Velcro straps will get caught in the straps when using toe clips with cleats, and modern shoes. This makes it difficult to back out of the clips. I ended up removing the velcro straps and melting some shoelace holes in my Sidis.

There's a big problem with rubber-soled vintage look bike shoes. The pedal cage digs into the rubber and then you are stuck. Lifting out of a cleat is something you learn . Not the same as being stuck. Plus the pedal wears out the sole. Quick.

The most vintage way to go is a leather soled shoe. I've had a few pairs of lace-up 80s shoes with plastic soles and Look mounting system. After 40 years the glue is dry and the sole comes right off the upper. The upper goes to the local shoe repair. You do need a good cobbler. Cobbler puts a leather sole on the leather upper. You also need a piece of steel to make the leather sole stiff. From another pair of shoes. If you have nail on cleats you like, do it. Or get real vintage and apply a pedal patch. Which is just a random piece of sole leather glued on the sole. Pedal digs in and makes a slot. It's a soft slot and not that deep. Some will pull out of the pedal, if that happens this is not for you. If you pedal smooth a pedal patch is all you need. And you can walk on it

Not in my experience with runners. My Diadoras must have over 3,000 miles on them, and I pedal pretty hard. The outline of the cage is clearly visible but that's just a shallow imprint and I've never been stuck. At this rate the sides and tips will wear out first.

The Sylvan pedals will work just fine and may (just maybe) make your shoe choices just a little easier because they are wider than quill pedals.

IMO, velcro closures are a non-starter for use with clips and straps. They make it harder to get into the clips and make getting out a bit more dangerous, especially so during emergencies. Emergencies are NOT the time to have complications associated with velcro straps.

Pedal Patch! This is what I did with my old Sidis But with a piece of hard rubber sole material that I got from the local shoe repair guy. I cut a forefoot shaped piece and attached it with Shoe Goo. Found a good place to put the slot and cut a slot. All Good.

Got any pix?

--Shannon

I used these converted Sidi Genius Mega for training and completing a few long course EroicaCA. My feet are WIDE. Vintage shoes don't do wide.

They eventually totally disintegrated.

Thought I'd share where I ended up with my journey into clips, straps and shoes. I went overkill with the Crono CV1 to use with a slotted cleat from Classic Velo. Lace-ups with a full carbon sole. When I came across the brown version online, I was hooked. Here are the shoes and the Tempo dressed for the upcoming vintage time trial race series.

I picked this set up, complete with a pair or size 9 little used shoes. Doubt I will ever use them...




Also have these and the clips, again something I doubt I will ever use...


And I also have a set of egg beaters and shoes but can't find the picture.

I have a pair of these I will eventually install on my new, leather-soled shoes. I use Campagnolo quill pedals with clips and straps: very C&V all around.

May I suggest the steel quill pedals, those cleats are known for wearing the SL cages.

many know, a greater percentage used to, after you are happy with the cleat positions, use the longer nails than what would pack with the cleats, when backed up by a steel last, the end of the nail curves back around and locks them in.

I rode the next to last week long Cycle Oregon on my fix gear with high end, big toe box and BOA'd Lakes. Toeclips, quality leather straps and aluminum slotted Exustar cleats. Shimano 600 or Dura Ace semi-platform velodrome pedals with steel cages. My knee The shoes may have wear patches from the toeclips. Never paid attention. After my previous years of riding velcro-strapped shoes for those fix gear weeks, then having to go to the doc for foot issues I was like "I'm not looking this gift horin the mouth"! And to this day, every time I put those shoes on, my feet go "Ahhhh!" in thanks.

Yes! If you use aluminum cleat, forget about aluminum pedal cages. The cleats will kill them. A corollary to that - if you ride steel caged pedals, don't use plastic cleat if you intend to pull up aggressively. Plastic on chrome steel is very slippery. Aluminum on steel makes for a very satisfying grip for hard hill riding (and looser required toe straps to not pull out = happier feet).

79pmooney who has done more that half his gazillion miles on toestraps and slotted cleats and all of his half gazil miles fixed on them.