Few items in the cycling world dovetail simplicity and functionality as beautifully as the toe strap.
In the 80s, the toe clip and strap enjoyed its most glorious existence, not only were roadies using them, but mountain bikers, and in small but selective numbers, BMX racers, too…all hooked on the power a rider could produce by strapping foot to pedal.
Like all inventions, a need and available technology turned to evolution and in a move reminiscent of the birth of music videos, the toe clip and strap was killed off the “clipless” pedal. Cue the Buggles…
To the newer generation of cyclists it is unimaginable that riders would have resorted to such manual operations as to reach down after placing their foot into the toe clip and pull the strap tight before really cranking out the efforts. Or, that knee issues were far more prevalent and a head-over-heels wipe out resulted in a pavement meets body collision with your bike still firmly attached to your person. Despite the widespread popularity of the clipless pedal, the toe clip remains a strong entity, achieving an almost cult status among track racers, restoration projects, and, of course, those who commute.
The toe strap, however, has been elevated to an entirely new level of functionality. It is incredibly simple with the clamp being a symbol of perfect design, a flawless blend of simplicity and reliability. The toe strap is the perfect item for any cyclist with an almost limitless number of useful outlets.
Off the bike, the toe strap serves as a third hand during maintenance, pairing wheels during cross season and securing a spare tube under the seat. It’s an amazing stand-in for the plastic wheel strap that continually breaks on your roof rack, and for a trunk-mounted rack, it keeps the bars straight and free from unintentional top tube damage. The toe strap is the cycling world’s equivalent to duct tape. You can fix almost anything with a toe strap.
Over the years, I have amassed many orphaned toe straps; the majority of my collection consists of nylon straps, durable and cheap versions that during the bike shop days were ordered by the thousands. Aside the mountain of cheap and utilitarian nylon straps lies the coveted supply of classics that are used for only special applications. The classics range in age and brand, but all are made from leather. Leather toe straps have an element nylon does not. Leather seamlessly blends equal parts class and function. 
The leather toe strap has a feel unique to itself: the leather pulls differently than the nylon, the amount of stretch differs, even the feel against your foot is different. The leather strap is as useful as the nylon, but in my world, the leather straps are given the light duty jobs, the jobs that are more show than go. What better way to display their elegance?
There are so many uses for the toe strap that a cyclist is limited only by the imagination. If you don’t have a few laying around already, dig into that miscellaneous parts pin or head to the shop and pick up some new ones. Toss them into your travel case, your travel tool box, or just leave them accessible on your tool bench. Like me, you will be continually amazed at the ways a toe strap can assist in daily life.
[...] The Toe Strap | Belgium Knee Warmers [...]
Another great use for toe straps is securing shoe booties and jackets to the stem of your bars so your pockets don’t rip off of your jersey. If you have to start your 5 hr rides at the crack of dawn its mighty cold, but around noon that Gore-tex jacket and neoprene booties aren’t so great. Take them off, fold them down tight, and bind those suckers to the stem with that toe-strap you’ve got floating in your toolbox.
Thank you for this post. I have old toe straps in my shed doing nothing. I will now get them out and find a use for them!
How about Lapize straps. and Binda. The ones with nylon between two layers of leather. They were the very best. I used two on each pedal w Campy black track pedals. Big sprinter, eh?
And did ya ever notice, toe straps were nowhere near your toes.
Zellwood – I am not familiar with the Lapize but Binda on the other hand! And, yes… funny how they are “toe” straps. – RF
Christophe … now that’s PRO. Kudos.
great article, glad you back! Very insightful and articulate thoughts.
Love this post. I can’t recall how many years I rode with my spare tubes held under the saddle by an old Christophe toe-strap exactly like the one pictured. I may just go back to that method…
And also – welcome back!
The toe strap has been taken to a new level by the folks at Surly with the junk strap. Just a really long toe strap that works great for carrying several wheels.
Dan O, Gary – Like you, I was introduced to the subtleties of cycling through a mentor and I look fondly on those days. The amazing thing: cycling still feels like a learning experience despite having 30+ years under my belt. My father was my mentor and coach and continues to amaze me with his knowledge and insight to this day. In my opinion, if cycling grows to become a journey rather than a collection of race results and bike parts it can easily become a lifelong pursuit.
Thanks for reading.
- RF
Great post.
Being semi-old dude and riding as an (alleged) adult since the ’80s – I actually rode with toe straps. Yes kids – I know, hard to believe. Toe straps with old school race shoes, complete with slotted cleat. You couldn’t remove your foot without loosening the strap first. Ah, the good old days. I remember descending a twisty road at 40 mph, no shoulder, guard rail, van on my ass, blowing out my front tube – then reaching down to loosen the toe strap, while braking to a stop. Yikes.
I look fondly back on those times though, since sporting race cleats and straps made you look like a serious cyclist. You felt a little pro every time you cinched ‘em up. Would I go back? No way dude, SPD all the way.
As you mentioned, keeping old straps around comes in mighty handy at times. I showed my 10 year old son the under the saddle trick to keep the spare secure on his mountain bike. The cycle continues….
Ahh… The toe strap. I remember the first time I used one to secure a tube under my seat.
It was the mid 90’s and I was living in St. Paul, MN. I had just purchased my first real “racing” bike. It was a Colnago Crystal with Columbus tubing, painted in bright yellow and had that great straight-bladed chrome fork. I was new to the area so I always rode solo. One Sunday, I was preparing to head out for a 7 AM ride when I noticed one of my neighbors doing likewise. Conversation ensued and we ended up riding together for the morning. My riding companion (his name is Anthony) happened to be a bike messenger by trade and was intimately familiar with the roads in the area. We ended up riding for about 4 hours that day, on a route that I could never hope to replicate on my own.
As a total neophyte, I credit Anthony with showing me “the ropes” of road cycling. One day, after noticing my jersey sagging with the weight of my tube, tools, etc, he pulled out two leather toe straps and showed me how to secure my tube and tire levers to the underside of my saddle. There was never talk of getting a saddle bag, this was just the thing you did. This was quite possibly, my first introduction to PRO.