Sorry I'm new so feel free to bash

I've heard people say having foot retention and/or toe clips is a must on a fixed gear. Currently I have a Pista with regular stock pedals. I am considering getting clips just because it seems like it will be easier to pedal. Are there other reasons??

I also think my Vans half cabs wont fit into toe clips anyone try riding toe clips with vans??

If you're going brakeless foot retention is a must; life or death.

All vans will fit toe clips; even the super wide chukka's; half cabs are not a problem. (that's me tho with large sized mks clips)

^^^ what do you mean all vans will fit toe clips?
meaning cutting the soles out?

There are certainly nice to have, I recently ordered some power grip sport pedals with straps. However I believe there only "a must have" if your brakeless. You need to stop the bike with your momentum so its crucial.

if you want to understand how dangerous it is to ride fixed without foot retention...

Find any hill of your choice, go down the hill and be sure to lift both feet off of the pedals at a decent speed. Now try coming to a stop. More points awarded for shorter stopping distances.

uhmmm it's only like the most important thing ever!!!!!!

Had a scary experience as explained here :

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...HE-PEDAL-STRAP

I just ordered a Keo Compatible pair of clipless!

Uhm, no. Unless you like how asphalt tastes.

Imagine this, you hit a bump and your feet come off of the pedals. Your pedals continue to spin, thrashing your leg/shin/foot with every rotation until you crash or manage to stop.


If you are lucky you just end up battered and bruised, at worst total loss of control and possible death.

Uh, I'm going to disagree with the nervous ninnies here and say that you probably don't need foot retention. You've been posting around here for a while, so I assume you've been riding your bike for a while. This assumption leads me to believe that you haven't ridden your bike fast enough, far enough, or down a hill enough (see fast enough) to recognize the need for foot retention. Therefor I doubt it is a necessity for you. If all you do is ride a couple flat blocks at 12mph, you'll be fine without it. It's not like you're going to explode without it or something.

There are several messenger types around here running brakeless fixed with no foot retention, including the brother of a buddy of mine. It basically comes down to going slower and being really good at skidding.

If you have a brake, I don't think that foot retention is as safety-critical as many on here repeat as dogma.

People act like running without foot retention is crazy, but a very large chunk of the folks on here are using toe clips / cages as foot retention, and those things suck, man. I don't get how people even manage to cinch them on when riding fixed because you can't pause at the top of the stroke and reach down to tighten it up.

My advice is to get some nice SPD clipless pedals (A520's look pretty good and suit most fixed bikes in terms of style) and a matching shoe with a recessed cleat if you're concerned about foot retention. If you're not going to go with clipless, then just run platforms & a brake and have fun on your bike.

As long as you ride at a slow pace with fresh pavement on a closed course, I guess this could make sense.

If you have a brake, then exactly what is the scenario where foot retention is safety critical?

And do toe clips count as foot retention? Do they really retain your foot the way that most people use them on FG bikes?

If you run brakes you're no worse off than someone with a freewheel.

if youre riding single speed, its not important.
if youre riding fixed w/ brakeS, its kinda important for going down hills.
if youre riding fixed w/o brakes, its required.

Say you are cranking hard out of the saddle and your foot slides off the pedal, you will likely wreck. Brake doesn't help.

Say you are cruising along, hit a pothole negotiating a turn, your foot slips, you wreck, brake doesn't help.

Say you are spinning fast, your foot slips, your pedal comes around and shreds your leg with every revolution until you can manage to stop.

Yeah, some people ride without retention and don't have issues, that doesn't mean that it is a good idea. Also once your are off balance and can't regain control, braking becomes much, much harder. But, do whatever you want, be a unique snowflake, march to a different drum beat, just don't come back complaining that nobody warned you.

not even close to true.

Meh. Your feet come off, just move 'em out of the way and hit the brakes.

riding with clips and straps allows you to pull up on your rotaion, it is very helpfull and much safer

Much, much easier said than done.

i just purchased origin 8 double straps and clips, they are nTTTTT! perfect choice, meng

This.

If you're stupid enough to leave your shin infront of the pedal for "turn after turn after turn," then you deserve to get your shin shredded. Who is that stupid. Move your leg.

Don't get me wrong; retention is best, but no retention isn't necessarily a safety issue; you're just having to ride differently.

That might work on flat ground (I've ridden fixed with a brake and no foot retention plenty in my old flat town), but a panic stop on a hill with just a front brake and your feet hanging off the bike is going to get messy. Worse yet, if any kind of turn is introduced into the panic stop.

example:

You are out of the saddle speeding away from a stop sign, hit a bump, your foot decides that it doesn't want to stay on the pedal and slips on a downstroke, hitting the road. Your other foot then comes off the pedal as you try to maintain control while straddling the top tube and hitting the brakes. It takes you 20 feet to stop, and during that time, your pedal has decided to shred your leg into a bloody mess.

I've got a feeling that arguing with anyone who thinks that foot retention is not a safety concern is like trying to teach a tree to read.