it's going to slip. i'm talking about skidding here. it's probably fine if you're not pulling up on the straps that hard.

teiaperigosa

no matter how broke u are...kashimax singles, and you will NOT regret it

LupinIII

eh, my grippy pedals keep my foot in okay i guess even if they aren't really tight.

i'm fine with imperfect form for commuting, i'm not going all out so it doesn't matter to me. the straps are just there to keep my feet on the pedals and help when pulling up for skip stops or whatever.

and my toes are kind of pointing down (like 45 degree angle-ish) on the up stroke just because it feel more natural, but i guess i'm not really pulling up with that stroke, just lifting my foot with the pedal to take the weight off so the down on the other side is a little easier haha. some guy was telling me i should have my feet parallel to the ground throughout the stroke. knew that **** didn't feel right for a reason.

really, nobody is saying these plemons straps are the greatest. they're better than the somas i had before this. i tried the set and forget and they slipped too much. i then ran it the more proper way with tightening down every time, but any time i pulled up at all, they would slip. these plemons might not be able to grip as tight since you need to set it before putting your foot in, but the lack of slip makes that okay.

also my mks fit doubles slipped today a bit, and i'd say they're at least as nice as toshis (but they're pretty well used, maybe it's time to retire them)

LoRoK

Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong. You're theorizing here about something you don't know anything about. I rode clips and straps brakeless for years. I'm not talking about little sissy nuts-to-the-stem skids here, just locking up a leg and pushing back. I'm talking about emergency oh **** backpedalling while bombing hills at 35mph, pulling up on the down-stroke as hard as I possibly could stops. My Toshis never slipped. Ever. Neither did my A.L.E. singles, for that matter.

robotphood

Pedal stroke might be poor, but personally, running straps loose doesn't cause my foot to slip out, even for skidding. And I use GR9 pedals which are not very grippy at all. Although I'm not talking about really loose but snug to the point where I can still yank my foot out if I need to get out quickly. My straps are usually slightly loose like this when I'm cruising around and doing tricks. And no, I never flex my feet upward during the upstroke. If anything, it's parallel or down.

mrvile

Okay okay okay, I normally loop my straps because there was one time I was messing around with them, I pulled on them with my hands without them being looped and they slipped. Tonight on my ride home I'll try not looping them and see how they work. Maybe it has something to do with being around your feet that will give them the tension to not slip, but I don't really understand physics that well soo... whatever, we'll see.

Might as well RIDE and TRY it out rather than arguing back and forth on the intarwebz

LupinIII

my soma doubles did that. I think in my blind rage at that I bought this inherently flawed plemons strap since i would get slip no more, but i'm pleased with it.

carleton

Don't sweat it. People are naturally inclined towards different pedal strokes. Some go for heel-under-parallel, parallel, or toe-down all throughout the pedal stroke. I race with a girl who's pedals are always pointed down like she's tip-toeing. It looks elegant, but I thought it was wrong. But, her father is a really experienced racer that fit her perfectly. She kicked butt on the track.

LoRoK

I'm sure your Soma doubles did do that, since that's practically all I've ever heard about them is that they slip, stretch, break and suck. Oh, but they're VEGAN! But seriously, you had to have known that was going to happen if you've spent any time on this board. Have you ever heard anyone say that about Kashimax or Toshi straps though?