What a Load of

[Smokin Joe]

Bollocks.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitne...vel-bikes-with-pedal-cages-is-a-terrible-idea

 

[tyred]

I've used them for years on my fixed wheelers and my touring bike and they've never caused me to fall off.

I do have a suspicion though that it was getting my foot caught in the strap that broke my ankle but that was a special set of circumstances caused by a driver who decided to t-bone me instead of stopping at a junction.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I've used them for years on my fixed wheelers and my touring bike and they've never caused me to fall off.

I do have a suspicion though that it was getting my foot caught in the strap that broke my ankle but that was a special set of circumstances caused by a driver who decided to t-bone me instead of stopping at a junction.

The idiot who wrote the article can't even get the terminology right. "Pedal cages", FFS

 

[Cycleops]

A hybrid with toe straps? Where the hell did they get that from?
You can imagine what led to this. Biden's press secretary thought OK Joe let's get you on bike to show everyone you're fit as a fiddle and not the senile old git everyone thinks you are. Someone had an old Trek and it was seconded.
Having not ridden since he was a kid Joe forgot (not surprisingly), he was in toe clips when he came to a stop and the inevitable happened.

 

[Andy in Germany]

You mean I've been Doing It Wrong for the last... (does some maths) quarter century*?

Also, from the article:

I am not old enough to remember a time when bikes with pedal cages, or toe straps, were 'standard issue'. I cannot recall those halcyon days of 21mm tubs, steel racers, and downtube shifters

Oh...

Yes, those are indeed stainless steep toe clips...

*I'm getting old...

 

[Cycleops]

The idiot who wrote the article can't even get the terminology right. "Pedal cages", FFS

Her last job was on the Daily Mail.

 

[TissoT]

Between Biden and Branson they are both a liability where cycling concerned.

 

[oldwheels]

I used toe clips and straps for at least 40 years and never had a problem. Never liked clipless tho’ I persevered for a couple of years before abandoning them and for touring went for flats until infirmity put paid to my touring.
For my trike I now use clipless as not likely to fall off when stopping and no danger of leg suck.

 

[a.twiddler]

I can just imagine the editor saying, "We've had a slack week. Find some piece of clickbait type news and puff it up out of all proportion to fill some space. No need for anything too factual, our target group aren't much given to critical thinking. How about, US president falls off bike due to dodgy toe clips."

It seems that in some alternative universe, every entry level bike comes with toe clips and straps. In our universe, you have to actively look for these things, at the risk of some young bike shop assistant looking at you as if you've lost your marbles.

When I heard on the news that President Biden had fallen off his bike, I thought he'd had a clipless moment, making him heartwarmingly similar to legions of ordinary cyclists who've had a similar experience. I have a T junction a few yards from my back gate and on a sunny day it's not surprising any more to see some bod on a shiny bike in all the gear roll up to the stop line, have to come to a halt as something is coming, frantically jiggle a foot on his pedal, then not so gracefully capsize on to the road. Usually accompanied by "Grraagh! 'ks sake!"

So I was surprised to hear that the POTUS was using toeclips and straps when he fell off. I could understand someone who hasn't used them before misjudging a stop but surely this activity must have been risk assessed till the pips squeaked before he was let loose on a bike. I'm surprised some Secret Service agent wasn't shadowing him, poised to hurl himself between him and the ground to break his fall if he fell off.

I've been using them myself for over 40 years, and when riding an upright bike I still use them. I have fallen off due to various reasons but never due to using toeclips and straps.

 

[wafter]

Couldn't be arsed to read it all but got the gist..

FWIW my first road bike came with cages in 2004. I liked them and later found them a reasonable stepping stone towards the SPDs I now use.

They were far less intimidating than the latter and when left loose so the feet could just slip in and out gave additional security without much more anxiety as the action of removing one's feet is pretty similar and reflexive to just taking your feet off pedals with no cages.

IMO they'd be a great choice on a utility bike for a little more security.

 

[Juan Kog]

I’m waiting for the follow up , the danger and hazards of old bikes with Down Tube Levers .

 

[chris667]

The real danger is riding your bike to the places you go for your ride, of course. Everyone knows you need a van to drive somewhere to ride your bike.

 

[a.twiddler]

I'm surprised no one has had a rant about letting an old chap like him out on something so "incredibly dangerous" as a bike.

 

[Sixmile]

I have found that toe clips work perfectly for my daughter as tandem stoker. Her foot positioning was all over the place beforehand but now after using the clips, even on flats, her foot is better placed.

 

[Cycleops]

I've been using them myself for over 40 years, and when riding an upright bike I still use them. I have fallen off due to various reasons but never due to using toeclips and straps.

But you’re not Joe Biden 😊