Last fall I ended my experiment with clipless shoes on my Expedition and installed the TerraTrike Comfort Pedal Conversion Kit - a type of heel sling which I’d already used on the Pocket - on the Expedition. This time around, though, I added a toe clip to the mix - specifically the Evo Double Quick Strapless Toe Clip - instead of going with my prior strategy using Velcro straps across the top of the foot.
That setup looked like this:
One of the questions at the time was as to how the toe clips - which were about $10 and made of plastic - would weather the winter season given the combination of cold weather and additional stretch needed for my heavy-duty winter boots.
I promised a follow-up on that, so here we are. But I have to qualify things up front - it’s only a partial follow-up.
The thing is: I used them all winter, but it literally never got cold enough this winter to require my heavy winter boots. I have a pair of hiking boots that I wear as my regular daily kicks from late November to about April (I’m a sandals guy the rest of the year - hot feet, don’t ya know. No, not hot as in sexy, just hot as in much too warm. And sweaty. And now I’ve said too much...). I use those hiking boots as my riding shoes until the weather drops below, say 20° or so.
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Which it just never did. I mean, we had a couple of cold nights across the course of the season, but I don’t ride at night much at all, and definitely not in the winter. There were probably a couple of days in the mix that also got there, but they didn’t correspond to days that I was free to ride. And I suppose I could have gone riding with the heavy boots on for the sake of science but have I mentioned the hot feet? So - no testing with the heavy boots.
Qualifications made, I’ve now ridden with this arrangement in place for over five months and over 650 miles. This has been thru good weather and bad, and in the snow and cold (but just not really cold). Thus far, what I can say for them is that they work exactly as expected. I see very little evidence of wear or strain on the toe clips, and I’ve had no issue with feet slipping out of the retention. And, as was the case initially, they are much easier to get into and out of than either clipless mounting or than the straps I was using on the Pocket.
So - short but sweet, they continue to work well for me, and the toe clips appear to be more durable than I had honestly expected. For $10 bucks they were a "why not" purchase, figuring I’d be out very little if they didn’t work out. Now I’m seriously thinking of getting another set and putting them on the Pocket for MLW.
In addition, they continue to offer the advantage of working with whatever shoe I have on in the moment. I’m still holding on to the Shimano SPD sandals - I took them with me to Florida in anticipation of possibly needing them when I rented the trike on my trip. But Trailside Bikes had its own solution on the pedals, so the sandals remain relatively pristine.