Hi fellas.

Heres the deal.
I've got some big ol' feet and I don't really like them crammed into my toe clips.
I could try to get some bigger clips, but I was thinking of getting some of those foot straps (like hold fasts or something)
I don't do any trick riding, just fast stuff zipping around town. I was thinking that having some big ol' footstraps would be like having double toe straps that everyone seems to love, just without the clip.

So, the toe clip part is only to hold the toe strap open to make it easy to get your foot in, and the strap actually does all the feet holding, right?

Is there anything about those freestyle foot straps that make them awful for anything besides jumping around and what not?

Hold fast are fine for your riding needs and yes, your feet will feel nice and secure in them. You could also try a clipless setup. You could try eggbeaters if you are a little nervous about clipping in and out of pedals.

I rode with PowerGrips for quite some time and liked them a lot. I found them easy to get in/out of once they were adjusted just right. I had to swap them for regular clips & straps though because my left foot kept going numb when riding (I've had problems with circulation in my left foot ever since crushing it in an auto accident 12 years ago).

Haven't a lot of people been ripped off by Hold Fast? Am I thinking of another company?

I think you are thinking of FeetBelts but I think they resolved that problem.

what clips do you have?

You're right...it was Feetbelts. I remember reading a lot of stuff on the interweb recently about how people weren't getting their orders (or something). Thanks for clearing it up.

go clipless if you've got the extra money. you can get pedals+shoes for like 100, thats how much i paid for my first clipless setup.

what's your shoe size? I wear size 14 and I feel the same way as you with toe clips.

Actually, I've just got the cheapy stock ones that came with my motobecane track.
I know they're not intended to be super great, but I figured instead of upgrading those to some better clips, I'd just go with something with no shoe size limit like a freestyle strap.

My shoe size isn't even all that insanely large. just a 12.
But my feet are kind of wide also.

I think to try things out, i'll kludge together some pedal strap setup with an old belt I never wear and some random hardware. Kinda like powergrips or those feetbelts.
Then if it feels comfy I'll buy something that will be less likely to fray and tear apart when I catch a good downhill spot and start spinning at 88mph, from which i'd promptly zap back to 1985.


Great scott!

i wear a 12-13 shoe and i use MKS XL toe clips on my beater. I've been using them for 2 years(though my other bikes are now all clipless) and they fit my feet fine. The only problem with the size of my feet is despite them being huge, I've got short legs so i ride a 53cm frame which makes overlap a *****.

^my shoes are size 11...and my clips are too big. i currently have soma lg/xl and am getting the sm/md versions. my problem isn't width, it's length (*that's what she said*)...

but i'm sure those feetbelts are what you want. just get them.

I haven't ridden those thingies (the belt-type doo-dads) but they look like they are comfy. For me, though, a good set of clips/straps is where it's at aesthetically. Clipless is still the best though.

you know what they say about people with big feet?

harder to find clips and straps

+1 on clipless. Then u can buy whatever clipless shoes fits ur feet.
Or diy......

Well that depends. By the book, perhaps. But plenty of people use clips without straps. And some of us use clips with straps, but keep the straps very loose so that they will help keep your foot on the pedal on some occasions, but don't actually keep your foot clamped down onto the pedal.

In either case, you get a great deal of the advantage of having some kind of foot retention without being attached. It feels a lot safer to me.

"Clipless is best" is a sweeping generalization that does not apply to everyone. If I was going out for a century every day I'd consider going clipless, but 90% of my miles are done commuting. I can't go very fast due to traffic. I often have to stop. And most importantly, I'm going somewhere so I refuse to waste the time changing my shoes when I get there or when I leave.