Power Grips - What's Your Experience?
 

I have been commuting for about 3 years, the last 2 year-round. I have a fair weather bike (lighter, thinner tires, more fun) and a foul weather bike (sturdier but heavier, thicker tires, infinitely safer on wet gravel roads). Neither bike is anything super-special, but they're not department store bikes either.

My question is this. Both my bikes have toe cages, but due to a fair bit of poor road surface (potholes, gravel) I don't strap in. Going down is never completely out of the question, and I am a firm believer in being able to get clear of the bike if that happens. I moved this summer, and now my commute, while only a little bit longer (22km RT), is a LOT hillier. So far, on my fair weather bike, this hasn't been a problem - in fact I like it as I have seen my fitness level increase and have lost a few pounds (although my SO complains that I eat *all* the leftovers and never leave any for him...). However I am not looking forward to switching to my winter bike - some of the hills are steep and long and riding a heavier bike up them is going to be a real schlep. So I was thinking of trying Power Grips - not as tricky to get out of as straps or clipless, but at least I'd be getting some power transfer on the upstroke.

I'd really like to hear what other riders have experienced with Power Grips - whether you like them, hate them, what they work for, what are their flaws - any feedback would really help.

Thanks!

I've been using them for 15 years or so, and don't have any complainants. I once broke a strap after about six months of use and the company replaced it no questions asked.

They are very secure and easy to slip in and out of.

I'm trying a pair on my main commuter, as I envisioned myself not always wanting to use a bike-specific clipless shoe system and shoes for my urban trek. I also envisioned myself occasionally running errands on the bike at lunchtime, while wearing my normal work clothes and shoes.

Well, PowerGrips can meet these needs...BUT, the caveat is that you adjust the "tension" using an allen key. So if you adjust them for one pair of shoes, then wear a different type shoe, you either have to live with a different fit or get out the allen key.

I wish the PG strap was anchored by some sort of ratchet system, so you could instantly adjust the tension to your preferred setting, regardless of which shoes you may be wearing.

I'll probably eventually switch to a platform-type pedal with cages and straps for commuter duties. I mean you can always leave the straps as loose or tight as circumstances dictate at the moment...

I don't do commute cleats. Power straps are great! Good for BMX type-stuff curb hopping etc.
Power straps are a great fit for neoprene winter booties.

I tried them for a couple of days. I had trouble getting into them and didn't feel as comfortable as with the old stand by clips with straps.

I use Power Grips on one of my two bikes. Other bike has platform pedals. I use the platforms in poor weather and mostly commuting to work. The Power Grips are reserved for longer rides and particularly anywhere where there are hills or long stretches of riding into the wind. I pretty much reserve one pair of hiking shoes for all my bicycles riding so adjusting the straps isn't much of a problem. But even when I do wear running shoes, I find the straps fit pretty well.

I had them on an old hybrid bike I gave away to a friend.. Gives you better grip on the pedal , yet easier to get in and out of, than regular straps. Since little riding I do is local in nature, I'll take clipless.

Consider Power Grips a cross between toeclips and clipless.
They work fine and no need to buy special shoes/cleat as with clipless. Nothing mechanical to fuss with or lubricate or wear out.
Less easy to adjust Power Grip for different shoes than a toestrap set-up.

I used power grips for the last 2 years. Loved them. I had them set up for shoe I use 90% of the time. Much easier to get in/out of than clipless. But now that I'm on a road bike, I'm clipless. Although, there are times I miss the power grips. I even toyed with the idea of putting the power grips on the platform side of my clipless pedals just to have the option. Maybe use a velcro cable tie to 'flatten them' out when not in use.

They rock

They need to be set up for a specific pair of shoes

They can be changed for another pair of shoes relatively easily but not quickly.

They're idiot, traffic and weather/conditions(e.g., mud, snow, ice, etc.) proof.

If you're not willing to stump up some clams for clipless then they're the next best thing.

Stay the fork away from toe clips and (death) straps.

I really like them. It allows me to change from my shoes to boots without readjusting anything. Haven't taken a tumble with the straps, but the foot comes out very fast and I don't forsee it being a problem if I were to crash.

I have no experience with clipless, only clipped and power grips. Power grips are an upgrade in my mind to clipped/caged or platform.

I've been considering them. I don't run into too much trouble using clips and straps...

anybody know which is more technically efficient (tight clips/straps, or powergrips)?

I use them and happily recommend them to others. I've never had trouble getting my feet out, even when slipping around in the winter on snowy roads.

It can occasionally be a little awkward getting your feet in, but I think they're an excellent alternative to riding clipless.

After seeing a friend who was so happy about them, I decided I wanted some, but was feeling too cheap to cough up the money for something I hadn't personally ridden on (plus I hate waiting for mail).

