For what it's worth, they're easily installed inside-out, so you don't have to advertise "POWERGRIPS" to the world if you don't want to.

toe clips and straps unless you're a bike messenger spending all day on your bike then clipless.

why clipless for messengers ? toe and clips work.

s/f,
Ceya!

Clipless shoes are more solid/sturdy and gives you better transfer of power to your pedals. If you're biking 10 hours a day that may be a more effective solution than having soft sneakers. Clipless gives you also better control since you're actually clipped to your bike. Clipless is also better for safety reasons since they clip out automatically if you crash - clips don't.

I'm all for clips as a civilian because the hassle with changing shoes is not appealing. Clipless shoes can be found in a "sneaker" version but they're never as good looking as a nice pair of Adidas or Nike.

I know this because I was a bikemessenger for 3 1/2 years in both Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Almost all the messengers and in san francisco that ride a FIXED GEAR bicycles and almost all the people that have been riding fixed for a long time on city streets ride with clips and straps. (Clipless is for road and mtn bikes!). Why? Because they know that clipless is unsafe on a fixed gear bicycle that does not have a handbrake (and even with a handbrake it is dangerous). They are unsafe because they are DESIGNED to release under certain amount of strain and when your foot moves sideways. This causes accidental unclipping when you least want it for example pulling a hockey stop at a busy intersection. With clips and straps this is not the case as long as you buy decent straps and check them every once in a while. True you can get more better power transfer with clipless shoes than with adidas sambas, but is you get some proper cycling shoes with a hard sole the difference is minimal.

You've got a point there.

on my track bike i have egg beaters and it's the greatest thing ever.

on my beater i have egg beater mallets. i can rick clips if i want...if not i wear regular shoes, and use the brake.

i am sure this has been threaded to death, but yes, power grips are a not the greatest looking things (though you can't really tell when your in) but they preform as advertised.

It will probably take a day or two to get really comfertable with them, but I think they are better in any sort of city ridding situation than traditional clips and straps.

They are pretty cheap and the set I have I purchased in '99, granted they sat almost unused for much of that time (past year heavy use), but they seem to be pretty durable, more durable than the platforms I have had them on (which i purchased seperatly and had to change at least once).

Clipless
These are my around town shoes 661 Launch’s with speedplay frog cleats. I like them and they are comfortable and you can walk around without all that noise and the frogs have a crap load of float your knees will be thanking you if you are old like me

Okay, this thread just motivated me to stop daydreaming and just get some eggbeaters. $49.99 from Performance (completely sold out at all the stores around me).

Oo, exclusive color.



And pairing them with some Shimano MA80s ($63.98). I couldn't find any reviews of this shoe but it looks alright.



Nashbar's got some good prices on shoe/eggbeater combos, but the sizes are pretty limited, and I wasn't feeling the shoes they came with. Of course, you could just unload the shoes on CL or something. Worth looking at.

Edit: yeah, here's pedals and shoes. 90 bucks.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

drac_vamp had it right from the start. The only thing that needed to be added to his comment is that you (the OP) will just have to try both pedal systems and decide for yourself.

Or have really great crash because you are running clipless...

i had a really great crash with clips and straps. everything was all good except for some reason that i cannot understand my right shoe stayed totally strapped into the pedal. i landed (i think) with my left side down on the ground and i have no clue really how i didnt manage twisting or breaking my right ankle. my foot must have wiggled its way out of the shoe on impact or something. it was pretty strange. i woke up in front of the car and laughed a bit, dusted off the blood and gravel, looked at my poor front wheel and shook my fist at the driver. as soon as i was able to get myself and my bike out of traffic and away from the hood of her car, she took off speeding. u-lock successfully thrown, clear break through her back window. i guess she might still have it, but who cares. anyways, i dont know. i trust clips and straps, even though they worked so well that my shoe stayed in them during a crash.

I totally agree with you that the clip and strap pedal system can suck very much once you fall.
And if that fear outways the fear of I am talking about below then I guess clipless would be the ticket.
Thanks for the new perspective! and good job on the U-lock throw!

What I was talking about is an accident caused by a pedal system that can be completely avoided by using another pedal system.
Clipless releases you under high stress and when twisting your foot sideways - It is a product FEATURE!
Clips and straps hold you tight no matter how you pull or twist and if they snap - It is a product FAILURE!

Time to pick your worst fears and adapt...

i think the shoe staying in the clips/straps is a freak incident that probably hasn't happened much. and i think the reason i was saved from injury is because i was wearing regular shoes that could be worn a little more loose than clipless cleats should be worn. you know? like if i was using cleats and clipless i would cinch those shoes down tight on my feet, (is that how they are supposed to be worn?) but since i was wearing normal sneakers i could wear them loose and allow my straps/clips to do the job of keeping a tight secure fit. i'm so totally all for clips and straps. just having sneaks that are a little loose just in case, ya know?

i totally hate the thought of popping a cleat off of a pedal.

I beg to differ and I raise you 17yrs as a NYC messenger all on track bike.

You changing sneakers for what clipless ,you do your shoes sometimes. I don't change. I see people clipping out of the cleats, i see people with worn or broken cleats. I can ride with broken straps,clips and i come lose also when falling.

S/F,
CEYA!

See I really know something!

ok, i gotta chime in now.
clips suck crack --the bad kind.
ceya, much respect, but you consider clipless the way i consider the internet in 1994. it didn't work well then, but it does now.
same with clipless. WAY better than clips now. safer, more efficient, smarter. the only negs are cost and having to wear dorky shoes.

bv

Msngr, there's no accounting for your taste. And that's really all it comes down to: personal preference and taste.

And by the way, shoes for clipless pedals are not merely expensive and dorky, they are in some cases straight up dangerous to walk in. I fell down the steps in front of my house (twice) wearing cleats. Having said that, I love my look pedals. I have them on my road bike, and I've got a extra set that I sometimes put on another bike. But they don't work for me on a day-to-day basis. Clips and straps do. That's my preference. And it's why I think the OP should try them both out so he can see what he likes, as opposed to being told what to like by us.

I'm with Msgr and jrowedc.

Try both out and then choose clipless like Msngr and me.

"And it's why I think the OP should try them both out so he can see what he likes, as opposed to being told what to like by us."

why do you have problems with your pedals and cleats? hmm i still have some same pedals from years ago and ride them. i broken one side, oh my cleat won't clip in.. messengering with them work but always having problems is wak..

S/F,
CEYA!

Haha! You're ok!

By and large I am a clipless guy. I feel more secure, more powerful, and safer than I ever did with clips/straps. However, it's also been a long time since I've ridden clips/straps, and I've gotten a lot better on the bike in general since then, so I just did a bit of an experiment. I put my old pedals on my fixie and took a spin around the block. I did better with them than I used to, but my main dislikes still stand - slower/more awkward to get into, easier to get out of when you don't want to, and hate the toe clip smashing down on the top of my foot when I'm skipping. These could be minimized with practice and new pedals and sneaks, but by far I still much prefer my clipless.