Commuting - Tips for using toe strap pedals?

I've always used platform pedals. However my new bike that I just got came with toe strap pedals. I am having a crap time getting one of my foot in it. Any tips? :( I think these pedals may help in climbing some inclines on my commute. But there are some parts which requires me to get off one foot (lights, crossings etc). So it can be a bit frustrating.

I keep my straps just loose enough to slip my shoes in and out. I found they helped out a lot with foot fatigue, my feet kept slipping all over the pedals. Get on your bike, put your feet in the straps and have someone cinch them on your feet. If you can have an LBS help with this, all the better.

When I used straps and clips, I just rode with them and figured it out with time and practice.

Some pedals are better than others, like MKS GR9, because they have a big tab on the back to help flip the pedal up.

Try it without the straps on one pedal.


http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/10wheels/toeclips.jpg

+1 to what Brian said about keeping them loose enough to use easily. You don't need to cinch them down much unless you're really beating hard on the bike, and even then, I don't like how I don't get as much "float" as I do with clipless pedals. They also can be found in different sizes, so if you've got big feet, you might have an easier time with larger cages.

While we're talking about toe straps, make sure you have the strap routed correctly through the buckle. I've gotten on some spin bikes this winter that had the strap routed snugly and neatly through the buckle, just like it was a small version of a belt for holding up your pants. The problem, though, was that it was damn near impossible to adjust with one hand, and certainly impossible to do it in less than three seconds. I always change them so that the strap crosses through the grippy tip of the buckle and hangs free, as seen in the top picture here. Tightening them only needs a tug on the strap, and loosening requires just a flick of the buckle.
http://boulderfixedgear.blogspot.com/2009/12/toe-strap-lacing.html
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zpbx71xv5OM/Sx1P15y2V5I/AAAAAAAAAMs/GHBg0CNsnqs/s1600-h/strapinnout.jpg

Here how I got used to mine. First off, adjust your stronger leg strap to a good fit (the leg you use to push down on the pedal to get rolling). Then adjust the pedal strap on your weaker leg so it is loose. Insert your stronger leg into pedal strap while standing on your weaker leg and as to prepare to mount and start rolling. Kick down on your stronger leg and take your weaker leg to crank the pedal several turn but with the weaker feet out of the strap. It does not matter if you are smashing the strap or have the pedal upside down. Chances are that pedal will be upside down from the balance of the strap tipping it fwd. Now just get your balance and slow rolling motion started. Once traffic cleared and you are rolling, push down on your feet that'S already have your feet inside the strap and keep that pedal down at the 6 o'clock position. Now take the point of your weaker feet and slighty push the edge of the pedal which will make it horizontal if it is not. Now smoothly slide that feet into the loose strap.

Sound hard but once you get used to it, you can do this with just half a revolution of the crank. Good luck with your pratice.

Here how I got used to mine. First off, adjust your stronger leg strap to a good fit (the leg you use to push down on the pedal to get rolling). Then adjust the pedal strap on your weaker leg so it is loose. Insert your stronger leg into pedal strap while standing on your weaker leg and as to prepare to mount and start rolling. Kick down on your stronger leg and take your weaker leg to crank the pedal several turn but with the weaker feet out of the strap. It does not matter if you are smashing the strap or have the pedal upside down. Chances are that pedal will be upside down from the balance of the strap tipping it fwd. Now just get your balance and slow rolling motion started. Once traffic cleared and you are rolling, push down on your feet that'S already have your feet inside the strap and keep that pedal down at the 6 o'clock position. Now take the point of your weaker feet and slighty push the edge of the pedal which will make it horizontal if it is not. Now smoothly slide that feet into the loose strap.

Sound hard but once you get used to it, you can do this with just half a revolution of the crank. Good luck with your pratice.

agree w/this though I would pick whichever foot it's easier for you to got off onto at a traffic light and keep that one loose. for me, there are a lot of curbs and so it's easier for me to put down my right foot. so i keep the left strap looser.

You can losen them a bit or buy larger ones (if necessary) like BarracksSi and Brian T. said. You can also look to change pedals and try them out on another set.

I personally use PowerGrips and have them on both my bikes. If you don't change shoes to often you don't have to adjust them once you put them on.

agree w/this though I would pick whichever foot it's easier for you to got off onto at a traffic light and keep that one loose. for me, there are a lot of curbs and so it's easier for me to put down my right foot. so i keep the left strap looser.

Thanks for mentioning that. I never realized that's been happening to me also. It just so turns out my stronger feet to start pedaling is my left feet and the loose strap is on my right feet. Yep, as you advice, I also stand on side walk with right feet such that I can stay seated. I sort of took that for granted :p

Oh yes OP, one more suggestion to try. Try different tennis shoes or whatever shoe you pedal with. Some shoes have a wider area at the ball area of your foot which make it more or less harder to learn.

