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If all nylon straps are like the ones I have, they are definitely not the solution. They come loose after one little skip or skid.
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Originally Posted by Momentum
Clipless pedals were designed as a solution to a problem and they work very well. Get mountain bike shoes and you can hop, skip and jump around all day on and off the bike. Otherwise keep riding the cool looking old stuff and deal with the the inherent faults.
Johnandoff: Dude I say just replace the toe straps. If they held up for three months of hard riding that's not bad at all. Straps will wear out. When you see the wear getting to the point that you aren't sure just replace them. They aren't THAT expensive unless you get the really really fancy stuff. One a fixed gear bike, they are part of your braking system. On a road bike, after a full day in heavy rain, you can go through a set of brake pads. That sucks but it happens. I wouldn't call your straps defective by any means if they lasted three months on a fixed gear bike. I am currently riding a pair of Silvas right now but they will most likely be my last. I am one of the three people Shiznaz mentioned who has had the problems with disintegrating straps. My first pair began to delam after 5 days!! I still rode them for a bit, then I tried to glue them and screwed up the job. I got another pair because I got them cheap and I needed something right away but I would not recommend them. |
Originally Posted by Danhalen
I am currently riding a pair of Silvas right now but they will most likely be my last. I am one of the three people Shiznaz mentioned who has had the problems with disintegrating straps. My first pair began to delam after 5 days!! I still rode them for a bit, then I tried to glue them and screwed up the job. I got another pair because I got them cheap and I needed something right away but I would not recommend them.
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ps. sheldon brown's word is not gospel. |
in case anyone cares, after deliberation, i decided i'm going to try and hold onto the cinellis as long as i can... krazy glue them or whatever... in the mean time i will eat ramen and save up the dough for some toshis... now i just need to decide whether i want singles or doubles (and how much ramen i am willing to eat)
ps. i'm not necessarily pissed about the cinellis - i rode em hard... i just wouldn't buy another pair if that's how long they last pps. clips n straps 4 lyfe |
Originally Posted by Steve K
i have them. they're not. they stretch all the time. so neener neener.
ps. sheldon brown's word is not gospel. |
I think it comes from Latin.
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Originally Posted by Shiznaz
The sad thing is that my christophe unlaminated straps were WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more durable and lasted over a year of all season riding before starting to get 'iffy'. And theyre like less than 10 bucks
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Originally Posted by Landgolier
Hysterically funny post snipped;
on riding around strapped in with the girth off a My Little Pony saddle and wonders why it wears out and breaks. AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!!!!! |
I had a hard time putting straps on my MKS Sylvans too until I wet the straps down. Made the leather just soft enough to give a little. I think the Rivendell ALE straps are the best deal out there at $13.00 for nylon-laminated leather straps with toe strap buttons. Don't know how they will hold up to a brakeless setup but at least you're not gambling very much money.
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Originally Posted by mattface
since when is neener neener used to indicate citation of gospel?
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Originally Posted by hairlessbill
I had a hard time putting straps on my MKS Sylvans too until I wet the straps down. Made the leather just soft enough to give a little. I think the Rivendell ALE straps are the best deal out there at $13.00 for nylon-laminated leather straps with toe strap buttons. Don't know how they will hold up to a brakeless setup but at least you're not gambling very much money.
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Originally Posted by Steve K
i have them. they're not. they stretch all the time. so neener neener.
ps. sheldon brown's word is not gospel. http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/image...somastraps.jpg "laminated" could mean two layers. Looks like they're just both leather. |
Originally Posted by marqueemoon
Here's the side view from the Harris site
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/image...somastraps.jpg "laminated" could mean two layers. Looks like they're just both leather. toshis just seem a lot better constructed... two rivets and all... and i like that they're sueded... i feel like they will grip my shoes better. |
Originally Posted by dijos
umm, OT, but do you ride horses? it's not everyone who uses the word "girth".
