Kevindale

Suggestions on what straps/toe clips I should get to at least keep with the spirit of my 1980 Univega? Pedals are MKS Sylvan SY-1. I want something that at least looks C/W what would have been original. I realize this may be a dopey question, and that any old metal clips will be equivalent, but I haven't sourced clips/straps before, and the extras I have are modern black plastic stuff. I see a lot of these pedals on eBay, but seems like they never have the clips/straps.

EDIT TO ADD: Of course, right after posting this, I did a better search and found a variety of MKS toe clips available on eBay. So if anyone has suggestions on which one are most period correct, or most functional, I'm all ears.

bulldog1935

MKS makes nice toe clips

You can get Christophe straps, Zefal leather

Grand Bois sells great clips and straps Mikashima = MKS

wschruba

You can buy metal clips from MKS, and leather straps, too. They have quite a variety, though shops in the USA can only get a small fraction from distributors here.

clubman 

The Japanese always had an affinity for French products, so Christophe? Or MKS of course.

beaten to the punch.

Vintage_Cyclist

It you're absolutely hung-up on period correct, standard toe clips would have been found on an 80s bike.



Sometimes with leather.



Personally, I've become partial to caged clips, which I find to be much stiffer than the standard type, and have a classic look themselves. MKS and King make them, although MKS is quite a bit less in cost.

T-Mar

Of course, given your pedals, MKS would be the first choice. But there was also Arai, KKT, Osama and Sakae Royal (SR).

T-Mar

While they weren't as elaborate as those, we used to make our own toe clips by cutting and bending old coat hanger wire.

Fahrenheit531 

Pics or it didn't happen!

Salamandrine 

Caged clips are neato and all, but nobody would have used them in the 80s. No doubt you know this already of course.

Anyway +1 on the MKS, chrome steel with leather, or one of the other brands T-Mar mentioned. Towards the mid 80s you would start to see nylon straps here and there. Some people used aluminum clips but they break.

It was very common to put Christophe clips and straps on a Japanese bike, though of course they didn't come from the factory that way.

Lazyass

Just look at the 1980 catalog and find ones that came on it. Don't know what model your is.

https://univegacatalogs.wordpress.co...talog-year-tk/

Saguaro

This is what came stock on my 1982 Nishiki Cresta:



Christophe D toeclips with nylon straps. KKT Pro Vic II pedals.

I upgraded to this:



MKS toeclips with Christophe leather straps. Specialized Touring Pedals. The MKS toeclips and Christophe straps are readily available online, I think I ordered mine from Harris Cyclery. (I've since introduced a twist in the straps as I learned this was de rigueur BITD )

bulldog1935

here are my Ale clips with Binda straps - the straps came from Grand Bois
The Grand Bois and Binda straps are "sandwich" leather and fiber reinforcement - they last forever and hold a wonderful shape



Here's the Grand Bois page with the high grade straps

The Golden Boy 

I've got the King Cage and the MKS clips. They're both very nice. The King Cage ones are like $60 and the MKS models are like $20.

The MKS are smaller in diameter.

MKS on top with the brown straps and the King Cage with the grey KKT strap.

Kevindale

Frustratingly, that scan is incomplete. I have the Gran Premio, and all of the specs pages aren't scanned. I think the two pages of specs show only the models below the Gran Permio. I'm pretty certain that the pedals are original. I don't know if the original owner took off the clips and straps, or they weren't fitted when sold. It was unlikely a serious rider, despite the quality of the bike, since it was also never fitted with a water bottle cage. My guess is that it must have been MKS clips since that's what the pedals are.

canklecat

Don't forget to twist the leather strap under the pedal. The authenticity is all in the tweest.

Kevindale

I love the look of the cage clips, but I am a bit hung up on it being period correct at this point. One of these days I'd like to try the cage clips, because they're really cool looking. I found these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mks-Steel-Leather-Top-Toe-Clips-W-Straps-Large-/371743854534?hash=item568da90fc6:g:Gs4AAOSwYIxX5AbK

I might put some mink oil on the strap and leather wrap, to get it darker to match the seat. Then I'll probably have to go the whole route and find some brown bar tape. Here's the whole bike, for those who didn't see my earlier thread:

JohnDThompson 

The only aluminum toeclips I've had that seem to last are Campagnolo's, and they cost $$$ and don't fit as wide a variety of pedals (there has to be an opening in the front of the pedal cage for the shoe guide to fit through). All in all, steel toeclips are a more sensible solution.

JohnDThompson 

Doesn't work on all pedal styles (e.g., not SunTour Superbe Pro).

clubman 

I broke a set in a week but they were large and my foot slipped out. Scrape, Crackle Pop. Agreed, steel anything.

canklecat

I haven't seen those personally, but this photo shows 'em with a tweest.

Charles Wahl

Binda is the nec plus ultra of straps.

bulldog1935

My alloy Ale clips are way past 15,000 mi, and still have the sticky foil decals intact


it is not physically possible to twist Binda straps.

noglider 

Well, la-di-da!

bulldog1935

I have some steel Ale clips in reserve, but the alloy are trick.
No need to have Binda straps in reserve.

OK, Professor.

and my daughter has the same Ale clips w/ Binda straps on her Team Fuji.

clubman 

Short cranks and a high bottom bracket help big time. It's usually when they flip over during a rotation that they get damaged, even though it shouldn't happen , it sometimes does. Those coloured, ALE anodized clips are my faves, they look good.