I have toe straps right now and i thought id love them but i hate them. My cycling shoes are velcro and they get stuck all the time, the straps feel restrictive no matter how loose or tight..i just dont love them.

I have SPD clips but would need clipless pedals. (leaning towards Shimano PD-M520). $40.

Should i get used to the straps or go clipless? I cant go without anything because i ride bow legged so maybe clipless isnt the answer either?

Your decision.

Clipless. I think the spd pedals have mord float, i.e. allow your foot to pivot easily, than spd-sl pedals. At least that’s what I feel with mine own pedals. So should be fine for bowleggedness. Velcro getting stuck in cage, not good.

TL/DR Clipless

I know but its nice to have thoughts on the matter since im new to cycling and people who have been at this longer know what may or may not work. It is very individual but Im open to ideas.

Im finding cycling is a lot of trial and error. Im at the error part right now.

I'd say get the SPD pedals. you already have the shoes.

https://www.bikejames.com/strength/do...hen-you-pedal/

Since you ride bow legged, make sure it's not from too low a saddle. Your leg should be close to straight with just a slight knee bend at the bottom of the pedal stroke.

Its been fixed, its my foot angle.

Ill have to get a pic but i do have the right placement. My foot just shifts over.

Six of one, half a dozen of another.

They both have little pluses and minuses- but all in all, there's not a huge difference- in the end, they both do the same thing, and the learning curve for either is about the same.

I started with straps; then, when a bike which I bought came with some SPD pedals, I got a pair of shoes, and tried that. I didn't mind the clipless, but I've recently gone back to the straps, as I like the ability to ride in different shoes, and to be able to move my feet a little fore or aft as desired (Especially when climbing).

I guess they're something everyone has to try- but personally, I don't have a strong opinion either way. I wouldn't spend a lot of money to go clipless.

Unless you use slotted cleats with your toe clips/straps, you'll likely find clipless pedals offer better performance. But if you want to be able to use regular street shoes occasionally without having to swap out pedals, you may prefer toe clips and straps.

Thats why im looking on CL and i found a few for $20 and emailed them! $40 at REI was cheaper than most online prices. ( they may even have cheaper)

I dont want to wear regular shoes. They made my problem worse!

Go strapless.

Try toe clips instead. You can get some with straps, but leave them fairly loose until you decide you do want to tighten them for a better fit

Actually you may have less of a problem with clipless. if your feet tend to move around a lot or rotate on the pedals, clipless pedals/cleats have "float" that allow some movement. You can get similar movement with straps but the straps have to be loose.

Yes, somebody said "strapless." I agree with that.

In my opinion the only generally bad choice are straps. They trap your foot on the pedal if you need to emergency stops (including hitting something), they flop down at stops so you have to flip the pedal over when your head should be up watching traffic at intersections, they don't add any power (clipless doesn't add any significant power either) and you can get flats that are just as grippy nowadays.

In my opinion there's 2 good options:

1. Flat pedals with pins, and bike shoes (Five Ten makes the grippiest bike shoes). Five Ten shoes will grip the pedals just like clipless for forward, back, and down, the one thing you lose is staying attached to the pedal when pulling up. But racers don't pull up on the pedal when riding except for sprinting or uphill anyways (studies have shown).

You also avoid the drawbacks of clipless - you don't have to learn to clip in or out, it's easier to avoid leg pain from being locked into exactly one position, you can walk around in them off the bike comfortably, etc.

2. Clipless. The reason why racers use clipless is mostly that it's the most secure foot retention, holding your foot in even when you pull up. The idea that it makes you faster on the flats studies have said is a myth according to a number of studies. They may improve your speed when sprinting all out, or going uphill - it's harder to study that. But it's mostly because when you're flat out sprinting in a race your foot coming off the pedal would be a dangerous disaster, and clipless provides that best foot retention - that also lets you get your foot out in an emergency.

Being that you mention being bowlegged, I'd lean towards suggesting flats with pins and bike-specific flat shoes.

Like I said, I think that both flats with pins and good shoes, or clipless are good choices depending on your particular needs. In my opinion I just think straps are a bad choice that either of the previous choices do better and I personally don't recommend straps to anyone - go with flats or clipless.

Most online sellers have something called mini-toe clips UC HALF TOE CLIP, LARGE, Black with prices from $3 to $10 a pair. I have a similar problem that my right foot angles to the right on the pedal. If I try to ride with it straight ahead I get leg pain so clipless pedals are out.

Look Keo

One person got back to me with a pair of Wellgo Clipless but im playing that waiting game of CL to set up meeting to see if theyd work for me.

I did try taking off the strap to see if that helped or made it worse and it didnt make much of a difference. My foot still went funny, my shoe still got caught, etc.

Exactly what kind of setup do you have? Can you post a photo? And what kind of shoes are these that are always getting "caught?"

I have a pair of these: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/sh...s-riata/105655 in grey.

and unknown brand of toe straps ( i can get a better pic if need be). The LBS put them on.

This is a question that is unusual, I had thought that except for a few vintage enthusiasts, straps basically have ceased to be used. Having used straps half of my cycling life and clipless Look keo's for the second half, I would never even consider strapped pedals.
Especially in colder weather, strapless far superior.

Im going to go look at a pair of: Wellgo WPD-801 in about 30mins!