If you just ride around with them for awhile, then you won't even think about it. It takes a range of times to over come looking down to get in or forgetting to get out but eventually you are just an old hat at it and never even think about it. They are called toe clips if you didn't know. I think it took me all of 2 or 3 months and I was totally with out thought of the pedal or toe clip, it was just starting and stopping as if I was using flats. I think one would benefit from going though this. Mind you I was/am a life long bike rider. Times will vary. ;)
The one thing I will warn you of. Once you get used to it, it is easy at first to forget about them altogether and you don't pull out and fall over. Good luck on that, but it will pass in time as well.

It was a lot easier for me when I replaced my metal toe clips with plastic ones. The metal ones break easier anyway, every time they bend the metal fatigues.

Keep them loose, you'll get used to it. I usually have either the toe clip pedals or the SPDs on my bike, and I can get into and out of either one about as fast.

Try it without the straps on one pedal.


http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/10wheels/toeclips.jpg

This is how I roll.

I had toe clips with straps on my 84 Nishiki and never got used to the straps. I got rid of them and I've been rolling toe clips/no straps ever since.

Mini-clips, designed for use without straps, are more durable than toe clips used without straps. My light and delicate wife broke a plastic toe clip (no strap) - no problem with mini-clips.

It is my understanding that loose toe straps don't do much to improve pedaling efficiency. They are supposed to be tightened and worn with stiff soled cycling shoes. If you want to get in and off the pedals easily, clipless pedals are more effective and will improve pedaling efficiency. If you want to wear whatever shoes you want, lose the toe clips and straps-- I use real rubber block pedals and wear whatever shoes I want, even my nice soft leather shoes/boots.

thanks for all the great suggestions. I think I will practise around the neighbourhood before riding this new bike to work. It's winter anyways.
One of my frustration is the left pedal seems to always spin downwards making it difficult to place my foot into the cage. No such issue with the right cage. Is there something to adjust?
At the moment, I keep the straps fairly loose and after I read one of the comment about tightening it, I think the way I loop my straps, that would not be possible.
Any ideas on what is the right way to loop the straps? Mine' just a regular metal Wellgo cages.

The best way to learn how to use clips or clipless pedals is to find a pole, and practice getting in and out of the clips while hanging on to the pole.

Don't tuck the tag end of the strap in, leave it loose so that you can adjust it while riding, much easier done with a freewheeled bike than a fixed gear.
Also, twist the strap where it runs through the pedal to help keep it in place.

One of my frustration is the left pedal seems to always spin downwards making it difficult to place my foot into the cage. No such issue with the right cage. Is there something to adjust?

One thing to "adjust" would be to learn to use your toe to, literally, flip the cage onto your shoe. You should be able to take a downward-turned pedal, put your foot on it, point your toe down to catch the edge, and flip the pedal over.

A lot of toeclip-equipped pedals also have a small tab on the underside to make this kind of flip easier.

Take them off and just ride.

I keep my straps just loose enough to slip my shoes in and out.

+1 That's what I do too.

try power grips... they're easy to slide in/out of... and fit as tight as regular straps. i love em.

so, you have two feet, right? That's good cause it's one hell of a lot easier that way. One foot (your choice which one) stays in the pedal pretty much all the time. I almost never remove my right foot from the toe clip when riding, even at stop signs and the like, it just hangs out in place. Because it's not going anywhere, I can tighten the strap down more than the left foot. This keeps in it place better, and allows me to pedal in more of the circle.

For the left foot (or it could be right) you have to treat it a bit differently. For starters, you are going to have to enter this toe clip while moving, which takes a bit of practice. I suggest starting with the arch of your foot on the bottom of the pedal (opposite the toe clip) and moving it backwards in a scraping motion. This usually flips the pedal upright, allowing you to slide your foot in. Remember, Practice makes perfect.

Once your left foot is in, you can reach down, and pull the strap to cinch it down. However, this means you might have to loosen it before coming to a stop, which is a pain. Try and find a happy medium, where your foot is held in place, but can still be easily removed.

It'll just take time to get used to. There's a motion to putting your foot in that you have to get used to, but after a while it becomes second nature. Even when ride a rental bike with platforms, I tend to subconsciously flip the pedal over. One problem I have is one pair of shoes has too blunt of a toe, so I can't ride with those shoes. Also, it's more challenging in cold weather when the pedal doesn't rotate as freely.

