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From: fred@varian.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: Need Toe Trap Data
Message-ID: <214@varian.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 3-May-84 10:36:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: varian.214
Posted: Thu May  3 10:36:25 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 12-May-84 08:41:33 EDT
References: ihu1g.300
Lines: 38


I feel Bob Fishell's flippant dismissal of cycling shoes
worn by some enthusiasts is a disservice to new readers
considering the issues of toe-clips (not "traps"-- please?),
cleats, etc.

Toe clips alone do provide positioning for the foot and
improve safety (yes, improve), by preventing the
foot from slipping from the pedal when you hit a bump
or stop quickly.   A foot slipping off unexpectedly
can go into the spokes of the front wheel or cause a
rather painful transition from sitting on the saddle
to straddling the top tube.

However, unless you pull the straps tight enough to put your
foot to sleep, they do not improve cycling efficiency to any
noticeable degree.  What actually improves the efficiency
is a rigid soled cycling shoe with a cleat for holding
in place on the pedal.   Nikes or other running shoes are
designed to have very flexible soles-- a desirable characteristic
for running but not cycling.  In fact some foot injuries
can result because the flexible sole does not spread the pressure
from the pedal over a wide enough area of the foot as a cycling shoe 
will.  As to the issue of cleats, my experience and that of
most of the serious riders I know who use them, is thousands
of miles without a cleat-related accident.  Admittedly,
we're all pretty good at snapping open the toe-straps
in 50 msec.  As to the issue of emergencies while riding,
again , my experience is that most emergencies require
riding out of danger, not sudden stops.  Besides, you do
have a finite period of time after stopping before falling
over to open the toe straps.

If you don't want "real" cleats, there a number of rigid soled
touring shoes with molded cleats that make a reasonable
compromise between running shoes and bicycle racing shoes.

				Fred Klink