Toe lips or platforms?
 

I am trying to get used to pedals w/toe lips. I ride exclusively on roads in the city. Often I have to stop for traffic and of course have to remove foot from clips. I am not ready for expense of clipless right now. Should I just take clips off and go with the platform pedals for the convince. Also do not feel toeclips giving me power on upstroke.

Modern bicycle theory says you don't (get power on the upstroke) That is basically an urban myth.

http://www.bikejames.com/strength/wh...-stroke-power/
https://roadcyclinguk.com/riding/bik...wXxkk8i7LSI.97

As for pedals in traffic, I would suggest you go with whatever you feel more comfortable with. I use a modern shimano clipless MB system that allows me to unclip and clip in very easily so I don't feel trapped as some riders do. But I don't ride in heavy traffic either.

I'm sorry, what are "toe lips"?

Take them off and try it. I wouldn't want anything but platforms for city riding.

That autocorrect--gets me every time.

I used toe clips years ago for commuting, occasionally with cleated rigid sole Detto Pietro cycling shoes for commutes, and always on longer rides or competition. Being attached to the pedals helped a bit with consistency when I was spinning fast and maybe a bit on hills. But you don't really pull up. That's a good way to injure a knee. Knees aren't designed to pull up that way.

For most situations it was superfluous and occasionally a distraction in heavy traffic. I usually kept my right foot strapped in and the left loose. But occasionally I had to dab the right foot down while dodging traffic or pedestrians in busy areas. Very sketchy with toe clips strapped in. Maybe not a big deal with clipless.

I use platforms now. As my conditioning improved, so did my foot stability on the platform pedals. Took awhile, but I quit losing my footing while spinning fast or riding on rough terrain. Just a matter of re-learning a smooth, consistent spinning motion.

I'd need to be in much better condition and riding a lot faster than my 12 mph average to get any benefit from toe clips or clipless. If anything I prefer to keep my feet free to catch myself from falling, with either foot. And it's saved me a few falls, or minimized the impact of other falls.

To minimize knee strain I prefer to be able to move my foot freely. I tend to center the ball of the foot over the pedal axle while spinning on fast flats and downhills. When climbing or mashing into the wind, I shift my foot forward slightly -- not quite with the arch centered over the axle, but 1/2" to one inch forward.

I'm considering something like the big Catalyst platform pedals. It appears to be about an inch longer than the fairly large nylon platforms on my hybrid. I like those pedals and plan to replace the cage type pedals on my Univega with something similar. However the Catalyst pedal developer recommends a foot position with the arch centered over the axle. I'm not sure I'd find that natural, and tend to place my foot with the pedal axle about midway between the ball of the foot and arch.

take the straps off and cut or break the top 3" to make them into mini clips

http://www.parktool.com/assets/img/r...lp/feet_69.jpg

Now that's clever. That's what I like about this forum, you come here and find ideas you may never have discovered in a lifetime of cycling.

Updating my previous post, since last month I've switched to Thermalite pedals by Stolen Pedals and modified my foot position, closer to having the arch centered over the pedal axle. I wasn't quite ready to spend what the Catalyst pedals cost so the Thermalites were a good way to experiment with a different foot position on platform/flat pedals.

Seems unorthodox but it suits me. No knee twinges since modifying my foot position, and I feel stronger climbing hills. I still do occasionally change my foot position closer to having the ball of the foot over the pedal axle for faster downhill pedaling and occasionally on flats. Overall I prefer not having toe clips or clipless devices and shoes locking me into a fixed position.

The power benefits of toe clips are exaggerated, but that doesn't mean that they're not without purpose.

The main purpose is to hold your foot in the right place on the pedal, and ensure that it doesn't slip out of position or off entirely.

Of course, they're a mixed blessing, and can be a nuisance in urban riding where you have to set a foot down every few blocks. That nuisance level depends on how used to and comfortable you are using clips. I have them on my commuter because the added security outweighs the drawback of getting back in each time. But I've been riding with toe clips (and later on clipless) for almost 50 years, and the last time I had a problem was something like 49 years ago.

Whether to use them is strictly a personal decision, and probably turns on the riding conditions, and your comfort level using them. So, I'm not going to advise either way, but I will remind you that any decision isn't binding, and you can change your mind at any time.

I agree. I used toeclips for years and mine were on pedals with a ridge at the rear which trapped the shoe very well to allow for confident fast spinning. I have since moved to the cheap shimano MB clipless system and it's like chalk and cheese. I have never been "trapped" in them and fell because when i freak out and pull my foot up aggressively they pop right out. This is possible because the pedals have release adjustment screws that can be set very loosely, so to speak. One day I might tighten them, if my foot ever pops out without me wanting it too but I don't pull up on the backstroke so it may never happen.

Skeptics really ought to look into these new state of the art systems, as far as I'm concerned they are a lot safer than platforms and a hell of lot more comfortable once they are setup correctly. Having said all that though, if I was forced to ride beside traffic on a busy road (which I refuse to do) I think I would use basic flat pedals, so if a semi truck was going to crush me into a parked car, I could quickly abandon the bike and climb up onto the truck instead.

I sometimes ride using a similar foot position, and I seem to recall reading some opinions on that once. So I switch things up and sometimes go on the ball of my foot, and sometimes move my foot further forward like you're talking about.

FWIW, I'm liking the Race Face Chester pedals these days. Mostly, I like them for their colors. I've a purple set on my commuter bike. The Chesters are composite with metal pins, look great, grip well, and the price isn't awful. Jenson USA sells them for under $50.

When I moved and started riding in town and through traffic lights (previously out in the country), I switched from toe clips to these. I love them.

Forté Convert Platform Pedals

Just switched to these. They have a concave platform with a ridge against the crank. Also, the way they mount, they are positioned closer to the crank than conventional pedals. I've ridden ~ 30 miles to date and I'm liking them...a lot.

Nifty. Here's a review of the Ergon PC2 pedals.

I've been using Ergon pedals on my daily rider (s) for several Years ..