Bike Life

I bought a Trek 520 a month ago and it came with clips and straps. I planed on swapping them out for some spuds as soon as I got the bike dialed in. I thought everyone used spuds for riding anymore but I just read another thread where someone was looking for new shoes to use with clips and straps. Is that what most of you wear when riding your tour rig?

bikemig 

I've done it both ways. No big deal. One possible advantage with toe clips and straps is that you don't have to have cycling shoes; I like using my hiking shoes and/or sandals to ride in. Some people hate that because these are not stiff riding shoes. SPDs are more efficient but a lot of riders have covered a lot of miles with toe clips and straps. Give them a try and see what you think.

gerryl

Are they really more efficient?

Tourist in MSN

What are spuds? From the context I assume you are not talking potatoes?

I use toe clips and straps on my foldup bike, not clipless.

andrewclaus

"Spuds" are SPDs.

My advice, pick the shoes you want to spend most of your time in, then buy the appropriate pedals, all within your budget of course. If you already have workable pedals and clips on the bike, all you need to do is add comfortable shoes and that may cost nothing. If you want to add a little stiffness to walking shoes, consider Superfeet inserts.

bikemig 

I've seen this. I just know some like their clipless better. I like 'em fine; I like platform pedals fine; I like toe clips and straps fine. I use clipless for workouts; otherwise I'm fairly indifferent to this.

Tourist in MSN

Got it.

Nothing wrong with touring with toe clips or with SPD cleats. On my last tour I wore my hiking shoes one or two days, SPD shoes the rest of the days. I use pedals that are platform on one side, SPD on the other.

I mentioned above that I use toe clips on my foldup bike. I wanted a quick release easily removable pedal on that bike for when I fold it, at the time I bought the pedals there were no compatible pedals for the Shimano or Ritchey cleats that I had on my bike shoes.

A friend of mine used to use toe clips for touring, switched on our last tour to SPD but I would not be surprised with either option when I ride with him.

Leebo

Flats and keen sandals work for me. YRMV.

Jean3n16

I just switched from straps to clipless. Id go clipless!

fietsbob

No 'Most' or 'Every one' .. lots of touring is done on all sorts of pedals ..

I have done a bunch of Pack And ship Of people's bikes ..

some used Power grip straps and platform pedals , some Road Clipless , some MTB SPuDs
some just platform pedals & some toe clip and strap


I found My favorite for multi Month Long tours was Toe Clip and Strap pedals .. loosely 'strapped'

and shoes I fitted with comfortable Birkenstock Insoles with stiff arch supports .

and that Fit Loosely so the circulation to the toes was unrestricted , nerves not compressed

Clipless shoes have to be tighter so you release the cleat rather than Pull the foot out of the shoe.

I have some clipless shoes and Pedals too Just did not tour on them..


You have heard from all sides now, Make up your Own Mind. (?)





./.

Sharpshin

...and at least one rider here has done 65 miles/day on a 2,000+ mile tour all the while in slip-on sandals on plain ol' platform pedals.

Give them a try and see what you think




Personally I find stuff like SPD's, clips and straps, lycra, spandex and padded crotches to be somewhat overrated.

YMMV,
Mike

roadfix

I've always ridden clipless for the most part.

But when I was using clips and straps way back the straps were always set loose, basically rendering them useless. I always had a fear of not being able to uncinch the strap in time to pull one foot out during sudden stops, for instance.

Sharpshin

This was my footwear for my recent 40 day, 1,500 mile tour of England, Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Normandy.

Durn near perfect.....

cyclist2000

I used toe clips and straps with cleated shoes on tours before there was clipless pedals. Now I use SPDs when touring.

DropBarFan

On local bike path I actually see an uptick of toe clip riders: mostly commuters & moderate fitness riders. Toe clips have limited toe height & limit shoe usage. Power Grip toe straps obviate clips & get some good reviews.

T Stew

I find it all overrated too.

And at least one rider here has done a fully loaded for camping short tour at 80+ miles/day wearing no shoes, on Ergon PC2 platforms.

I was wearing lycra in this shot of that short tour, but the first two days I was wearing cargo shorts. Just brought the cheap bike shorts for a change after my cargos got sweaty over the first couple days. Wish I could find another set of cargo shorts like the one I have (not too baggy and with elastic cords around waist and leg to cinch it snug if desired) but so far have not been able to find another pair like them.

Sharpshin

This is what I came up with, here I am in Ireland back in July waiting for the ferry to get to Cobh the other side of the River Lee, Day 23 of a 40-day tour.

Single layer of nylon top and bottom; oversized Magellan fishing shirt, loose REI nylon "Adventure" (their term) pants tucked in ordinary dress socks. Nothing underneath. Crocs on my feet and that's a Brook's saddle on my bike (and note the mirror on the wrong side ).




I find the single layer of nylon thing works real well; comfortable to wear, dries very fast and you can't get sunburned through it even in summer. It has seen me comfortably through 100+F days here in Texas. With an ordinary Gortex raincoat as needed for rain and cold nylon like this also worked real well in the usual 40's to 70's temperature of Ireland and the UK in summer. This is also my usual commuting attire.

