Comments on: Fyxation’s Gates Pedals and Straps

By: Julie H.

Julie H. — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:12:50 +0000

I love these fyxation pedals. I have them in hot pink. I just figured out how to put the velcro pedal straps on and can’t wait to use them.

I do fear for their lilly white lives*

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:23:54 +0000

Will have to chime in with Matt $64.00 is way too much in my opinion. I have been using Power Grips now for over 2 years with about 5 months of daily commuting. Can be a bit difficult to get certain shoes IN, would be the case with anything non-clip other than a plain platform. My proven plan has been to wear an older pair of Keen with the Keen Dri fabric. Unless it’s pouring rain my feet are dry and the fabric has prevented me from having to move to any type of boot due to cold weather wind ( Power Grips does have extended length straps for winter boot users). Thanks Vanessa for giving us an honest review of another option!

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:37:04 +0000

hmm… cool pedals and all but I priced them on their website at 20 for the pedals and another 44 for the straps. I would just get a set of power grips, they are not as easily adjustable but you can get em for around 20 which is way cheaper and they do the same thing.

By: BluesCat

BluesCat — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:37:57 +0000

Count me in as one who likes the option of either being clipped in or not clipped in. To that end, my main commuting bike has Shimano A520 SPD single-sided pedals. One side is a platform, the other side side has the SPD clips.

If I take the early morning route to work, when there is no traffic and I can feel safe on roads with 40 mph speed limits, I’ll clip in so I can spin up to 20 mph or better on the empty major arterials.

When I’m heading home in the afternoon, and I’m forced to share the road with impatient commuters commanding two ton metal boxes, and I retreat to the stop-and-go routes of parking lots and neighborhood streets, I’ll just use the platform side of the pedals to avoid any Arte Johnsons.

Like Vanessa said, you can essentially do the same thing with these Fyxation pedals.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:59:10 +0000

John and Matt,

I gain much more control when I’m clipped in (though good quick response brakes also are a big help stopping suddenly).

In regards to Fykation’s pedal straps, you can always choose to use the other (none strap) side of the pedal. If you’re concerned about getting your foot in and out, you could start off using one — on the opposite side of your launch foot to see the difference.

Matt, especially if you’re having issues of having your foot slip off pedals – these may be the trick in allowing you to feel much more connected. You can also adjust the velcro so your foot have a larger/looser opening for your shoe to get used to it.

Straps or cages are much easier to get used to and you can pretty much wear any type of shoe with them — vs. most clip systems like LOOK or SPDs which require a shoe with the cleats. In my opinion, for city cycling, straps are overall much more practical — though when I’m riding for more then an hour at a time I opt for my SPDs (and always LOOKs on my road bike).

Hope this helps!

By: Ted Johnson

Ted Johnson — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:04:27 +0000

John: My experience with toe clips is that I’ve learned an instinct of quickly pulling my foot out backwards before putting my foot down. It’s second nature to me now — and I didn’t ever have to fall down to learn this instinct.

These straps are not exactly the same thing as toe clips, but my guess is that the same principle applies.

Vanessa?

By: Matt Waters

Matt Waters — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:03:48 +0000

I’ll have to ditto John with that question. But more than just getting them out fast for those planned stops it’s the sudden un-planned stops that concerns me the most. Another concern I have comes about from the very reason I have considered trying this type of pedal. I have limited dexterity & movement in my left foot and knee. This routinely causes my foot to slip from the pedal. When Vanessa mentioned about having an issue with flipping over such large pedals in certain shoes I realized this would be an issue for me regardless of my shoes.

Thanks for the Pros & the Cons.

By: John

John — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:06:32 +0000

I’ve always had a question concerning straps: is it easy to get your feet out of them in case of an emergency stop? I’m sometimes tempted to buy some to benefit from the advantages you describe here (better traction), but I’m afraid of falling if I can’t withdraw my feet fast enough when stopping the bike.