Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Question about clips/cages/straps

So I've been searching the forums for a good hour and can't find any help.

I have a 2008 Felt Dispatch and have everything stock.

Do I need new pedals to put on clips/cages/straps?

Hell, what are the differences between the three?

Thanks for the help!

Oh, and yeah, I'm a noob.

=]

try the mks sylvan track. come sin silver/black which are the cheaper ones as well as 5 other colors as well but for more money. try mks single toe cage and a nice leather strap to start off with. later on you can move up to double straps if you'd like. other will probably come in here and recommend specific straps.

yah i just ordered the black mks sylvan track pedals and steel mks cages.
i still don't know what straps i want to purchase, but luckily i have an old leather pair off of a friend's vintage raleigh that will suffice for the time being.

i was going to buy the mks gr-9 pedals but i got talked out of it due to their small size and weird shape.

i debated for a while about getting double strap cages, but i figured i'll rock the singles for a while (they were only $10) and if i feel the need to upgrade, i'm not out that much money.

it's a little tricky to tell from the stock photo on the felt site, but those pedals may accept normal clips and straps. On the lowest end, there's stuff like nashbar's plastic clips with nylon straps, though that might only work if you're never skidding. I think many people use MKS or Soma clips, and run either a single or double strap. Toshi straps are top of the line but require some initial funds to buy, overkill until you get the hang of everything.

Pedal-wise, here's some of the affordable MKS lineup:

http://www.pixelparlor.com/images/bikeforums/pedals.jpg

i heart the GR-9s.

The felt pedals (not sure what brand they are but they are cheap plastic bodied things) are typical with holes in the front to attach cages and slots for straps. You could double strap them. Just pop the reflector off with a screwdriver.

In my experience, plastic clips are better than metal. The strap is what keeps your foot down any way. The cage is just there for positioning.

In my experience, plastic clips are better than metal.

definitely first time i've heard that

I will say though that I own the sylvan track and I run a soma double strap cage and i use the errebi sprint straps and they were a huge pain to get on and they are barely adjustable. but they were starting to feel alot better now after about a whole week.

The plastic clips won't gouge up your shoes as much, so that's sort of a plus, but they definitely flex more so when you really start hammering, your feet with float all over the pedals.

Good pedals are a fine investment, as they are one of the three points where you actually interface with the bike (the others being the bar and saddle.) If your pedals are crap, the whole bike can feel like crap.

With regard to terminology:
The quill is the 'H'-shaped piece that actually screws into the crankarm.
The cage is the plate or plates that are bolted to either side of the 'H' to create the platform.
The clip is the piece (sold separately) that bolts to the front of the pedal that loops up and over your foot.
The strap is a piece of leather that is threaded through the pedal and the cage and loops around your foot.

The cage gives your foot a place to rest on, the clip keeps the foot from sliding forwards and backwards, the strap ensures that the foot is securely attached to the pedal. Riding with clips but without straps, or the straps overly loose is essentially riding without clips at all.

The plastic clips won't gouge up your shoes as much, so that's sort of a plus, but they definitely flex more so when you really start hammering, your feet with float all over the pedals.

Good pedals are a fine investment, as they are one of the three points where you actually interface with the bike (the others being the bar and saddle.) If your pedals are crap, the whole bike can feel like crap.

With regard to terminology:
The quill is the 'H'-shaped piece that actually screws into the crankarm.
The cage is the plate or plates that are bolted to either side of the 'H' to create the platform.
The clip is the piece (sold separately) that bolts to the front of the pedal that loops up and over your foot.
The strap is a piece of leather that is threaded through the pedal and the cage and loops around your foot.

The cage gives your foot a place to rest on, the clip keeps the foot from sliding forwards and backwards, the strap ensures that the foot is securely attached to the pedal. Riding with clips but without straps, or the straps overly loose is essentially riding without clips at all.

Ummm...
Since you insist on making definitions you should at least be accurate.

The spindle is what screws into the crank arm.
When I was younger quill pedals were like the MKS road shown above. They have a little quill at the end to retain your foot. Maybe someone has changed the definition since the 70's, but that is what they were called back then. Perhaps you can find some old bike catalogs on ebay to confirm.

Clips don't really prevent your foot from sliding backwards.

My limited experience (a couple of months) has taught me to be very thankful for my cheap plastic toe clips. Every time I botch flipping them over and getting my foot in then scrape them on the ground I'm sooo glad it's not alloy hitting pavement. I've made the deal with myself that when those things finally quit on me I'll get myself some MKS pedals with metal clips. Until then I'm totally fine with a $25 set of black plastic pedals.

Yes, the Sylvan track pedals are great. Especially if you have feet like a ballerina.

Until then I'm totally fine with a $25 set of black plastic pedals.

MKS Sylvan Track pedals are cheaper than that.... (http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=188_246_849_1015&products_id=469&zenid=7b898bb2936f12df65ff17563b52fe42)