Charlie Pendejo

Main motivation here is the acquisition of a tandem (BF Two's day) I'll ride with my 8 year old, and the idea that she ought to secure her feet to the pedals. I think I like the idea of Power Grips.

And even beyond the tandem, I like the idea of riding my primary (rando) bike without donning SPD sandals or shoes. I'm much less convinced these days that about benefitting all that much from cleats for power transfer, at least beyond what toe clips and straps would give me. Maybe Power Grips could fit the bill there too, if I like them on the tandem?

MKS Urban Platform looks appealing. I'd think that sort of platform pedal must be comfier than the classic touring cage, with the fairly minimalist shoes I often wear, especially over long touring days / weeks? If they orient themselves with the proper surface up, unlike SPD / platform duel pedals I've found workable but a bit frustrating, all the better!

Can anyone confirm they work well with Power Grips? Closest I've turned up so far is "probably." I don't have my head around what's needed or ideal for their use.

If not those, any other recommendations for a PG-compatible comfy platform type pedal, ideally removable or folding? I've seen some love MKS's Lambda; any others?

Or should I really consider classic toe clips / straps with the Urban Platform - for both the kiddo and myself?

Hinge

Hello Mr. Pendejo,

I've used Power Grips for years and I do like them. For casual riding I think they give me about the same advantage as cleats while riding and they give the added advantage of being able to walk around easier when not riding.

I haven't used them with MKS Urban Platform pedals, but I have used them with MKS EZY removable pedals. They worked great in that application

I could certainly be wrong, but looking at some pics of the Urban Platform pedals, it appears that you would have difficulty attaching the Power Grips at least to the front of the cage. It doesn't look like there are any screw holes or anywhere unobtrusive to attach the strap to the front of the pedal.

linberl

I had power grip straps on my MKS rmx pedals.. Bomb proof combination. Super comfortable, and you don't even really need straps with those pedals unless you just want them so you can pull as well as push. You remove the reflectors to install them.

Leisesturm

I'm pretty sure you cannot use PowerGrips with platform pedals. You need old fashioned cage pedals, and these need not be any less comfortable than platforms, because your comfort comes from your footwear, not what the pedal surface is made from. I'm not even certain that you can use clips and straps with platforms because the assumption usually is that the pins on the platforms will be all the foot retention that is needed. My latest bike acquisition came with platforms and I thought I would dislike them. They're actually not that terrible. TL;DR: if you decide to use the Urban Platforms you likely do not need to worry about whether PG's (or straps) work with them.

Nipo

Thank you! That was the kind of information I was looking for.

Ron Damon

I rode PowerGrips for many, many years, as far back as my MTB days over two decades ago. But I moved away from them due to cost, weight and their not taking to many pedals, requiring installation of front and rear attachments. I moved on to straps usually used by the Fixie and Single-speed crowd. Functionally as good as PG, yet lighter, simpler and cheaper.


$6/pair

Nipo

I have one general requirement for all pedals: I must be able to get my shoes out quickly without any thought in any emergency situation. Some pedal + cleat combinations enable this, such as Speedplay Frog, as well as all strapless platform pedals. This is the reason I got interested in Power Grips, because it seems they would allow quite similar effortless release pretty much like Speedplay Frogs.

Ron Damon

I've never used the Speedplay Frog, but I used the PG extensively, To release from PG, you need to pivot your feet toe in, heel out and then reawards to back out. Without the pivot, they will not release. This, of course, will become second nature and muscle memory after a while, but initially you will need to remember this. I haven't used PG for years, but the memory of how to release from them still remains with me to this day.

Nipo

What a bicyclist does naturally without any thought in such a situation when feet must get out of pedals immediately. Legs pull feet outwards, and ankles follow. Feet will be connected to pedals until released. It is a thoughtless process. It works because there is nothing to learn. That's how it works with Speedplay Frogs because there is no spring to resist release. One needs to have a foot on the ground and it just happens that foot is on the ground. That is the way I imagined Power Grips would work also.

Ron Damon

As most bicycle users in the world do not use clipless pedals, straps, etc. at all, they will of course have to learn how to release from the likes of Speedplay Frogs, PG, etc. This is not knowledge that one is born with or that comes naturally from riding a bicycle. It is learned knowledge.

Nipo

I disagree. You need your foot out immediately. What do you do? You don't think about it. A pedal that does not allow this is no good. Fortunately with Speedplay Frog there was no learning curve. You need your foot out and your foot is out, immediately.

Ron Damon

You may be right. Recent fossil discoveries on the African savannah and breakthroughs in the field of genetics reveal that H0mo sapiens actually pedalled out of Africa, with the toe inwards, heel outwards reflex firmly evolved and developed.

Nipo

I tried Shimano pedals, but I did not like them, because a spring resisted the release of my shoes from the pedals. Even after adjusting the pedals I did not like them because the release was not effortless. But once I tried Speedplay Frog pedals I understood they worked the way I wanted, and the release was effortless.

When you think about putting your foot from a pedal onto ground, you don't think about turning your foot and after that moving sideways. But it is completely unnecessary, because your foot is connected to your ankle which is ready to turn, not necessary by will but by force. Torque = Force × Lever arm. For example in emergency situation you don't think about turning your ankle. You don't think about it if you don't have time to think about anything. You just start moving your feet automatically. But because the foot is locked on the pedal, it won't move outwards at first. But the ankle is already moving outwards, and that's how the foot turns. You don't have to think about it: "Now first I must turn my foot so that the pedal will release." No. You just pull your foot outwards, your ankle starts moving first, your foot turns automatically, and then the pedal releases your foot. That is all automatic. It really works because it does not require any learning, any thinking.

So that's the way how Speedplay Frog pedals and cleats work. To achieve similar effortless release with Power Grips, one needs pedals that do not stick to the shoes too well. That is the reason I am interested in finding pedals, perhaps MKS. For me finding pedals that work the way as I described is essential.

sweeks

I've been using "strapless" toe clips on my folder for many years.
The advantages:
1) The clip makes the pedal very easy to get into because it hangs down; a light touch with the toe flips the pedal up so the foot can slip in
2) These are very easy to get out of; no thought required
3) The clips keep the foot from slipping off when the pedals are wet.
One possible disadvantage for use on a tandem: you can't really pull up on the pedal.

The strapless toe clips make it easy to store the pedal off the crank.