Hey guys,

I had a rather scary experience today on my fixie while cornering: pedal striking on a corner. I think most of the problem was with the MKS touring pedals I have. They're really comfortable on my feet, but the pedal striking has happened multiple times; luckily, no wipeouts yet.

I'd like to change this so that I don't have this experience again. What other pedals do you guys recommend? Under $40, I will be using cages with double straps as well as I commute with Vans shoes.

Thanks!

Human error. Don't corner so close to curbs...

Yeah, I know, but there's a corner when I go to school that all the other bikes/cars follow. I can't slow down due to traffic flow. Cars hate me biking anyway, so it's bad when I "cut them off" (from their view). But yeah, maybe I'll save the money for something else. aka bikes....

If the error is due to human misuse, new pedals will get misused again.

Go with 155 crank arms, corner all you want.

Can you take the turn a little wider? I don't think getting new pedals simply for the very reason you posted is justifiable enough. How sharp is the turn?

Take the lane.

Holy **** MKS touring pedals are wide. As you found out, it's generally not advisable to use such wide pedals on a fixed gear. The MKS Stream is a thinner version of the touring pedals. I would recommend you start there since you already know the larger version works for you. I've used both and found the Stream to be fine on a road conversion with a low bottom bracket, no strike issues.

https://www.yellowjersey.org/MKS_TECH.JPG

Good pic. I have the Sylvan Track pedals, and I haven't had any pedal strikes so far (granted I try to read corners the best I can).

I wish. Cars are backed up a lot, lot to mention it's a busy street. AND cops are pulling cars over for making an illegal turn. It's a hassle. Half the time the bike lane is blocked.

For now, I will go slower into the turns. I might use the touring pedals for a future SS build.

Different route?

This occurs as a combination of:
- Low Bottom Bracket (like on a road bike) What frame are you using?
- Long crank arms (longer than 170mm) How long are yours?
- Wide pedals
- Cornering hard

3 of those are pieces of equipment.

yeah i used to get mad pedal strike with my old pedals "just origin 8 branded welgos", then again i use a schwinn racer which has a low bottom bracket and stock long crankarms, i think 170 not sure, but i did corner quite aggressively. wish i had a picture to show you how much metal id removed from the bottom of the pedals lol.

things changed after i went clipless, my expedo's are quite a bit smaller and waaaaay narrow and havent had an issue yet.

just switch over to a clipless setup , i havent experienced a downside from switching over yet, only positives.

165mm cranks.
SS/fixed only frame, so the BB clearance is fine. Nashbar Alu-frame.
I guess it's just cornering hard.....

I might go clipless. But that's another pair of shoes I have to bring.

Sadly, there's only 1 usable route. The only other route makes you cross the same street I'm having trouble with, a BUSY intersection, with no traffic lights. And it's longer too....

+1

I'm going to reiterate. It's mostly your pedals. Unless you've ridden them it's hard to understand just how wide the MKS Touring pedals are. When they were mounted on my touring bike with a higher than average BB height (>11 inches) it was not possible to pedal through most corners at a reasonable speed. So get some more normal-width pedals first.

Second, ride like a boss. Pay attention to traffic, make sure you get noticed and take more of the lane than you're currently doing. It helps to stick an arm out as well. I do this on tight right hand corners. As I approach the corner I make sure I have space in the traffic flow, then I stick my left arm out, take the leftmost section of the rightmost third of the lane and then corner as needed. Once you get comfortable with the flow, it's second nature and a lot better than taking a strike and going down in traffic.

The Rivendell Reader #42 has an article on cornering that, while not fixed-specific, is a worthwhile read. You can find it here.

My bottom bracket isn't too low, I got sylvans, and I still pedal strike. Its part of the game. Take your turns slower if you're too concerned about eating it. I think its fun because it sort of lifts me up when it happens.

These are the least strikey pedals I have (well, I have similar 105s, actually) BUT you can't run your old toeclips on 'em and I'm pretty sure there are no double-strap options for 'em.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-90s-...item3375aef569

I have Wellgo 908s on my fixed I've yet to hit, but I have 700c wheels on a bike made for 590 BSD 26" wheels.

Just like with toe-overlap: you learn not to pedal strike. Alternatively you can get kiddie 155mm cranks in neon green

I ride those pedals too. MKS Sylvan touring. They are the most comfortable pedals I have used. Some pedals I have used on fixed gear.

MKS Lux Comp - Hard ridge and digs into your sole

White Industries Urban Platform - Expensive, other side of pedal is worthless. Aside from that a comfortable pedal. Has nice width, but tapers inwards on the corners to reduce pedal strike.

MKS Sylvan Touring - Love them. I had a slight pedal strike once, but it was against a curb when I was squeezing past a car. I am sure any pedal would of hit in that situation. I do know they are wide, so actively be careful when turning. Another thing I like about these is since they are wider, you have a bigger / wider opening to get your foot into the clips.

MKS Sylvan Stream - I tried these because they seemed close enough to the touring, but just in a more narrow pedal and a tad different grip design (much gripper than the touring), so I wouldn't be as paranoid with turns. Maybe the touring spoiled me, but these pedals seemed way too narrow and they weren't comfortable at all. The edge of my foot hangs off the edge. I wear size 12, and usually wear skate shoes when I bike (supras mostly). So after about 10 minutes turned around and swapped the pedals back to the touring pedals.

If you have smaller feet, the streams will be good.

how about MKS GR-9s. As Spoonrobot said, choosing a better line will really make corning easier and safer

how much are you leaning into the turns that your peadals are hitting the ground?
when i turn or sharp turning i keep the inside pedal either up or keep both pedals paralle to the ground.

Fixed. Gear.

Haven't had a problem with pedal strikes on GR9's. They are a little smaller though.