Since I'm already using toe clips/strap, I simply re-routed the strap through the front half of my pedals so it runs diagonally (like a PowerGrip does), then a little zip tie to keep it attached to the cage portion. (since I'm not using their plasticized straps, the cage is still required to hold them open for ease of slip-in)
Works great, seems to hold my feet in just fine, and its much easier to get in/out than the clips used to be.
Adjusting the strap is no problem at all, since it uses the traditional clasp from the old clips.
And it didn't cost me anything extra.

Just DIY.

Had a set that had come on one the bikes I bought to flip and I gave them to a friend who was looking for an alternative to toe clips. She has been using them for the past few months, including a multi-day bike trip and she loves them.

This great to hear about the Power Grips. However I ordered mine and they went out on the 4th and still haven't received them yet:( Anyone else order from them via regular mail and waited as long as I am waiting:cry: ? I live in New Jersey and they are coming from Colorado so is this about right ?

I have some Power Grips on my commuter bike and double sided SPD clips on my road bike. The Power Grips are nice in that you can wear regular shoes but still secure your foot to the pedal. I find them more difficult to get into than the double sided SPD clipless pedals, but that's the price you pay. I've had them for 3 or 4 years and with moderate use they are still holding up. They're starting to fray a little but they mostly still have their form, making it possible to fit my foot in.

One thing to consider is your foot size. From your post I infer you're a woman, so this won't be an issue, but my size 12 foot is in the "in-between" region between their regular strap and the long one. The long one stuck out too much and seemed overkill and clunky. The regular one fits my normal shoes but I don't have room to add for winter boots.

I was running clipless on one bike, toe clips on another, and rubber platforms on a third. Not being real satisfied with any of these, I was least dissatisfied with the toe clips. About eight months ago I tried Power Grips and went to those on all my bikes, and my son's MTB. I should have tried these a long time ago. These are the greatest thing since sliced bread and peanut butter.

I've been using them for about a year. I'm not sure how much good they do, since I don't sense any power gain from pulling up. Also, one of them is harder to get my shoe in than the other, but that's probably due to me not adjusting it right. On the other hand, I never fear being unable to unclip so they're worth the cost and effort. If they ever wear out or break I'll probably try those pedals from Rivendale that have little points all over to keep your shoes in place.

I'm not a real hard core rider so I might not be the best person to listen to.

Wow - this is excellent feedback! I think I'm going to order a pair - Nashbar has them on sale and it looks like a pretty good deal. Of course, if I order from Nashbar, I have to pay shipping, so I might as well do a bit more shopping to make it worth my while... :D:D:D

I find them ok. They are not as good as clipless, but I find them easier to use than clips. The problem I have with them is that I can't spin. I can push down and pull up, but if I try to pull back, my foot wants to slip out. I was really hoping that I could spin in them, it would make my commute in the winter easier, since I could wear heavier boots.

I used them for quite some time, but eventually switched to clipless. I loved 'em, except for the fact that the more aggressively-lugged shoes that I wore would sometimes catch on the pedal when I "unclipped". It was a bit disconcerting to have your foot stuck to the pedal when you just tried to get out of the pedal, so I switched to clipless, which I prefer.

When I used PowerGrips, though, I generally liked them.

I tried PGs for a while, and they were great for longer rides, but for riding in city traffic, they had the same disadvantages as clipless: too much of a hassle getting into and out of when riding with frequent stops, and shoe selection is limited. In terms of performance, I think big, grippy platforms (like Speedplay Drillium) work as well as PGs and very nearly as well as clipless, without the hassle. You can spin using anything, as long as you know how to pedal. For commuting, I'd place pedals in this order of preference:
1. Big grippy platforms
2. Clipless (why do they call them clipless?!)
3. PGs
4. regular platforms
5. toe clips

Personally, when I tour, I use clipless. When commuting in town, which is pretty much 97% of my riding, I use big grippy platforms, the kind with little studs on them.

Really? How? I can't for the life of me figure how to pull the pedal up or back when I am not attached to it. Unless by spinning you only mean a high RPM. Then yes, you can spin on anything. But to me, spinning means pedaling in complete circles. I consider mashing not as a low RPM, but where you just mash down (and/or up) on the pedals. This can be done at a higher RPM.

So, for me, I can only spin in clipless or very tight clips. I cannot use the entire pedal stoke with Power Grips. When I try to pull back, no matter how tight I try to get my foot in them, my feet will want to come out. If my feet are coming out of the grips, then I can only push down or pull up, to me that is not spinning. My RPM's stay about the same, 110-120, but I am not delivering any energy to the pedals at the bottom. This is just high cadence mashing. This will cause knee pain for me. But when using clipless (it really isn't difficult to clip in, even when riding through the city) I can easily spin at my preferred cadence, delivering energy throughout the entire pedal stroke. No knee pain when I do this.