Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Toestraps caught in chain?

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robotphood
05-15-10, 01:52 PM
So I've been using Quad Gate toe clips for a while now:

http://allcitycycles.com/images/sized/images/products2/TC4700-315x396.jpg


I broke one clip and replaced it with an old regular swan style toe clip temporarily:


http://allcitycycles.com/images/sized/images/products2/TC4710-315x392.jpg


The other day I was riding around when all of a sudden I felt my cranks stop for a moment then my rear skipped (like a skip stop). Scared the hell out of me. Looked down and my toe clip was all bent and one of my toe strap ends was frayed. Pulled to the side of the road and inspected and saw that one of the ends of my toe strap was chewed up and split at the laminate. My straps are pretty long and with the single gate toe clip it is floppy/long enough to cross over my foot/pedal and get stuck in the chain. This ever happen to anyone?

AEO
05-15-10, 02:17 PM
didn't your mom or dad ever tell you tie your laces?
same issue here.
robotphood
05-15-10, 02:49 PM
You mean tuck the ends? Too much of a hassle to do that, especially on the go.

sharpsandflatts
05-15-10, 02:59 PM
i don't see how this could possibly happen unless you have your straps on the inside of the pedal. in which case you're doing it wrong.
Grivooga
05-15-10, 03:09 PM
I do believe you typically cut the straps after installing and sizing them so this can not occur. If you leave them long then yeah they can get caught in the chain and shredded.
arcade
05-15-10, 03:18 PM
so... wait, you have the straps' slack pointed INWARD???
antilogy
05-15-10, 04:54 PM
pics or it didn't happen
wmgreene85
05-15-10, 05:17 PM
yea he probably had the straps pointed inward. Or, he wears size 3 shoe
oldfixguy
05-15-10, 06:06 PM
robotphood,

This should never happen. Not under any circumstance. If you are running your buckles to the inside then please run them to the outside. That is the proper way. There is no reason whatsoever to run buckles to the inside. If your straps are so long they can flop over into the chain then please cut them down. If you continue as you are, this will happen again. Probably not tomorrow but it will happen and you might not be so lucky next time. (Think having your bike suck you down in traffic and your head being flattened by a garbage truck).