Originally Posted by
fietsbob
the advantage Toe clips had (as I Found, late in life) is the shoe does not have to fit tight ..
the clipless stuff , few want their foot to come out of the shoe, so they pick tighter fits.
A nice thing about the old school bike shoes intended for slotted cleats is that the uppers were usually very thin leather, as they didn't need to be strong since the toeclip could provide the needed support. That thin leather stretched easily to form a custom fit for your foot. Modern clipless shoes need sturdy uppers and thus don't change shape as easily as the old shoes.