Hey all...
I have been riding in NYC for a few years now and bought a nice new wheel for my all-steel el-cheapo single speed yesterday. It had the flip flop arrangement with an 18 tooth fixed on the other side.
Well, I couldnt stand the temptation and flipped the wheel around last night and rode for a few hours in Manhattan and had a great time.

Im no hipster (too old), but I live in Williamsburg, and have resisted the urge to even try a fixed gear bike because of the constant visual reinforcement of my prejudice about the trendiness of these bikes...

PEDALS:
I have flat pedals on the bike and have never ridden a bike with foot restraint... Any advice for a guy in his first couple of days of riding fixed in the city?

I mean... last night I "forgot" that I couldnt coast a couple of times and it got a little crazy... I didnt bail, but I wonder if it would have been weirder if my feet were stuck! And what about when you HAVE to stop at a light? Can you get your foot out pretty easy? Anyway, any thoughts appreciated.
From what I see on the street and can infer from the forums EVERYONE uses toeclips 'eh? I suppose there is a big benefit... seems like STOPPING and higher cadences might be better with toe clips?

OK, off to buy a white belt and an army hat...

Best, Jake

lol at your post. I have no insight on this either, but have been curious about it myself. I just got a bike with straps on the pedals and was wondering what's the best way to go.

Real hipsters never leave the pedals.

Most everyone here will tell you to get toshi double straps and metal toe clips. They're comfortable. For a real experience of the "connectedness" that people talk about - ride with clips.

It is a safety thing- not just for stopping. If you get going fast, and a foot slips off of the pedal, it is difficult to re-engage and the pedal/crank can hurt you. Also you will fall. And the hipsters will laugh. Oh how they'll laugh.

i like double straps (toshi or mks) with plastic clips

Foot retention is very important with fixed gear. Good shops in the NYC area won't sell you a fixed gear bike without some sort of foot retention because it's super dangerous on the streets. Even if you struggled once or twice initially unclipping from clipless pedals or getting out of clips & straps, causing you to fall over at a stop light, you'd be doing less harm to yourself than running over a large pothole in moving traffic, your foot flying off the pedal, then the crank swinging back around and hitting you in the back of the leg, sending you down on the asphalt around fast-moving cars and delivery trucks.

I don't mean to sound melodramatic about it or anything though. It took me a little while to get used to having my feet strapped in as well. There have been a few times where I've been super thankful to have clips & straps, typically late at night when I've hit a large hole on an unlit street that I didn't see coming. The retention allows you to power through it and keep pedaling, rather than getting seriously injured.

He he...
Never say never, but those straps are $100??
I got clown shoes for pedals right now, so I also need new pedals and metal clips...
Im a little shocked about the prices!

how about this? he he...
https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/1036532406.html

-JAke

P.S. No offense meant to the suggestion of buying HQ stuff!!!

Those plastic ones will definitely work. For a slightly more secure feeling, there are MKS metal clips for about $12 new. I use metal clips with inexpensive nylon straps from Nashbar ($4 for 2), but may upgrade to nicer straps one day. I don't like the way leather can weather kinda poorly sometimes.

It looks like you may need to pick up 2 washers and 2 nuts, from those pictures, if the person doesn't include them.

Thanks all...
Im gonna have to go "upgrade path" on this one... start out with the cheap...
NYC bikes is around the corner and has some for $25...

I hate going there though.

Best to all, Jake

Jake, I just run mks single straps and mks cages. You should be able to find those for $25-30. Wether you are riding SS or FG they'll benefit both. The last time I was in king kog they had some in stock. Check there if you hate nycbikes.

foot retention is only important if you run brakeless. Well, it's only vitally important, if you have brakes and you slip off, you can still stop yourself without using your emergency pedestrian brake. It's nice to have some kind of foot retention, just to help you even out your spin, but you don't need it.

When you first put on the clips and straps, run it as a single speed (Not fixed) for a while, just until you get good, and I mean really good, at getting in, it's much harder on a fixed, so your likely going to need practice.

must suck to live in williamsburg & hate everyone you see. that's like a homophobe moving to san francisco.

, +1.

Hipster hatred and the impulsive urge for people to distance themselves from "them" is far more annoying as a dude in a smedium t-shirs and girls jeans rocking huge headphones and reading juxtapoz.

(No offense to OP-- he's not nearly as nasty as most people on the subject)..

Or if you're interested in having proper pedal stroke and not just mashing like some dude on a Wal-Mart mountain bike.

Oh ****... sorry. Certainly didnt mean to be unskillful in my words back there... I surely dont hate everyone I see in my neighborhood!!! Im totally into my neighborhood / neighbors... I also used to be 23 years old, and from direct experience can spot overt 'posing' to some degree...
I relate entirely! I wouldnt want to be 23 again!
Sorry about that.


Big thanks to Generate for mentioning King Kog... Had never heard of it.
Just went there and got the MKS's as suggested.
Good folks there... Super nice fellow named Fleming started wrenching on my bike with pure kindness when I started asking tuning questions...
I'll be going there first from now on... great shop.

Thanks for all the help everyone, much respect.
Wish me luck... Im gonna bail a few times this week!
-Jake

Oh honestly, it's not that hard. If you like fixed, learn on fixed. And it doesn't really translate anyway. Worst that happens is you go over at low speed a few times and look silly.

Wait, didn't I just say that?

It's nice to have some kind of foot retention, just to help you even out your spin, but you don't need it.

It's a good thing, no doubt, but it's not urgent, as it would be on a brakeless fixed gear. Now be good or I'll start quoting Grant Peterson, about how clipless actually ruins your pedaling!

To each his own, but I disagree. Even if you're running/rocking brakes, if your foot slips off the front of the pedal, the back of your leg could get seriously messed up. The faster you're going, the more likely your foot will slip, and the harder that pedal will jam itself into your calf.

I agree completely, that's why I said it's a good thing to have foot retention. However, if you ride without foot retention on a bike with brakes, well, no one is going to post you in the jackass thread. Thats because when your foot slips, and the pedal spins out of control, all you have to do is slow down and you can catch up with it again. If you don't have brakes, once your foot leaves the pedal, you have lost your only means of slowing down.

[QUOTE=fuzz2050;8384490]...If you don't have brakes, once your foot leaves the pedal, you have lost your only means of slowing down.

He he... That sounds really unpleasant!
Im gonna keep on running / rocking the front brake until I learn to put my feet in the toe straps.
Then im gonna put a pair of CORIMA wheels on the SE Draft and lock it to a birdsnest.
>Jake

I agree. I run this set up (usually..I sometimes use SPD clipless when doing long 'serious' rides) with no problem. Cheap and functional.

I'm just joking around - it's all good man.
you'll be fine with clips/straps - it'll take a few days to get the flip & insert foot thing down fast
but you'll be fine.