We use what's basically a 3x larger version of what nylon straps are made of in climbing and trust our lives (or yours if you're a hiker or something and we're rescuing your a**) to it all the time; granted we usually don't subject it to toothed buckles (and when we do we carry a spare). My experience is that nylon straps mostly go out because of the crappy ways in which they're attached to the buckle, though you can occasionally wear through them where the other end goes through the buckle. I get better results with the stiff flat webbing ones than the floppier tubular webbing ones, but who knows, it's not like I've been at this 50 years and have worn out a gross of everything on the market. |
has anyone tried sewing (with a heavy duty sewing machine) a strip of somewhat rigid plastic to the strap with heavy duty (nylon) thread? Would that compromise the integrity of the leather?
seems like plastic with the approximate properties of a 2 liter coke bottle would be flexible enough, but keep the leather rigid. I'm thinking a big bootstitch straight down the middle of the strap. |
As Shiznaz and Danhalen do, I use a pair of Christophe straps. I pulled them off of a twenty or twenty-five year old Raleigh road bike and they have been great. Don't slip, no mechanical problems and they are in great form after two years of use.
But, I switch them out in the winter, since the weather tends to be wet. As people have said, leather is going to wear out no matter what you do, just like riding in silk pants:) I use the Christophe's in the spring and summer and some of the fall. Then put on some black nylon straps that I think I grabbed off an old mtn. bike or something. They stay pretty stiff, especially after they get a bit of road grime on them after a few weeks of winter riding. They aren't the large-weave fabric ones but the kind of nylon where if the end isn't burned up you can press it together and form a tunnel down the middle (if that makes any sense. Wish I had a pic) I'd save some your strap money for some other nice parts, use sexy leather ones in the dry months and nylon ones in the winter months. I'd spend $50 on a lot of other things before I ever spent that much on toe clip straps. I can't even begin to think about shelling out for some of those more expensive doubles. |
Originally Posted by slopvehicle
has anyone tried sewing (with a heavy duty sewing machine) a strip of somewhat rigid plastic to the strap with heavy duty (nylon) thread? Would that compromise the integrity of the leather?
seems like plastic with the approximate properties of a 2 liter coke bottle would be flexible enough, but keep the leather rigid. I'm thinking a big bootstitch straight down the middle of the strap. |
so just out of curiosity and to semi-hijack the thread. is it best to go into like a comp-style skid and then lean back to slow yourself down if a strap breaks?
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skid with the other foot forward, foot on tire, one foot skid
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If a strap breaks you can just stop using the other foot. However, the most frequent symptom of a broken strap when trying to skip or skid is some combination of road rash and/or nut rackage. Bleeding from the calf of the side it broke on is another good indicator to look out for, as the pedal likes to come around and tap you back there to remind you that you should have replaced your straps last week.
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Originally Posted by dijos
umm, OT, but do you ride horses? it's not everyone who uses the word "girth".
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Originally Posted by Landgolier
AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGG listen people, leather straps WEAR OUT AND BREAK. ALWAYS. Doesn't matter HOW MUCH YOU SPEND or whether they're LAMINATED or TREATED or IMPREGNATED or any other crap. There is no leather strap in the universe that is designed for the kinds of abuse dished out by riding brakeless on the street. Think about how little stress is put on them with a road bike, and think about how much less than that track straps are meant to take (less time on the bike, never get wet). If you want to ride brakeless on the street in all kinds of weather, either plan on chewing through a bunch of leather straps, or suck it up and run nylon ones. I know that's not cool, I know that NJS Somanellipistatoshi laminated double cream puffs for $100 a pop are the jizzy jam and everyone will think you're cool and you will get mad play from all the hot ladies that like guys with arcane expensive bike parts (I have confirmed this with both of them) and blah blah woof woof. Come on, do you guys ride in patent leather shoes and silk pants and then complain about your nice shoes getting scuffed and the breeze in your crotch? Everybody and their dog kicks down big bucks for deep V's because they're "way gnar for the street, dude," but then insists on riding around strapped in with the girth off a My Little Pony saddle and wonders why it wears out and breaks. AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!!!!!
ok, I'm done. OP, this rant really isn't directed at you leather straps are stronger than anything if used and installed properly my mks straps are fine they aren't as nice as the kkt's but are about 6 months or so old and haven't streached or torn and I ride brakeless fixed as well and it gets really wet here and water is the worst for leather |
I think it's nuts you guys aren't trying to make your own. Have you ever checked out all the weird **** you can experiment with at a fabric and/or arts and crafts store?
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Originally Posted by hairlessbill
I had a hard time putting straps on my MKS Sylvans too until I wet the straps down. Made the leather just soft enough to give a little. I think the Rivendell ALE straps are the best deal out there at $13.00 for nylon-laminated leather straps with toe strap buttons. Don't know how they will hold up to a brakeless setup but at least you're not gambling very much money.
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