Originally Posted by
T-Mar
Back in the day we used to fabricate our own toe clips out of sheet aluminum, coat hanger wire, etc. The main purpose of the toe clip is to hold the toe strap open to facilitate foot entry and to some extent, facilitate cleat engagement. Toe clips should not touch the shoe except at the strap loop. Custom toe clips are a simple DYI project.
That makes almost no sense given the fierce competition to make quality toe clips of strong materials and shapes, and the fact that the best ones (such as Christophe) continued to use spring steel over the years. Almost any photo of vintage bicycle racers will show everyone with their toes slammed all the way into the clips with as little play as possible. From personal experience, this absolutely facilitates the positioning of the foot over the pedal beyond any snugness in the strap.
https://www.steel-vintage.com/wordpr...ge-823x400.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...1c85a636aa.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_if_XeEEAXG...1600/coppi.jpg
https://bicyclerootsbklyn.files.word...g3555-jpg.jpeg
And on, and on...
Not to mention, why would it ever have become popular to put leather on end of the clips if the shoe was not meant to press against them? That was entirely the point. 'Tis also why they were advertised in a variety of sizes, so that folks with different shoe sizes could fit in snugly. If the shoe was not meant to press against the leading edge of the clip, it would have been a case of "large size fits all."