Do you use toeclips?

[Katherine]

I used to use them and kept an old pair of sturdy shoes to wear because I didn't want to scuff any more of my shoes. Once those wore out, I bought some spd shoes and switched to clipless. I find I don't have sore toes anymore and my feet stay straight instead of rubbing away the metal on the cranks.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I use just the clips without straps on all my bikes. Never had a problem being stuck in, feet slipping off pedals or tiredness on long rides so I'll stick with them.

I can fully understand the benefits of clipless, but the real reason, however, is my innate meanness. I have five bikes from vintage road, modern road, carbon gravel bike, MTB and hybrid and I don't want to spend a lot of money on pedals and shoes

 

[Salty seadog]

That's Cycle Chat bingo right there 👍

Close but no....

 

[Milkfloat]

Like many others, had them when I was young when there was no other choice, then moved to SPD, dallied with Look and now on SPD-SL / SPD depending on the bike.

 

[Jenkins]

I used to use the same type of open clips as posted by @C R on the first page, but having tried SPDs quickly moved all my bikes over to them simply for the secure foot positionsing. However, more recently I've gone back to pinned flat pedals (Welgo V8 copies or Superstar Components Nano-X Evos) on the flat bar bikes.

 

[Littgull]

I use half toe clips, no straps, get the benefit of the clip stopping my feet bouncing off the pedals without actually being tied to the bike.

View attachment 515693

Exactly that, for me too 👍

 

[rogerzilla]

I have used them. If you have them tight enough for "pulling up", and especially if you use slotted racing cleats, your foot will not come out unless you first loosen the strap on that side. This is easy enough to do with an upward flick of the buckle but, in an unplanned stop, you won't have time to do it and you will keel over.

Most people who ride with them therefore have them loose enough that a foot can be yanked* out without touching the strap. This is enough to keep the foot in position but doesn't let you pull hard on steep hills.

A properly tightened toeclip is actually more secure than a clipless pedal, hence their niche use by track sprinters and fixie riders doing skid stops (which rely on a really hard kick back on the pedals to break the grip of the rear tyre).

*no American pun intended; that's a different thread

 

[DaveReading]

I'm too old, and my bones are too brittle, to consider going clipless ...

 

[oldwheels]

Like all cyclists my age I started before "clipless" were invented. Used toe clips for years then tried SPD for a couple of years but never got on with them and I disliked the shoes needed as well so went to flats. Now with a trike I have gone back to clipless for safety reasons but I still dislike the shoes. There are other systems for foot retention but any I have tried are either useless or ugly so I will just have to put up with the shoes.

 

[anothersam]

The simplicity of plain old flats appeals, but I need the reassuring cradle of cages, especially when going uphill. Straps are cinched just tight enough to get the job done (and yes, they’ve sent me sprawling on occasion). I use a pair like those upthread on my city folder.

Best alternative use of toeclips would of course have to be:

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot2RkUSRjmg&t=3m33s

 

[JPBoothy]

Flats keep cycling simple and casual in nature. Like it should be. No need to have cycling-specific footwear or have to think about what footwear is appropriate to wear when doing some activity that may involve riding a bike from A to B as part of it.
One argument I hear in favour of attaching yourself to the pedals is your feet don't bounce off on rough terrain. That's true, but there's another solution. Simply slow down and take it easy rather than launching yourself over a rough surface as fast as possible.

I have flats on one of my bikes that I tend to opt for when I want to pop to the shops/pub or, anywhere that I'll be walking around when I get there and don't want to look like a lycra clad 'cyclist', just a bloke on a bike.. I do prefer my SPDs if riding my S/Speed bike as my legs do tend to spin quite quickly (after the initial grind to get it up to speed) and when on my CX bike on bridleways as the surface does tend to be uneven and 'bouncy' regardless of your speed and, my Muddy/Wet feet will stay clipped in and are less likely to slip off my pedals. Each to their own though

 

[Smokin Joe]

Flats keep cycling simple and casual in nature. Like it should be. No need to have cycling-specific footwear or have to think about what footwear is appropriate to wear when doing some activity that may involve riding a bike from A to B as part of it.
One argument I hear in favour of attaching yourself to the pedals is your feet don't bounce off on rough terrain. That's true, but there's another solution. Simply slow down and take it easy rather than launching yourself over a rough surface as fast as possible.

Not everyone rides a bike for the same reason. My cycling has always been about competition in my younger days and brisk leisure riding now. I have no interest in using a bike for transport, shopping or any other form of utility cycling so a bike I can hop on in "Normal" clothes would be of no use to me.

 

[MontyVeda]

used to think they were essential... until I bought some decent flat pedals, never gone back to toe clips.

 

[Paulus]

I used them for years from the early 70's. Went clipless when I got back into cycling proper in the early 00's.
Getting out of clipless so much easier. Having to bend down to release strap not as instinctive as a quick twist of ankle.

I think that unless you raced on the road or the track then there is no need to tighten the straps right up, just have them loose enough so that you can slide your feet into and out of them, or just maybe the foot you don't use to put down when stationary.
I actually use both clips and clipless, dependant on the bike and I think I prefer the toeclips, just.

 

[Fredo76]

Yes.

I don't tighten the straps anymore as I can hardly reach them. The first time I tried SPDs I was still trying to get my right foot clipped after a MILE! Maybe I'll try them again when it warms up..

All this alleged increase in power because you can pull up as well as push down is nonsense, I tell you!

If I was eighteen again, I could prove that to be so, so, so wrong. I could hamstring curl more weight with one leg than the football players would leg press with both.

A properly tightened toeclip is actually more secure than a clipless pedal, hence their niche use by track sprinters

This is true. I can't see giving SPDs the wild abandon that one can give clips and straps. Helps with getting those big gears up the hill and over the top, too!