F'n around doing some skidding last night when my right toe clip snapped in half right at the tip of the toe... clean break. I was using the MKS alloy clips that I got about 6months ago. Do these typically have such a short life or did I just get a lemon. Any thoughts on the chromed steel variation? I would think that the steel may be a little more durable.

should read SNAPPED not SNAPED...

snape kills dumbledor!

so yeah, you totally snaped it!

alloy is prone to snappage, i've done it once and seen it happen at least 3 other times. always mks alloy too. i'd go for steel.

Basically anything will snap(e). I've been using plastic because they were cheap and available when I snapped a steel clip awhile ago.

^seconded

yep, njs stamp or not, those mks clips are pretty easy to break. on my forth set in a bit more then 2 years. Of course most of that time I either had them on peddles in which they didn't exactly fit or had them a size too small. Switched up to the larges and mks peddles and pushing towards that 6 month mark, we'll see how much I can push past it...

i've been running some cheapo plastic toe clips that i won at an alleycat and they rock. i just don't know who made them. from the front they kinda look like a pair of adidas shell toe sneeks. i think they are mountain something orethers. anyhow, i'm drunk and they rock.

the webbing on mine snapped the other day as I was slowing down...I wasn't even pushing hard.

I was under the impression that steel or alloy toeclips are stronger than plastic. So, what is everyone's opinion. Are the plastic clips stronger?

plastic for sure!
metal has a tendency to bend out of shape and then weakens on the bend.
I broke a metal clip bombing down the north side of Franklin (in SF) many years ago, used plastic ever since.
plastic will break too, but the life expectancy is longer. you gotta keep an eye on your clips, straps and chain (especially if you don't have breaks) they'll let you know before they fail.

Crazy talk! I've broken far more plastic clips than I have steel, especially when it gets cold out.

Like I said, I've snapped steel, but I've snapped plastic too. I don't konw about the quality/amount of abuse on either one. I say just go with what you like best or what you can get easiest. To me, the main reason get steel clips is that they look awesome.

Thanks for everybody's imput on the toe clip issue. I tried to order a pair of MKS from SomaShop, but they are back ordered for 2 weeks. Instead, ordered 4 pr. of steel clips from Nashbar. At $7/pr. I couldn't resist buying a few backups. I will let every body know how they hold up (hopefully in about one year.) They also have some plastic clips (actually cheaper), but that shiney metal just makes me drool... perhaps I am a descendant of a crow. Thanks again.

i broke my last set of al clips in just a few months.

i'd actually ordered steel, but was sent aluminum. i was stoked at the time, since the al were more expensive and seemed like an 'upgrade', but never again. steel steel steel.

The MKS's were lasting about 2-4 weeks on my commuter bike. I've replaced them with doubled up chrome ones (available from the Yellow Jersey in Madison, WI) and they haven't broke.

With plastic ones, mine seemed to widen around the mount, until they were wider than the nuts holding them in place.