MTB toe clips - difference/advantages?

[LittleGreyCat]

I am just about to fit toe clips to my MTB, having ridden it again after riding the Spa Tourer with toe clips.

Looking on line I can see half toe clips, toe clips and MTB toe clips.

The MTB will still be mainly a road bike but a preferred option for bridle ways and slutchy bits.

I am guessing that MTB toe clips (from looking at them) provide more protection from undergrowth.

When would you chose half or full toe clips.

I am looking at this style of strapless toe clips.

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/cycling-clothing/cycling-shoes/halfords-strapless-toe-clips

Edit: the Spa Wayfarer has VP-700 strapless toe clips. I assume these would do unless there is a better option.

[slowster]

Buy these:

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Zefal-Toe-Clip-43-515-Strap-Set_50815.htm

Fit it with the strap very loose - it doesn't need to be tight around the shoe.

As regards MTB vs Road - you need either traditional touring shoes or shoes with a similarly low profile to fit in a standard metal toe clip. The Zefal one has a relatively high profile and will accommodate bulkier shoes and even lightweight walking boots, e.g. the fabric type, which makes them more suited for off road use.

[Gattonero]

That won;t give any advantage when pedalling ,and the "protection" will be minimal, if any.
Better off with some nice flat pedals, more freedom and more traction too.

[slowster]

My experience is that MTB flat pedals, i.e. the type typically with pins, are poor for maintaining my feet where I want them on the pedal. By that I mean I will be riding along and sense that something is wrong, and when I look down I find that my feet are 20mm further outboard on the pedals than they should be (which compounds the effect of the excessively wide Q factor of the MTB chainset).

Flat MTB pedals with pins might provide good traction when riding technically more demanding terrain (and especially out of the saddle) and when probably used with flat soled MTB shoes with soft rubber sole compounds like Five Tens. However, for general riding along my experience is that they do not help to keep my feet centred on the pedal when wearing shoes or walking boots that are not specifically intended for use with that type of pedal.

Toe clips however keep my feet in the right position whatever shoes I am wearing and even with the straps loose, whether riding on-road or off-road.

[Bmblbzzz]

I find toe clips, like clipless, keep my feet on the pedals in certain situations when they might not be that secure (such as pedalling downhill under very light pressure). But this is entirely a personal thing and the best way to find out what works for you is to try.

[Gattonero]

My experience is that MTB flat pedals, i.e. the type typically with pins, are poor for maintaining my feet where I want them on the pedal. By that I mean I will be riding along and sense that something is wrong, and when I look down I find that my feet are 20mm further outboard on the pedals than they should be (which compounds the effect of the excessively wide Q factor of the MTB chainset)...

My experience is actually the opposite: with grippy soles it's not easy to move the foot off!

OIne has to make a decision: if riding for leisure, there's surely no need to have your feet adjusted to the mm in respect of the pedal, or thinking about the q-factor (!): just take the bike and ride it.
Any other situation, will demand the correct approach. Flat pedals do allow the most freedom of movement, also the use of different shoes. Let alone not been constricted by a cage on your toe, something important for people with cold feet!

[Vorpal]

I've been using these sorts of toe clips

I am looking at this style of strapless toe clips.

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/cycling-clothing/cycling-shoes/halfords-strapless-toe-clips

Edit: the Spa Wayfarer has VP-700 strapless toe clips. I assume these would do unless there is a better option.

for years.

The main advantages they confer are much like other toeclips; prevent slip, keep the feet on the pedals, allow some pulling up

Unless you are quite careful to keep your toes all the way in, they won't add anything in efficiency, though I am not convinced that efficiency is a big benefit of other toe clips for everyday cycling, touring, etc. They do convey benefit for sports cyclists, but of course, most use clipless systems for that.

I only use the pulling up when stopped at a junction to move the pedal round to a good starting position.

TBH, in the last couple of years, I have taken them off most of my bikes and reverted to flat pedals. I think they may be of some value in mountain biking, but I do not think that for everyday cycling, or even easy off-roading they convey much benefit.

Of course, this is my personal opinion, and other folks may find otherwise for themselves.

[AMMoffat]

I use full Zefal MTB toeclips on all my bikes as they give me a wider option of shoes/boots but change to studded flat pedals for any serious mountain biking. The reason for this is that I've found on very rough and/technical ground if I have to take my feet out of toeclips for any reason when I try to get going again I grind to a halt before I can flip the pedal and get my foot back into the toeclip. This is similar to a road bike on a very steep road where you can end up walking after you've stopped because you can't get clipped in again.

I keep the toeclips on my MTB for road and bridle paths as I prefer them and they are kinder to my shins than studded flat pedals.

