Originally Posted by
JohnDThompson
Plan ahead at stoplights; reach down when your pedal is coming to the top position and swipe your hand across the strap. The flange on the buckle will catch on your hand as it moves across and will loosen the strap. It helps to use good quality straps (i.e. Alfredo Binda) that have buckles with rollers so they loosen smoothly.
Put end buttons on the straps so you have something to grab when you tighten the straps up again; the sooner after you start moving you can do this, the better as the faster your pedals are moving the harder it will be to grab the button as it goes by.
+1 on your advice. The Bindas are really great but have become outlandishly expensive, $50 minimum for a pair of the unlaminated model with the good roller buckle and $100 for the laminated model. If I were looking for a top line laminated toe strap today, I'd probably buy the Japanese Toshi DeLuxe, which is about half the price of the laminated Binda. Still, all the top line straps are expensive, no matter how you cut it.