# How do I remove these feet straps on my pedals?



## ruer (Mar 16, 2007)

I havent ridden in years and just picked up an 07 Cannondale F4. Not sure of the correct terminology, but how do I remove these pedal straps/foot braces from my pedals. I do a good bit of stop/start riding and don't necessarily want to be strapped in all of the time. I attempted to loosen these two bolts (*see red circles in pic*), but they don't seem to come off. Do I need to buy new pedals or am I missing something?

















Also, can someone explain the different types of pedal options (ie, clip less, straps etc.) and their respective applications?

Any help appreciated :thumbsup:


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## Timeless (Mar 23, 2007)

I would say go clipless since they general are better than the flats for trails riding. And clips are just asking to sprain or break your ankle in a crash. Clipless also give you the most control over the bick and after you get used to them you find it is quicker and easier to get out of them than clips. Plus it is a lot easier to bail with clipless.


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## ruer (Mar 16, 2007)

If I went clipless, does any pedal work with any shoe, or is there variations within that as well?

Can you recommend a decent setup that wont break the bank?


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## Sixty Fiver (Apr 10, 2006)

Timeless - I've been riding with toe clips for a very long time and have never sprained or broken an ankle... getting my foot in and out at speed is something I could do if I was blind.

Ruer - Those clips on your pedals should have a screw and a nut so you need to use a screwdriver and a wrench to get them off. It also looks like they are clip specific pedals (cleat on one side only) and that the clips have been mounted upside down.

I'll let the clipless fans chime in on their best picks for shoes / pedals and also cast a vote for using half step pedals if your riding style has you on and off the pedals a great deal.


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## davidws (Feb 25, 2007)

I have a Cannondale F5 with the same pedal setup. Those nuts will come off. once you have that off, you just undo the strap and slide it out of the pedal and your free. One warning though that i have learned the hard way: those pedals are sharp! they are meant to grip your shoes so are quike "spikey" i have found they are also great at gripping your shins. I have clipless pedals in the mail because of this, I havent tried them yet, but I dont suggest these pedals for actual downhill or MTBing.


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## dewthedru (Nov 8, 2004)

a tremendously effective and inexpensive clipless pedal is the crank brothers eggbeater. they can be purchased fairly inexpensively, are easy to use, and pretty much bomb-proof. pricepoint has a lot of eggbeater/cheap shoe combos they advertise.

here's a set of shoes/pedals for $109. can't hardly beat that! http://www.pricepoint.com/detail.ht...&sub_id=&subName=&lprice=109.98&hprice=109.98


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## Bsktball55 (Mar 20, 2005)

I got a similar package from pricepoint a couple years ago, but I got mine with the Time Atac pedals for about the same price. The shoes are not the highest quality, but work fine and I like the pedals as well. I would be leary about taking the clips off those pedals. I used to have toe clips and decided to take them off and found myself slipping off the pedals constantly and bashed my shins to pieces. I quickly put the clips back on and ordered my clipless pedals and now I don't feel comfortable riding without my clipless pedals.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

ruer said:


> If I went clipless, does any pedal work with any shoe, or is there variations within that as well?


The pedals come with cleats that are screwed onto the shoes. In principle, any mountain bike cleat can be attached to any mountain bike shoe.

Different brands of pedals use different cleats, so when the cleats are on the shoes, you can use any pedal that is of the same brand. I have heard of some combinations where people had to cut the soles of the shoes a little for clearance.

My favorite clipless brand is Time: strong, easy, reliable. Others have had good luck with Shimano and Crank Brothers.


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## Krellmachine (Mar 28, 2007)

Personally, I like toe clips (which is what you've got on there).

But I've recently switched to CB mallets and some cheap ass ugly shoes. For 25$ new, what did I expect .

Anyhow, if you are having problems removing the toe clips from yoiur pedals, I bet there is a reflector in front of the screws, which you can pry off with a screw driver and easily take the screws out.


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## Sixty Fiver (Apr 10, 2006)

Ah yes... I forgot about the reflector being in the way.