[Bmblbzzz]

I only use the pulling up when stopped at a junction to move the pedal round to a good starting position.

Very useful. In fact that, IME, is the main benefit.

TBH, in the last couple of years, I have taken them off most of my bikes and reverted to flat pedals. I think they may be of some value in mountain biking, but I do not think that for everyday cycling, or even easy off-roading they convey much benefit.

Of course, this is my personal opinion, and other folks may find otherwise for themselves.

Here I disagree, I find toe clips for everyday cycling allow the benefit of setting the pedals before starting off while still allowing a variety of non-specialist shoes. But that's just my opinion.

[Vorpal]

I only use the pulling up when stopped at a junction to move the pedal round to a good starting position.

Very useful. In fact that, IME, is the main benefit.

TBH, in the last couple of years, I have taken them off most of my bikes and reverted to flat pedals. I think they may be of some value in mountain biking, but I do not think that for everyday cycling, or even easy off-roading they convey much benefit.

Of course, this is my personal opinion, and other folks may find otherwise for themselves.

Here I disagree, I find toe clips for everyday cycling allow the benefit of setting the pedals before starting off while still allowing a variety of non-specialist shoes. But that's just my opinion.

Since living in Norway, I need to wear winter boots from about this time of year, and my winter boots don't fit in any kind of toe clips so I just took them off my winter bike. Then, I bought my tourer & it didn't have any. Then one loosened on my MTB, and rather than tighten it, I took them off. The tandem still has toe clips (proper ones) for the stoker, but last summer, I lost one of the screws holding a toe clip on one of the captain's pedals & was forced to take the toe clip off mid-ride. I had always heard that you *have* to have your feet fixed to the pedals on a tandem and never questioned this wisdom, but I had no problems whatsoever, so I took the other toe clip off as an experiment, and they have been off ever since. Only my road bike/commuter still has them, now.

[Bmblbzzz]

I have no tandeming experience but observation suggests that many people ride them on flat pedals, particularly eg Circes and similar. The only type of bike I've heard you really need some form of foot retention is fixies - obviously if you want to do track racing but also general road riding, hence the popularity of those hipster diagonal strap things. Again, people do without if it works for them.

[slowster]

My experience is actually the opposite: with grippy soles it's not easy to move the foot off!

Do you mean shoes specifically designed for use with flat MTB pedals with pins, which have relatively soft rubber compound flat sole? Five Ten type flat shoes and pedals with pins may be a very good combination for grip and technical off road terrain, but using them all year round would mean getting wet feet in winter and/or having to use them with waterproof socks. They will also be potentially less suitable if you need to get off the bike and walk any distance. This thread on Singletrackworld illustrates the needs/wants of different riders and the compromises they are faced with in choosing flat shoes.

My experience is based on wearing walking boots which have a Vibram sole: a boot or shoe that does not have a relatively smooth flat sole will not engage sufficiently with the pins.

I would not buy Five Ten type flat shoes because I would find them too limiting. There are occasions when I need to get off the bike and walk, e.g. through mud, where that type of shoe would be useless. If you are someone who likes to explore tracks, then Five Ten type shoes are probably not a good choice, especially so if you ride in a group and the other riders a) have more substantial footwear like walking boots, and b) will not want to turn around and go back because someone has less suitable footwear.

[531colin]

1) On a narrow singletrack where the heather intrudes over the track its difficult or impossible to flip the pedal and get your foot into a toeclip, because the toeclip is always behind you, trailing through the heather.
2) On a narrow track where water erosion has lowered the track below the surrounding ground you need the narrowest possible pedal to reduce the chance of pedal strike.
3) When you are reduced to pushing a smooth pedal is kinder to your shins.
To me the answer is obvious....double sided SPDs and MTB boots. Sometimes under condition 2 shoe strike can un-clip your shoe from the pedal, but its simple to clip back in.

[LittleGreyCat]

Noting that the discussion is interesting but SPDs are not for me because I have so far failed to find any footwear broad enough to fit my feet.

I am happy with the toe clips on my Spa Wayfarer.
This is enough to encourage me to fit toe clips to my old steel MTB.
I can feel the difference and I think that toe clips give me just a bit of extra efficiency by enabling a lift on the upstroke.

[nirakaro]

Noting that the discussion is interesting but SPDs are not for me because I have so far failed to find any footwear broad enough to fit my feet.

I am happy with the toe clips on my Spa Wayfarer.
This is enough to encourage me to fit toe clips to my old steel MTB.
I can feel the difference and I think that toe clips give me just a bit of extra efficiency by enabling a lift on the upstroke.

+1 for all of that. I've been using these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/MKS-Unisexs-Ha ... th=1&psc=1
for a few years - bit pricey but they suit me very well.