Toe Clips in the winter, yay or nay?
 

Today I took my 1979 Motobecane Mirage, converted to fixed gear, out for my first ride in fresh snow.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...g?t=1261613022

It was a fun ride, and not as scary as I was expecting but one thing that came to mind was if I should keep the toe clips or not. I wiped out once, it was a slow speed fall where the rear wheel slid out. I feel if I didn't have the clips I would have been able to slip my foot out faster to catch myself. As I rode more I did build more confidence and was able to save myself from other slides but I feel the positives of riding without clips out weights the positives of riding with them in the winter.

I guess I should tell you a bit about my history in cycling, I've been riding since I was a child but as with most teenagers strayed from it when I got my drivers license. A little over a year ago I got back into cycling for commuting and it completely re-ignited my passion in it. Not only do I commute on the Mirage, I also do a bit of distance riding and quite a bit of mountain biking so I do know how to handle a slide and fall properly.

Nice pic.
Try the clips with no straps. i ride that way all of the time..

After having ridden with studded tires I can't comprehend people that ride without them in th snow or ice. It looks like maybe you don't have clearance, so you have an excuse...I guess.

Yeah I would like to get some studded tires but I'm still rocking 27" wheels so I haven't been able to find any yet. Although I don't think those would have helped much today, it was more the greasy/slushy surface of the road when it's been salted a whole lot already and then gets 3" of lake effect dumped on it, rather than ice.

I use toe clips on my winter bike because it's hard to keep my huge boots on the pedals otherwise. Regular straps are too short so mine have wire hoops instead. They are not tight like classic toe clips, mostly just there to keep my foot from slipping forward off the pedals.

I don't have snow where I'm at, but I'd probably still be running platforms even if I did.

Nay

I use clipless, but if you want to use boots in very cold temps, I think Power Grips are the way to go. See my winter Cycling page for more.

Around here winter means rain. For riding in the rain, I think clipless is definitely the way to go. Otherwise, my feet slip off the pedals too much. I've never used clips, so I voted nay. It's generally really easy to get a foot loose with clipless pedals.