While we're talking about toe straps, make sure you have the strap routed correctly through the buckle. I've gotten on some spin bikes this winter that had the strap routed snugly and neatly through the buckle, just like it was a small version of a belt for holding up your pants. The problem, though, was that it was damn near impossible to adjust with one hand, and certainly impossible to do it in less than three seconds. I always change them so that the strap crosses through the grippy tip of the buckle and hangs free, as seen in the top picture here. Tightening them only needs a tug on the strap, and loosening requires just a flick of the buckle.
http://boulderfixedgear.blogspot.com/2009/12/toe-strap-lacing.html
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zpbx71xv5OM/Sx1P15y2V5I/AAAAAAAAAMs/GHBg0CNsnqs/s1600-h/strapinnout.jpg
It is easier to tighten the straps if you pass them between the knurled roller and the release lever. It then points upwards and you dont have as far to reach to pull up to tighten. To loosen you just flick outwards.

I can't give advice on proper technique, so I'll advise a different system altogether instead.

I bought my CL bike with the original Shimano 600 strapped pedals, and I hated them. First thing I did was swap them out for the SPD clipless pedals. I can ride with regular shoes on the platform side, or use my clipless shoes on the other. Easy to clip in and out, it's becoming second nature now.

It cost me $190 for the pedals and shoes, so it's definitely not as thrifty as learning to use what you've got, but it works for me.

I skip the straps and go one better by hack-sawing off the upper part, so I keep only the part that goes around my toe

Just to update on my progress, I did practise using these strappy pedals in the garage. Got the hang of it after about 15mins of !@#^&%) <BEEP!>. Stupidly I practised it with a different pair of shoes that I would've used when biking. So when I decided to try it on the street, my riding shoes were bit bigger. So more $#%*(^ <BEEP!> :mad: later, I managed to go riding with it. And I did fall one time because my chain dropped off the chainring and I lost momentum. Unable to unstrap quick enough. Looked like an idiot. Luckily I was in a empty park except for a girl and her dog. :innocent:

Anyhow, got it in again and decided to go for a real ride to forget about the whole experience. Hmm... maybe I am still not used to it, but I find that the placement of my foot in the pedal cage is different from regular pedals. In the past, my foot rests in the middle section of the pedal. But now with this one, on my front half of my foot is on the pedal. Am i using it right? Well I managed to ride for about 20km without issues though.

I have power grip too. I love em on my commuter.

the ball of your foot is what should be making contact with the pedal not the arch of the foot

Anyhow, got it in again and decided to go for a real ride to forget about the whole experience. Hmm... maybe I am still not used to it, but I find that the placement of my foot in the pedal cage is different from regular pedals. In the past, my foot rests in the middle section of the pedal. But now with this one, on my front half of my foot is on the pedal. Am i using it right? Well I managed to ride for about 20km without issues though.


the ball of your foot is what should be making contact with the pedal not the arch of the foot

Yup, what rumrunn6 said. You'd lose efficiency by pedaling with the arch of your foot (even worse if you tried to pedal with the heel).

Have pedals that are made for them( have a tang at the back), leave the straps loose, and the most important....practice.

You should be on the ball of your foot.

Clips come in different sizes.

You can fine tune them by moving them a bit by moving them from the outside to the inside of the pedal.

Just my $.02 but I always vary what foot I clip/unclip (whether or not I use clipless or clips) because if I need to get out of them in a hurry I want to be able to do so with either foot.

Next time you are at your LBS, check out the position of a clipless pedal and the shoe. Those are ideal placement. Aim for those placement give or take a few cm with toe clip. YMMV but that seem to work best for me for maximizing my efforts.

If you have large feet and want them forward, you can insert spacers (rubber or plastic) between the front of the pedal and the clip. In an emergency you can get your feet out by pulling your foot hard up and back, without loosening the strap.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/pedals.html
The MKS-GR9 pedals and the ones shown below have the tab at the back which helps to flick the pedal up so you can slide your foot easily into the clip.

I've gone clipless but, I rode straps and toe clips for years. I don't use them as much for efficiency, as much as I like being able to "pull" the pedal up at a stop light or sign to a "push off" position. One toe clip with no strap would be enough for what I want.

The Pedals cages/ straps do come in various sizes, I just put some MKS XL's on my Schwinn Traveler, my size 12 shoes like it much better...

Can you control the bike well at low speed using platform pedals?

Toe clips work best when you consider the whole system of pedal/clip/strap/shoe. You dont need to use cycling shoes but you need a shoe-pedal combo that gives the right amount of grip, not too much or too little.
Toe-clip cycling shoes used to have a slotted cleat that you attatched to the sole; this slotted into the lip of the pedal. Aligning the cleat was a bit tricky and you stayed stuck in the pedals. Some Shimano leisure shoes come with a series of slots moulded intot he rubber. These are not aligned and are bad news for toe clip users.
I prefer metal clips to plastic, I can bend them out for boots.
Leather straps hold their shape better than Nylon ones. Thread them correctly with a turn inside the cage to prevent slippage.
I never cinch them tight. With lose straps yu get a huge improvement in efficiency over plain platforms but not as much as with clipless. If you need more efficiency, it is safer to use clipless than tight toe clips.

