I mean you can. But it’s basically always recommended/kind of required you use straps. Have you looked at nitto half clips? They would be a lot better for your needs. Also a more classical style to the one you’re looking for. What kind of bike are you putting these on? I’m curious
MoralityAuction on
Always with straps, realistically, or you’ll pull your shoe out the first time you pull upwards.
AutSnufkin on
This looks like something that attaches to the nut sack
Hagadin on
They’re not really strong enough without the straps
WiartonWilly on
I have some that are specifically made for use without straps. Stronger metal. Leather wrapped so they don’t scuff your work shoes.
Pizza_900deg on
Pretty useless without straps. But dangerous AF with. You have to lean down and loosen the buckle every time you stop to get your foot out. You need special cleats on your shoes as well that hook over the rear of the pedal and they have no float like modern clipless pedals, so you risk injuring your feet and legs unless they somehow miraculously line up perfectly with the alignment of your leg. Do they even still sell those kind of shoe cleats and pedals any more? And what if you have to panic stop- grab both brakes with both hands to avoid a collision? Car pulls out, you’re in a group ride and the guy in front of you stops suddenly, etc You can’t reach down to loosen the strap with both hands grabbing brakes so you’ll fall over as soon as you stop because your feet are tightly strapped to the pedals. You fall out into traffic and a car runs over you? I rode with clip pedals and straps for years before clipless came along, 70s and 80s. You got very good at it, or you got badly injured. As soon as you pedal off, you have to reach down and re-tighten the strap and adjust it until it felt right. Better to leave that system in the dustbin of history. We all stopped using it for a lot of really good reasons.
Aggressive_Ad_5454 on
Straps. I’ve biked many thousands of miles with these. You’ll know you’ve had ‘em for a while when the eyelet part at the tip gets worn down from scraping on asphalt.
Upsetti_Gisepe on
Y00pDL on
You want to have a strap through them, they’re incredibly flimsy without them.
GoatLegRedux on
The full setup would be clips, straps, and a primitive cleat that would sit on the back rail of the pedal cage to keep your foot from floating around.
SaxonyFarmer on
I concur with other comments in this stream about requiring straps but if all you want to do is keep your feet on the pedals a little more securely without a rigid connection like cleats provide, get half clips as others have suggested where only your shoe toe box fits into the clip.
Chris56855865 on
These, plus straps. I have them on my singlespeed, they feel nice and let me put more force on the pedals.
there are smaller, plastic versions that don’t use straps, just help keep your toes in place. my ex liked them.
bobdreb on
I’m using some designed to use without straps. They are wider over the whole foot and are good for casual riding. Love them, can put in some extra effort, but definitely not for racing.
Going against the grain here. I use them without straps on my commute bike because my work shoes have a slippery sole on the pedal and the clips help stop my shoes slipping off when it’s wet.
zoyolin on
Okay it seems people are using it the right way and feeling very sure about it BUT I am also sure of my fact :
I used them since about 5year without straps and love it. Furthermore, I cut halfway top metal bit. Witch makes it always a brease of hop in and out but does lock you feet quite a lot of the rotation already (compared to nothing).
trace-evidence on
Strap with a half-twist so the buckle stays in place.
fisheyez on
MKS makes ones what don’t have a hole for a strap. They are much shorter and have leather cushions on the metal toe straps. I tried them out but ended up not using them because they didn’t add any benefit aside getting in the way.
21 Comments
I mean you can. But it’s basically always recommended/kind of required you use straps. Have you looked at nitto half clips? They would be a lot better for your needs. Also a more classical style to the one you’re looking for. What kind of bike are you putting these on? I’m curious
Always with straps, realistically, or you’ll pull your shoe out the first time you pull upwards.
This looks like something that attaches to the nut sack
They’re not really strong enough without the straps
I have some that are specifically made for use without straps. Stronger metal. Leather wrapped so they don’t scuff your work shoes.
Pretty useless without straps. But dangerous AF with. You have to lean down and loosen the buckle every time you stop to get your foot out. You need special cleats on your shoes as well that hook over the rear of the pedal and they have no float like modern clipless pedals, so you risk injuring your feet and legs unless they somehow miraculously line up perfectly with the alignment of your leg. Do they even still sell those kind of shoe cleats and pedals any more? And what if you have to panic stop- grab both brakes with both hands to avoid a collision? Car pulls out, you’re in a group ride and the guy in front of you stops suddenly, etc You can’t reach down to loosen the strap with both hands grabbing brakes so you’ll fall over as soon as you stop because your feet are tightly strapped to the pedals. You fall out into traffic and a car runs over you? I rode with clip pedals and straps for years before clipless came along, 70s and 80s. You got very good at it, or you got badly injured. As soon as you pedal off, you have to reach down and re-tighten the strap and adjust it until it felt right. Better to leave that system in the dustbin of history. We all stopped using it for a lot of really good reasons.
Straps. I’ve biked many thousands of miles with these. You’ll know you’ve had ‘em for a while when the eyelet part at the tip gets worn down from scraping on asphalt.
You want to have a strap through them, they’re incredibly flimsy without them.
The full setup would be clips, straps, and a primitive cleat that would sit on the back rail of the pedal cage to keep your foot from floating around.
I concur with other comments in this stream about requiring straps but if all you want to do is keep your feet on the pedals a little more securely without a rigid connection like cleats provide, get half clips as others have suggested where only your shoe toe box fits into the clip.
These, plus straps. I have them on my singlespeed, they feel nice and let me put more force on the pedals.
https://preview.redd.it/5jjsy8dxig6e1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbe2b1f0e22f66fb8ec1d7678f382dd858c8dd95
there are smaller, plastic versions that don’t use straps, just help keep your toes in place. my ex liked them.
I’m using some designed to use without straps. They are wider over the whole foot and are good for casual riding. Love them, can put in some extra effort, but definitely not for racing.
Don’t know what your goals are, but I found this helpful for keep my feet generally in place, without a clip or strap-in arrangement. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NGS9ZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NGS9ZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1)
Going against the grain here. I use them without straps on my commute bike because my work shoes have a slippery sole on the pedal and the clips help stop my shoes slipping off when it’s wet.
Okay it seems people are using it the right way and feeling very sure about it BUT I am also sure of my fact :
I used them since about 5year without straps and love it. Furthermore, I cut halfway top metal bit. Witch makes it always a brease of hop in and out but does lock you feet quite a lot of the rotation already (compared to nothing).
Strap with a half-twist so the buckle stays in place.
MKS makes ones what don’t have a hole for a strap. They are much shorter and have leather cushions on the metal toe straps. I tried them out but ended up not using them because they didn’t add any benefit aside getting in the way.
https://www.thebikesmiths.com/products/mks-3534
These aren’t clips, these are basically just for holding the straps open. Its the straps that hold your feet to the pedals.
Just say no to clips