pedal straps

[stephen balderson]

Can anybody offer some advice. I'm back in saddle after a few years away. I used to ride hybrids, but have decided to have a change and get a road bike. I love it, apart from one thing. Peddle straps! you know the slightly old fashioned ones. When I'm in them the ride feels so much better, but my problem is not so much getting out of them, but getting into them! Anybody offer some advice before I get some straight pedals!

 

[Donger]

Can anybody offer some advice. I'm back in saddle after a few years away. I used to ride hybrids, but have decided to have a change and get a road bike. I love it, apart from one thing. Peddle straps! you know the slightly old fashioned ones. When I'm in them the ride feels so much better, but my problem is not so much getting out of them, but getting into them! Anybody offer some advice before I get some straight pedals!

Sounds familiar! I've never wanted to go for clip-ins,(having seen a few ridiculous own goals scored), so I still use straps myself. My advice:
(1) Whichever foot you plant on the ground when stopped, make the strap on that side slightly looser than the other one.
(2) Wait until you are going fast enough to freewheel, and traffic conditions are safe enough to look down before putting your 2nd foot in.
(3) Keep practising until you can regularly do it by feel, without the need to look down. Practice makes perfect.
(4) Don't stop on up slopes! Spinning the gears faster on hills makes it hell getting your second foot back in. This has foiled some of my most monumental hill climbing attempts.
Good luck. Expect to be bombarded with advice to switch over to clip-ins.

 

[cosmicbike]

I use clipless on the road bike, and have so far had 2 'moments', fortunately they don't hurt much.

I still use straps on the hybrid, and as long as you don't want to be firmly strapped to the pedals then it's just practice to get into them. Have to admit I have a pair of SPD's waiting to go on the hybrid, but that will only happen when the current set wear out..

 

[cyberknight]

5, Ditch the straps and go clipless

 

[youngoldbloke]

Wear smooth soled shoes.

 

[smokeysmoo]

to CC

Another vote for clipless from me, and for all your clipless Q&A's see HERE

 

[fabregas485]

When I brought my bike I had straps, but having to cycle home I had to give up. I turned them over, and pedalled home, breaking off one reflector in the mean time. I then spent three days before switching over to clip ins.
Over the three days, I found that smooth bottom shoes help a lot, and when going up hill, do not attempt to try get into the straps. If I spent the time, I could get used to them, but I choose not too.
I am happy with my clip ins but its a choice that will most likely teach you a few lessons a long the way, but I would not suggest them to anyone unless they were either happy using straps or willing to face a possible tough learning curve.
If you know someone with a bike with clipless pedals, give it a go. Just please do not feel forced to try clipless/buy clipless.

Spend a few days/weeks getting used to the straps, and then make your choice.

 

[gavintc]

Sounds familiar! I've never wanted to go for clip-ins,(having seen a few ridiculous own goals scored), so I still use straps myself. Expect to be bombarded with advice to switch over to clip-ins.

Whereas, strapping your foot to the pedal is so much safer.

 

[Profpointy]

Clipless are far far easier to clip into and clip out of. however, you do then need the dreaded "special shoes" which is the thin end of a wedge in any activity. If you're not aleady familiar, then mountain bike 2-bolt clea, pedals and shoes (there are severlal rival systems) allows you to have perfectly ok shoes for walking in. road style cleats (3-bolt) are bike to tea ship door maximum walking.

 

[Bryony]

I've never liked the idea of straps I have SPDs and so far haven't had a 'moment' (touching wood as we speak!) I find them so easy to clip in and out of.

 

[youngoldbloke]

This 'Toe Clips' website might be helpful. I used pedals that had a small projection on the back that helped you flip the pedal into the right position. I'm just about to refit them to my 20 year old Peugeot 525 so that it is completely in period, and fortunately I still have the Diadora cycling shoes I wore with straps. I don't think I will be refitting the cleats we used to use with them though. For a real geek-treat take a look at the Speedplay Bicycle Pedal History Museum

 

[Old Plodder]

Straps & clips definately, allows you to use any shoe or boot that will fit into your toeclip to ride your bike.
Does take a little bit of time to get used to slotting your foot into them, but well worth the effort.
When you try to 'pick up the pedal', (i.e. put your foot into the clip), I think the easiest way to describe it is to put your toe onto the edge of the pedal cage, & whilst lightly pressing down & slightly rearward, slide your foot forwards into the clip.
Some pedals come with pickup tabs at the bottom of the rear cage to assist with locating your foot, worth it if you need new pedals.
P.S. Don't tighten the strap up too tightly, just enough for you to slide your foot in & out, without being too loose.

 

[Donger]

Whereas, strapping your foot to the pedal is so much safer.

Like I said, I expected disagreement. In my case, the difficulty in finding comfortable fit (i.e. broad) size 14 cycle shoes also contributed to my decision. I've been riding in Nike astroturf (pimpled) football trainers with slightly loose straps for years, and I've got all the grip I need, and have never yet been unable to put a foot down in a hurry. (Though of course now I've put that down in black and white, it's as sure to happen as if I had just said "Hey, watch this!").

 

[Gravity Aided]

Use flat pedals, sometimes straps, and golf shoes with cleats removed. Also a size 13-14. I like having larger pedals as well, sometimes a thing hard to get in a clip in pedal. I may try the new shimano cleats that release from most all directions.

 

[RebornBumbler]

Another toeclip and straps user here - the primary advantage over any cleats/special-shoe combo is of course being able to wear most of my normal footwear (Brashers aside) - with all the obvious advantages that brings in terms of walking, skipping and jumping

I'm also a little wary of being more firmly attached to the bike than I am in clips (with relatively slack straps).

I recently had a (admittedly unusual) crash on the Tarka Trail - a low-level loop of unravelled fencewire caught in my lefthand pedal at around 15 mph and arrested forward motion quite promptly, causing me to fly forward over the bars to the right, and surf the track in a right-hand-down superman pose, ripping a few fingertips, right elbow, shoulder and hip. I may be wrong, but I suspect if I'd been cleated, I'd have been twanged right-temple-first into the track with the bike, and might have been far worse off (in spite of wearing a helmet).

Perhaps if skiers used toeclips and straps they'd be far slower and less stylish skiers, but suffer fewer broken bones ?

I might give cleats a try one day, but for now, I'm sticking with my clips.