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## davidws (Feb 25, 2007)

yeah, they should come off without taking that reflector off, ive taken mine off and put them back multiple times.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

Straps and cages still on? And still want to lose them?

Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle. Take a close look. What fits where?


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## KONA4LYFE (Mar 26, 2007)

grab a good pair of pliers and cut the f*****g things off!! works everytime man,now go n get some air.


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## Jwiffle (Jan 26, 2004)

I'm not sure why people think toe clips necessarily cause sprained or broken ankles. I used 'em for a while before going clipless, and had no problems with them. Clipless is MUCH better, though.

Anyway, for getting them off: the pedals, I believe, are standard flats with the toe clips, so the clips are not on upside down--the pedals is just turned over. You can slid out the reflector that is in the way of the screw head (may need to pry with a screwdriver). Then you can easily remove the toe clips.

As for what to use when--for general xc and trailriding, you want to have something to connect your feet to the pedals so that you can get a full pedal revolution--pull up as well as push down. Makes for a much more efficient pedal stroke. Toe clips are a very economical way to do so. Clipless works much better, but the pedals will be more expensive and you will need cycling-specific shoes. Cycling shoes also will have a stiffer sole, meaning better power transfer to the pedals. For more aggressive riding, many of us still use clipless pedals, but some prefer a large platform pedal that will enable them to bail more easily.

Now, if you decide to go clipless, any mtb shoe will work with any mtb clipless pedal. The pedals will come with the cleats that attach to the shoes. I recommend a Shimano pedal. The 520 is a good basic pedal, or you can get something with a larger platform around the clipless mechanism, like the 424 or 545. These allow you to have the ability to get your foot on the pedal more easily even if you aren't clipped in. You can also get a set of the Multi-directional release cleats that will enable you to more easily exit the pedals--great for those just starting using clipless.


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## ruer (Mar 16, 2007)

Jwiffle said:


> I'm not sure why people think toe clips necessarily cause sprained or broken ankles. I used 'em for a while before going clipless, and had no problems with them. Clipless is MUCH better, though.
> 
> Anyway, for getting them off: the pedals, I believe, are standard flats with the toe clips, so the clips are not on upside down--the pedals is just turned over. You can slid out the reflector that is in the way of the screw head (may need to pry with a screwdriver). Then you can easily remove the toe clips.
> 
> ...


Great information! I will do my research. :thumbsup:


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## Timeless (Mar 23, 2007)

Jwiffle said:


> I'm not sure why people think toe clips necessarily cause sprained or broken ankles. I used 'em for a while before going clipless, and had no problems with them. Clipless is MUCH better, though.
> 
> Anyway, for getting them off: the pedals, I believe, are standard flats with the toe clips, so the clips are not on upside down--the pedals is just turned over. You can slid out the reflector that is in the way of the screw head (may need to pry with a screwdriver). Then you can easily remove the toe clips.
> 
> ...


I will say the reason I say they can cause a sprain ankle is because your foot can get tangled in the stripe in an emergency because you have to pull your foot back before you can move it to the side. With clipless that movement to get out is the the same as getting your foot on the ground which is side ways. I also ran clips before going clipless and most of the time I did not have an issue with them. It was just one or 2 times where my foot got hung up and I not move it fast enough to get out in time. It just take that one time to cause some major damage and lets face it with clips it is a lot more likely to happen than with clipless. After you go clipless clips become even more dangerous because your body trained to snap you foot side ways to get off the pedal and that is a very quick way to get tangled up. (Yes I learned that one the hard way just trying to get off the bike and it was rather embarrassing going down because my foot was tangled.

As for clipless pedals I will recommend the Shimano M520s as well. They are a great pair of pedals. It was what I used when I went clipless and I used them for about 5+ years with out a problem during that time minus having to replace my cleats because I wore them out. Only reason I have new m520s on my current bike is I could not find where the old one where put. That being said my brother is using m520s as well on his bike and those pedals are the first ones he got about over 7 years ago and they are still going strong and about to move on to their third bike. Just give you an idea on the quality.


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