View Poll Results: Left Foot or Right Foot?
Left Foot
60
55.56%
Right Foot
42
38.89%
Track Stand
6
5.56%
Voters: 108. You may not vote on this poll
Left Foot or Right Foot?
12-26-20, 05:10 PM
#76
Full Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
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It's interesting to see people saying one side of the road will always be the curbside. Riding in NYC, many streets are one-way, and the bike lane can be on the driver's side of the road, putting the curb on the left. That never made me think to put the opposite foot down to be further away from traffic, which I also find an interesting concept because your other leg is still next to traffic. My concern was always that all of me would be hit, rather than only one side. I guess I often ended up putting both feet flat on the ground and straddling the bike at red lights. I'd slide my left foot into the toe clip once I saw the cross-traffic light go yellow, then get the right foot in (usually) on the first pedal stroke.
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12-27-20, 12:36 AM
#78
Senior Member
There truly is no ‘supposed to’ amount of tightening.
Not sure why you felt the need to continue to over tighten to the point of falling.
12-27-20, 12:38 AM
#79
Senior Member
Simply pointing out how ridiculous most people are when they advocate for clipless.
Last edited by downhillmaster; 12-27-20 at 04:48 AM.
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12-27-20, 10:36 AM
#80
Mad bike riding scientist
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Save your “sympathies”, however. I have years and years of road and off-road experience with both toe clips and clipless. Clipless is far better both because the foot engages the pedal better but also because it is easier to get out of clipless. It’s also far easier to get into them.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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12-28-20, 07:33 PM
#82
Clark W. Griswold
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Can't stop won't stop! Gotta learn how to bunny hop cars and do all the Premium Rush stuff like a boss.
12-28-20, 07:57 PM
#83
Senior Member
[QUOTE=cyccommute;21850302]Most people I’ve seen ride with toe clips so loose that they really should just ride flat pedals.[/QUOTE]
I am one of them, also no cleats... I keep the straps just snug and wouldn't want to go without them as you suggest. The metal toe clip makes sure your foot doesn't slide forward off the pedal in those hairy moments that come around once in a while. Sometimes I pedal or just stand on pedals with my heels slightly lifted and the clips give me more secure feeling even if I may not use them to stop my sole sliding forward off the pedal.
Straps are supposed to enable you to pull up on the back stroke but you can get some of this effect by lifting your heel a bit and pedaling on 6-7 clock position. You have some bike artists or what they are called who can do standing side jump, like up on a curb, with just flat pedals, plus all kinds of tricks like that that you would think they would need to have shoes clipped in.
Circa 1960s in Europe, I remember official sport (in Europe anyway) where you had two guys on each side on fixie bikes without brakes playing soccer (in indoor gym on parquet surface). I believe they had just platform pedals because they could jump off the bike easily anytime if they got into some unsupportable position to prevent falling. They could lift rear wheel and send ball flying by hitting it with it. I have no idea if the sport still exists.
I am one of them, also no cleats... I keep the straps just snug and wouldn't want to go without them as you suggest. The metal toe clip makes sure your foot doesn't slide forward off the pedal in those hairy moments that come around once in a while. Sometimes I pedal or just stand on pedals with my heels slightly lifted and the clips give me more secure feeling even if I may not use them to stop my sole sliding forward off the pedal.
Straps are supposed to enable you to pull up on the back stroke but you can get some of this effect by lifting your heel a bit and pedaling on 6-7 clock position. You have some bike artists or what they are called who can do standing side jump, like up on a curb, with just flat pedals, plus all kinds of tricks like that that you would think they would need to have shoes clipped in.
Circa 1960s in Europe, I remember official sport (in Europe anyway) where you had two guys on each side on fixie bikes without brakes playing soccer (in indoor gym on parquet surface). I believe they had just platform pedals because they could jump off the bike easily anytime if they got into some unsupportable position to prevent falling. They could lift rear wheel and send ball flying by hitting it with it. I have no idea if the sport still exists.
Last edited by vane171; 12-28-20 at 08:19 PM.
12-29-20, 01:00 AM
#85
Senior Member
Most people I’ve seen ride with toe clips so loose that they really should just ride flat pedals. Toe clips were meant to be used with cleats and to be tight enough that your foot doesn’t come out of the pedal on hard effort. With flat shoes (no cleats), it’s even easier to mistakenly pull your foot out of the pedal, so the straps should be tight to prevent that happening. Even with loose straps, getting your foot out of toeclips is much more involved than getting your foot out of clipless and, thus, more prone to causing crashes.
Save your “sympathies”, however. I have years and years of road and off-road experience with both toe clips and clipless. Clipless is far better both because the foot engages the pedal better but also because it is easier to get out of clipless. It’s also far easier to get into them.
Save your “sympathies”, however. I have years and years of road and off-road experience with both toe clips and clipless. Clipless is far better both because the foot engages the pedal better but also because it is easier to get out of clipless. It’s also far easier to get into them.
Seriously though you did help to clear up one misconception as you referenced all the people you have seen wearing them when earlier in the thread [MENTION=347046]wgscott[/MENTION] stated that nobody wears them anymore
12-29-20, 11:23 AM
#86
Banned
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12-29-20, 02:47 PM
#87
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Left, because that's the way I've always done it. I will track-stand sometimes. Right foot down feels as foreign as trying to throw with my left hand.
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12-29-20, 03:46 PM
#88
I put my left foot in. I put my left foot out....
12-29-20, 04:26 PM
#90
Keep your saddle low enough, you can put both feet down...
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12-30-20, 08:01 PM
#94
Senior Member
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01-03-21, 10:29 AM
#95
Junior Member
Always left foot, since I learned to ride over 60 years ago. Maybe it's related to always mounting from the left, so I can kick up the kickstand first.
