Hold Fast Straps Compatibility
 

. . are hold fast straps compatible with mks gr-9s?

no, they are mainly used for tricking on bmx or other platform pedals. That does not mean that you cannot however rig something up to work with them, but out of the box i would not recommend it.

no

thats the problem...allot of these type of straps (the ones without toe clips) dont work on track pedals. besides powergrips.....and please dont say feetbelts. ive had really bad experience dealing with trying to order a pair from them, basically non existant customer service and although i bought a pair off their website they were out of stock and didn't tell me, havn't shipped me anything and havn't issued a refund. im in the middle of a paypal dispute with them. should have gone with powergrips, but i didn't because i thought they were ugly.

ANYWAY anyone know of any other straps like these that work on track peddals?

From the holdfast blog:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CFOQn7QxHP...KSholdfast.jpg



Holdfast on a mks track pedal. Very similar to other track pedals. GR9s may be tricky though. Especially without the hole in the front to feed the strap through. I put a longer bolt through my toe clips on my GR9s and it acts like a "hole" for my double straps. However I have no experience with holdfast so I'm not sure if that would work. Holdfast straps also seem bulky to fit onto a GR9. I may stop by my LBS and see if it's possible since they carry both.

You "might" be able to rig it to a MKS track pedal, but the straps will be prematurely worn down by the metal cages.

o really?
i had always been under the assumption those hold fasts were for bmx pedals only.
just emailed hold fast to confirm they work on track pedals....

if so (which it looks like it is) im def. going to get a pair!

have fun with those holdfasts on your track pedals. plain ol straps and clips are far more secure.

I run a set of Holdfast straps on some Origin8 Standard Track Pedals. I have been using them for months without any wear issues. They are intensely secure, wedged to prevent forward force, two points of adjustment, and quick tightening velcro top. I ran straps and clips on them for a year prior, and I feel much more secure with city riding using Holdfast.

However, Holdfast will definitely not work well with MKS GR-9 pedals.

even better to know! i have the same pedals.

in fact i just received an email back from holdfast:


"We recommend using a BMX-style platform pedal, such as the Animal 'Hamilton'PC, the Crank Brothers 50/50, or the Eastern BMX PC pedals. They also work with most other traditional track and road/touring pedals, just so long as you can thread the lower straps through the pedal along the axle. "


so they work on standard track pedals, but they prefer you use bmx ones.

If you want some pics of the Holdfast on my Origin8 pedals (since you say you have the same pair), just let me know.

if its not any trouble, sure!

Here are some quick snaps with my phone:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=9...c99885da44e881

An inspection shows zero wear so far, they're just dirty.

cool, thanks
just bought a pair of those exact ones!

There's a debate going on now in the current toe clips thread. Seems like everyone that claims this has never tried holdfast. I'm trying to test this out myself. Might have to guinea a pair out if curiosity :D

You're going to ruin the whole interweb if you actually TRY things before making claims.

I see no reason to switch from clips and straps, especially if you have real pedals and not silly bmx pedals.

I've never tried clips and straps, but my Holdfasts work great for me. They keep my foot securely connected to my silly bmx pedals. When they wear our I'll probably buy some new pedals with clips and straps just to try it out though.

i have a feeling holdfasts are MORE secure than straps and clips.
also easier to put your foot into.
also more aesthetically pleasing.

lol *waits for clips/straps snob tirade*

You're right. This thread must be closed immediately. The whole interwebz is at stake.

More secure? Maybe. Better power transfer? Doubtful.

I use both. I have Holdfast on my fixed gear and clips & straps on my road bike. They both give excellent power transfer. Additionally, the comfort provided by the wide strap on the Holdfast makes them more of a pleasure to use.

They are equal on power transfer and easy of entry, IMO. The difference is comfort, cost, and pedal compatibility.

Holdfast are for platform pedals, be they BMX style or Standard Track (not Pro Track) style. You don't have to use BMX pedals to use Holdfast. In fact, I don't recommend BMX pedals at all. To each their own, though...

Clips and straps are for Pro Track and racing/quill pedals. You can get much lighter pedals when you go for clips and straps. On a road bike, that's what people care about: how light things are. I don't use clipless because of my own personal reasons such as not liking the shoes and preferring to pull out by moving my foot backwards instead of to the side. However, I have been eyeing some Crank Brothers clipless pedals...

I have been riding both for months now (clips & straps for years), and am happy with both. I stand by Holdfast for fixed gear riding, and clips & straps for road bike riding. Still, I recognize that there is some personal decision making going on, too.

i have hold fasts. good try though. i do not offer opinions on products without trying things. they are awesome for tricking, and that is their intended use. Clips and straps are far more secure for my commuter. Holdfasts for my trk 729 any day.

Why do you feel that? Can you back up your statement?