My sister tells me I look like a garden gnome

But hey, anything to avoid becoming what they called in England a MAMIL (Middle Aged Man in Lycra)

Mike

Squeezebox

Clipless with stiff soles for riding, and something to slip in easy & comfy for walking. There's no good compromise.

DropBarFan

Some folks have fit or bio-mechanical problems & need something different. Others might want simplicity of 1 pair shoes for touring. But I'd rate clipless or plain platform over toe clips for safety since bulky or treaded shoes can get momentarily caught in toe clips. In slippery conditions plain platform pedals might be safest since one can instantly dab foot on the ground.

Most tourists esp the older ones don't ride very fast anyway so the slight added efficiency of clipless/clips doesn't always mean a lot.

T Stew

Well I must admit I've never cycled in the 100's... that's some heat right there.
Heck I think my most sweatiest ride this year was actually only into the low 80's but it was so humid I was pouring sweat within the first 10 miles when it was still in the 70's!

Even though I talk about not caring for lycra you got me beat in the anti MAMIL (nice, never heard that one!), I got a couple to see what the fuss was about, so I do occasionally wear em (I'm a bit frugal, so use whatever I have till they fall apart). But I still prefer my cargo shorts. I even wear them running, won a 10k race earlier this year wearing soaked mostly cotton cargos, and also 2 weeks ago in an 18 miler I came in 11th/352, and I'm debating on wearing them in my October full marathon) and all barefoot. People just get too hung up on certain looks and being fashionable and whatever. Anyhow, I dig the 'gnome' look I say whatever works for ya.

Sharpshin

Tks.

Actually its all function. You can wear that stuff for three days without a shower (as often happen on tour) and it doesn't accumulate much old sweat funk. Then when you DO find a shower, you can wash it IN the shower, wring it out, put it on and be good to go. If it feels too wet when ya put it on, 10 minutes later it'll be fine.

The other thing almost no one here relates to but which is important to me: As a teacher in a big urban high school I often end up riding home after dark through lower-income urban neighborhoods. Much of it I ride without lights so as to be less conspicuous. Flashing safety lights, helmets and bicycle outfits in that setting would just spell "V I C T I M". Usually if anything I get mistaken for homeless, which describes most older bearded White guys where I live and work.

For the riding in heat thing. When one is drinking four gallons or more of water a day you have to take salt. Rehydration salts are expensive. What is in those expensive packets is a 2:1 ratio of sodium and potassium chlorides. "Lite Salt", found in the dietary section of grocery stores for those who must restrict their sodium intake, is actually a 1:1 mix of sodium and potassium chlorides. You can adjust with regular table salt (sodium chloride) as necessary. Works really well.

Mike

T Stew

It's interesting to read others experiences. I am more the odd one out here as a rural country fella, most on the forums seem to be more of the urban dwellers. On a typical short ride, say 10 to 20 miles I can probably count all the houses I go by on my fingers. I don't have hardly any urban riding experience other than hopping on the MUP that is a block away from my parking garage at work (I drive about an hour each way to work in the city).

We're going off on a tangent though, back to your regular scheduled program

Even on my short tours I rarely take much roads. I live just a few miles from the Ohio to Erie Trail which spans the whole state, that's where most of my cycling is done as well as short tours/bike camping trips. I just don't usually have free time to take off on long tours, I have my son myself and no sitter or family in the state except my ex. Maybe in 10 years when he is off on his own...

zanq

I've used Crank Bros. Eggbeater pedals, strap-n-clip/cage, as well as Power Grips.

I had strap-n-clip a long time ago. You need the right shoe; too tall or rigid and you have issues. Flip the pedal over and you are almost guaranteed to drag plastic and metal on the pavement. With the option of the Power Grip, I'm not sure I would ever use a clip again.

I've used the Power Grips while adventure racing where you are on/off the bike a lot, running through the woods. They work well with about any shoe and could be transferred to a better set of platforms (the pedals that come in their pedal/strap kit is pretty low end). It is also easy to flip the pedal over and use the other side of the platform (not sure if the strap would drag on the pavement being mounted on a touring bike). Very little to break or go wrong. This would be my 2nd choice.

I currently use stiff mtb shoes with the Eggbeaters on all of my bikes (road and mtn) since the cleat fits up between the shoe treads so it is relatively easy to walk around once you are off the bike. I would probably do the same on an extended tour. If I planned to spend a lot of time off the bike walking and hiking and I could only have 1 pair of shoes, I might get a more flexible mtn shoe and use the Crank Bros. Mallet pedals (clipless with large platform) for walking comfort yet have a lot of support.

fietsbob

to my old Campag steel Quill pedals I added a plate in the bottom and a toe glide on the inside .
all using the bolts holding the TC on and some Nyloc nuts.
so the foot slipped easily in the strap loop + I had a Little better surface when the pedal was inverted

before I flip it over.

DropBarFan

I'm surprised more tourists don't use Eggbeaters, saves a lot of weight. I use Mallets for the street shoe option but they're kinda heavy despite alu body.