bragi

There is no advantage to toe clips, other than retro chic. Clipless pedals are much better for foot retention, performance, and ease of use. If you're interested in wearing normal shoes when off the bike, BMX-style platforms with pegs still offer decent foot retention, and are much less of a pain in heavy urban stop-and-go traffic. My personal preferences are: 1st: Wide platforms with pegs; 2nd: Clipless; 3rd: Crawling on my belly through broken glass; 4th: Toe clips.

neilfein

Speak for yourself. I have them on two of my bikes, and flats on the others. While clipless is doubtless more efficient, I find loose toe clips and straps great for distance riding. All due respect, but please don't try to disguise your opinion as a fact. Not everyone has the same needs and priorities.

Ray R

I was set in my ways before the invention of pedal systems. Being a track rider, I still use clips and straps on road and track as well as for commuting. On the track I use double straps. I've seen too many near crashes resulting from unclipping at speed. On MTBs I use Power Grips. Having shoes firmly attached to the pedals makes it possible to pedal circles instead of squares; much more efficient for distance.

cooker

For riding hard on a track or a course, there is no doubt that foot retention systems make a difference. For ordinary commuting at moderate speed, probably not so much.

chasm54

You don't know what you're talking about.

dchild

You hear a lot about toe clips improving safety, but I actually had an injury caused by a toe clip. My front wheel skidded on slush and BAM! I was down in the blink of an eye, no time to pull out. My left clip caused my big toe to bend back farther than it should and it hurt the tendon containing my sesamoid bones (little kneecaps for your big toe). After ~5 weeks and physical therapy it still hurts a little bit but no longer impairs my movement. (Ironically, the treatment for sesamoiditis is to wear stiff-soled shoes, but I don't want to carry an extra pair of shoes to work.)

So I took the clip off the left pedal (I kept the other one so I could raise the pedal when stopped). This has been an interesting exercise, and I can say that I don't notice any difference in efficiency between the two sides. I do notice that my left foot sits further forward on the pedal than the clip allows on my right, and the periodic numbness in my toes only happens on the right foot.

To anyone who wants to learn more about the differences between retention systems, I suggest using different systems on each side for a few days. Do like I did and remove one of your clips, or (if you're so inclined) put a platform pedal on one side and clipless on the other.

(FWIW I use clipless pedals on my road bike and like them a lot. I would have them on my commuter were it not for the carrying-an-extra-pair-of-shoes problem.)

Here's a link to the Rivendell article if you're interested. I'd never seen it before - thanks genec

deeth82

FWIW, Grant's book Just Ride is the only bicycle-related book I've ever read cover-to-cover more than once. 3 times, to be exact. It really helped ease my mind about riding, and to see that even though there's nothing wrong with people loving their foot-retention systems, there's also no desperate need for them, either...unless you're racing.

The basic gist of the article you linked was included in the book, and reading that book was the first time I'd ever even heard of Grant Petersen or Rivendell Bicycle Works.

I still loved the feeling of not having to press down lightly on the upstroke using my old toe clip/strap sets (and the ability to not have to think about foot positioning/form), but since going back to platforms, I can honestly say I've been happier. I get on a bike and ride, no matter what shoes/boots I'm wearing...for instance, my old work boots wouldn't fit in any form of clip/strap combo in my collection, but now it doesn't matter what I'm wearing...I can jump on the bike and go!

To all the big fans of foot retention, enjoy! Nothing wrong with doing what you like; for me, I'll stick with platforms.

Oh, and be safe out there.

maximushq2

I've been using toe clips since the early 90's and I still prefer them. Besides not having to wear cycling shoes, I feel more comfortable on longer rides being able to move my feet around a bit more than clipless allows. I do have a version of the crank brother egg beater style pedal on my Stumpjumper FSR and they work well after I got used to them, but movement is limited and they start to get uncomfortable after long rides. I made adjustments that helped a whole lot, but still I prefer toe clips on long rides. I thought of trying something other than toe clips on my Sirrus Comp, but I would hate to invest money into new pedals and shoes only to find out I like the toe clips better. In cold weather where I had to wear boots I just went will standard pedals with no clips or straps.