Straps: leather or alternative?
 

As a sub-thread of the pedals discussion:

The difference between leather or cloth straps? Is there any real difference and if so, what?

yes.

1. leather straps are getting harder and harder to get.
2. leather is made of dead cows; synthetic is made of dead carbon-based life forms, heavily-processed.
3. leather looks better, especially with metal clips (also getting harder to get).

seriously, i suppose that the synthetic stretches a bit less and probably wears a bit longer if it's continually exposed to wet and dirt.

leather is better because it molds around your foot and stays that way, firmly. just like your wristwatch's leather belt. polyester is much flimsier, it will flop around a lot more, and never set itself firmly in place like leather does.

with that said, i use polyester. much cheaper, not picky about wet conditions and fairly non-stretchy. hardcore oldskoolers will not use anything but leather.

I guess the best is leather straps laminated with nylon. Best of both world, except for your wallet!

They are the best. You get the molding of leather with the strength of the synthetic lamination.

dumpstervegan, if you want to get a pair of leather straps, or laminated leather straps, check out some place that stocks track equipment. I think we're almost the only ones who use these type of straps anymore.

In the UK. plenty of non-racing cyclists use clips and straps on old touring bikes. Leather starps are still a very common site and still available in decent bike shops. My fave is Christophe. I use them in all weathers and rain doesnt do any harm.

Have any of you guys seen the clipless pedals which come with straps as well. I think these are for track riding only, and may be a bit tenacious for use on the road.

old dura ace pedals are like that (clipless + straps), and there are some crazy MKS pedals that have some little lever on them that makes them not let go of your foot unless you have someone help you.

dude, I thought you were a vegan!!!

What about Ahimsa straps? Do they make those? Then DV just might be set...:)

I am Vegan, but that doesn't mean I'm not curious! :lol:

also it'd be wasteful and counter-productive to throw away leather straps that you already had for new, synthetic ones just because you're vegan...i mean, if you already had the straps before you went vegan, use them until they disintegrate...

I never had leather straps. I was just curious! Cheeeeezzz! :D

hehehe...soorrrrry.....:)

my girlfriend and i are in the process of switching from veggie to vegan, we just got the "how it all vegan" books and holy crap they're so good! soo many good recipies and good ideas!

Right on! Yeah, that book is great... I'm sure you'll find switching over is not nearly as hard as you thought. Good luck! :)

In my experience, leather deteriorates at the same rate that the hardware rusts. I like it because it sort of shrinks to your shoe over time for that perfect fit.

Nylon lasts longer but you need to replace it because the hardware is rusty.

Yeah! Just remember that EVERYONE screws up from time to time. The most important things to remember about the transition are A) you'll slip up occasionally, B) it's okay to slip up occasionally (but don't be negligent just so you can eat Oreo cookies!), C) the first year or two are the hardest, after that you'll forget you're Vegan until someone reminds you, D) Simply Vegan (look for it on Amazon, it's an awesome book) has a Vegan meal planner, grocery list, and more nutritional information than you can shake a stick at.

Best of luck and if I can be ANY resource at all, please let me know!