I used to ride toe straps in the mid-latter 90's when I took my Rockhopper and GT LTS urban jumping off little lips and stairs. It worked fine for me back then, but I really did have to work on the muscle memory of pulling my foot back/out of the straps...and occasionally they were too tight and my "DC Sk8 shoes" stayed in them. 'Course...when I put my foot in, I'd pull the strap back as far as I could and then cinch it town tight. Careless compared to SPD's, CB's, Time...etc.