I feel equally secure in both. I also can see how it's personal and that my experience is not universal.

I have Holdfast straps on Odyssey Twisted BMX pedals and I love them, never used anything else though.

back up my statement, what do you want a video or something?

When i ride with clips and toe-straps you can crank down on the straps a lot. Hold fasts you can too, but its a bit more of a challenge. Toe-straps (i run doubles) have the ability to crank down on the back strap and the front strap. Holdfasts = one big strap to tighten) and you foot is not made flat, so you do not have even pressure or retention through out the strap. Clips and toe-straps have been around for ages and are tried and true.

Not to mention the hold fasts are far more easy to slip out of. That's part of what they are designed for. So you can get your feet out of the straps when you need to bail. When i ride with holdfasts is with skate style shoes or something along those lines that clips and straps will not accommodate. Riding holdfasts are THE best option for trick riding, but otherwise they fall on their "faces" in other respects when compared to clips and toe-straps.

Nope, your 2 paragraphs work nicely.

I can see your point about adjustability, although the taper of the Holdfast strap grips my foot pretty evenly. It's definitely not universal, so what works for some won't work for others. I do love the double straps on my road bike for the same reasons you mentioned.

However, I've never "slipped out" of my Holdfast straps, so that hasn't been an issue for me.

I live on top of a hill in Santa Cruz, and that tends to place a special importance for me on foot retention. if i ever want to ride anywhere i have to go down a pretty sizable hill, so it is in my best interest to prepare accordingly. I've come un-clipped with both hold fasts, and toe-straps and neither are fun at all. Take my statements about both foot retentions for what they are worth to you though.

Damn, popping out of my foot retention while screaming down a hill would freak me out...

So I've had Hold Fasts for a bit over a week now. I usually ride exustar laminated doubles on my main bike. I've put at least 100mi on them. I don't do tricks (other than track stands and bw circles?). I ride fast, I cruise, I ride brakeless and I like to skid down hills. Here's my 2 cents:


Power Transfer

Toe straps > Hold fast. The width of the Hold Fast strap is pretty much the same as a double strap (although more material) so I'm not buying into the advantage in power transfer. If anything I would put toe straps ahead by a bit just because I can crank them down really tight in comparison.


Hold

Toe straps > Hold fast. Like I mentioned above, you can really crank down tight on toe straps on the go. Hold fast are more set and forget so I didn't expect them to hold as tight and that held true. I tried tightening Hold Fast on the go and it was a bit tougher since I had to pull and pat down the velcro at the same time. Even then, it just doesn't seem like you can get them as tight as toe straps which only need to be pulled. The wedge design is very good however. It does hold your foot fairly well and I didn't experience any slipping. I felt safe in them but toe straps give me that extra security. If you were to run both straps at the same "looseness", the Hold Fast would probably provide better hold because of the wedge design.


Ease of Entry

Toe Straps > Hold Fast. It may just be that I'm new to them, but occasionally it was harder to get my foot wedged properly in the Hold Fast because the material isn't completely rigid. I use steel clips and the rigidity helps keep the strap open for an easy entry. I don't see this as a real problem though. Just a couple extra seconds of wiggling your foot around to get proper placement.


Ease of Entry/Exit

Hold Fast > Toe Straps. Like Dinosaur88 mentioned, they are designed to get out of easily.


Comfort

Hold Fast > Toe Straps. Although Toe Clips/Straps are completely comfortable to me, steel clips can dig into thin shoes and cause some discomfort. Hold Fast straps are basically 1 big wide piece of nylon. They would be comfortable on bare feet.


Cost

I guess this depends on what you're comparing them to. Cheaper than pricey doubles like Toshi/MKS/Kashimax/Cadence but my Exustars were $40. Used them for 6+ months and they are holding up well. No slippage or stretching.


Pedal Compatibility

Toe Straps > Hold Fast. I put the Hold Fast on basic all-city track pedals and they were quite a pain to install (pliers required). It seems like almost any pedal that would work with double straps would work with Hold Fast straps but toe straps will fit just about any pedal and are easier to install.

BTW, I have GR-9s and I really do think you can rig Hold Fast straps on them if you use long bolts (where toe clips attach) to form a "slot" for straps to feed through. I already do this for my doubles but I'm not going to the trouble of installing them on the GR-9s to prove a point :D


Conclusion

I've haven't had the Hold Fast straps long enough to comment on durability but the construction is pretty solid. I wouldn't be surprised if they last quite long. But there are plenty of positive testimonials from trick riders that beat the crap out of them compared to me. In the end, I'm going back to toe straps/clips. Hold Fast would definitely be ideal for trick riders and adequate for commuters but they don't offer me anything over toe straps/clips. They also look pretty ugly on most bikes, purely my opinion of course :p