Good pedals for a fixie.

[JaAnTr]

Hi,

I've recently bought a fixie and the pedals it came with have the plastic cages over them, similar to these

and I just cannot get my feet in them, so I'm looking to get some new pedals. I don't want to go clipless and lots of places online say that you should never ride a fixie without some kind of way of keeping the foot to the pedal, although I'm not sure how important that is seeing as I have both a front and a back break. Are there are pedals with cages that are reasonably easy to get my feet into?

Thanks!

 

[lpretro1]

You can buy bigger size cages

 

[Amanda P]

They're called toe clips. Flipping them over as you ride to put your foot in is something of a knack, especially on a fixie where you can't stop pedalling while you do it. You may find that old-fashioned chromed steel ones, which are a little heaver and take straps (toe straps), hang at an angle that makes flipping over the pedal easier - if you can find any (a few places still sell them). You can also get little tongues that go on the back of the pedal to give you something to help flip the pedal over ("pedal flips').

Toe clips come in different sizes, especially the plastic variety. If your foot won't go in because your shoes are too bulky, a bigger size may help. If it's flipping them over that's the issue, you'll either need to learn, use clipless pedals or accept the risk of not having your feet attached.

The risk comes not from using the pedals to brake so much as that the pedals are rotating all the time the bike is moving. If your foot slips off, the pedal will continue to rotate and can bash or gash your calves and shins. Ouch. And it's slightly more likely to slip off because, without gears, you're likely to put more torque through the transmission as you move off than you would moving up through the gears of a geared bike.

 

[Citius]

Powergrips - http://www.powergrips.com/

 

[jazzkat]

It's clipless for me. If I un-clip while moving I can't get my feet back on the pedals until I come to a halt.
I guess you want straps really, if the plastic jobs don't work for you.

 

[tyred]

Depends on why you can't get your feet in.

If you struggle to flip the pedal, Uncle Phil is right to stay metal cages are easier and I would further add that later straps are easier as they retain their shape better. Also look at what shoes you are wearing. Grippy soles for example can make it more difficult to slide your foot into place. Butt above all else, this is mostly a question of practice making perfect.

Larger cages can be bought (I like Etc ones from amazon, cheap and easily big enough for size 10 hiking shoes).

If you feel you can't get your feet in far enough and find the cage too short for your feet, an old school bodge is to remove the cage and replace the bolts with longer one and space the cage forward with washers or a few 5/16" nuts.

 

[MichaelW2]

MKS make nice pedals and metal toe clips.
Christophe and MKS leather straps hold their shape. Check out how you put a twist in the strap to prevent slippage. All very old-school but they work well.
You can bend the clips a little for wider shoes.