I skip the straps and go one better by hack-sawing off the upper part, so I keep only the part that goes around my toe

I'm definitely going to try this. a quick test on my bike makes it look like the hacksawed toeclip wouldn't scrape against the ground even when the pedal is "upside down". is that your experience rumrunn6?

One of my frustration is the left pedal seems to always spin downwards making it difficult to place my foot into the cage..

Just point your toe down, tap on the edge of the pedal with the ball of your foot, then pull foot back a bit to rotate pedal back up, then wiggle your foot into place, then grab the strap and pull tight. Dunno if that makes much sense, but that's the best way I can describe it.

I route my straps with a twist in between the inner and outer pedal slots to help keep the strap pulling through the pedal and winding up with the buckle right up next to the toe clip. I love the little plastic strap ends especially with winter gloves on. I hope they still make 'em cuz I just broke one of mine.

mtalinm - pretty much. when you cut off most of the clip there is less to scrape on the ground. however that's not my motivation for doing so. I have one bike where I didn't cut the clip but rather just use them without a strap. those still scrap until i get my foot in place but usually that's less than a single rotation. I'm pretty good at flipping that pedal around and getting the foot into place. especially in traffic! :-)

Yup, what rumrunn6 said. You'd lose efficiency by pedaling with the arch of your foot (even worse if you tried to pedal with the heel).

Uh, no. You won't. There's nothing wrong with pedaling with your arches, and if it's what you prefer, you should stick with it. Having the pedal closer to the front of the foot makes it easier to pedal at high cadences, having the pedal under your arch tends to make it easier to put down more torque. That's really it, and it's relevant for roadies and road racers, not so much for commuters unless they are also roadies or bike racers. Even on my racing bike, I tend to slam the cleats back as far as they will go on my shoes to get a position somewhere behind the ball of my foot, but ahead of my arches. Works for me.

mtalinm - pretty much. when you cut off most of the clip there is less to scrape on the ground. however that's not my motivation for doing so. I have one bike where I didn't cut the clip but rather just use them without a strap. those still scrap until i get my foot in place but usually that's less than a single rotation. I'm pretty good at flipping that pedal around and getting the foot into place. especially in traffic! :-)

aha. well I wish I would have tried this just w/o the strap first instead of cutting it - I don't feel any lift in the toe at all, it's as if the clip isn't even there. I'll probably just take it off but let me try it a few more miles.

well actually it's pretty good when there's a full toeclip on the other pedal. the half-clip helps me at least keep my foot placed properly

I like my toe clips, they do seem to increase my pedaling efficiency. I sometimes have a bit of a problem getting into it after a stop. It's just a matter of practice, I imagine.

One thing I've noticed is a difficulty getting my foot out in an emergency situation. It caused a spill which resulted in a nasty bruise. Sort of a "right of passage'?

I like my toe clips, they do seem to increase my pedaling efficiency. I sometimes have a bit of a problem getting into it after a stop. It's just a matter of practice, I imagine.

One thing I've noticed is a difficulty getting my foot out in an emergency situation. It caused a spill which resulted in a nasty bruise. Sort of a "right of passage'?

I fell over too b/c I couldn't get my feet out quickly enough. I never really got the hang of it despite weeks of practice. now I roll with a toeclip+strap on one pedal and a "sawed off" toeclip and no strap on the other. see rumrunn6's post above for a picture. this works pretty well for me; I just leave one foot in the toeclip+strap all the time and put the other on the ground when I need to stop.

I'm not sure how much benefit there is in the sawed-off toeclip though; I may remove it. maybe stiffer toeclips work better than way

I use a similar movement as releasing from clipless. Twist your heel out as you pull your foot out. This helps if you have lugged soles as the lugs won't hang on the pedals as much.

Originally shoes designed for toe straps had a cleat on the bottom of the shoe with a grove that allowed the pedal cage to slip into so that your foot would not slide out if the the strap was a bit loose. To get your foot out you had to lift your foot up then slide your foot out. You can also cinch down the strap for more security like when climbing, but for normal riding you don't need to cinch down the strap so tight that you can't get your foot out. Regardless you should never ever have to cinch the strap so tight it cuts circulation off to your feet unless your track racing then your not in the pedals long enough for that to be a concern.

AndrewP is correct, the strap needs to point upward so that it's easier to grab the strap and tighten it, then to get out just hit the roller tab upward and pressure is released from the strap. Also leather straps work better because they are stiffer and will stick up whereas nylon straps just flop down make it more difficult to grab the strap quickly.

What is a good stiff shoe to use with toe clips?

I use a hiking shoe ~ looks like an MTB shoe. MTB shoes are supposed to be good. But that's the beauty of clips - you can use sandals to boots and everything in between, even rubber overboots for the wet months