Zefal "Cristophe" Mountain Bicycle Half Toe Clip

I put these Zefal Christophe toe clips on my touring hybrid a year ago after being unable to get used to the Time system. They work very well with my Merell Moab Ventilator hiking shoes. We can divide pedaling into four quadrants: (1) the downstroke; (2) the "pull back" at the bottom of the rotation; (3) the upstroke; and (4) the "push forward" at the top . Clipless systems provide no advantage over these Christophe clips on both the downstroke and on the "push forward" at the top. You can push down and forward as powerfully as your muscles allow with these Christophe clips. Users of clipless systems will always swear that they develop lots of pull on the upstroke, but studies with stress gauge cranksets do not support that assertion. Only an elite minority of pro cyclists actually develop significant upward pull on the pedals over the course of an entire ride. The best case scenario for mere mortals is to completely unweight the rising pedal. Here, the Christophe clips provide enough centering that it is possible to completely unweight the rising foot on the upstroke without losing position for the push forward and downstroke. So, the Christophe clips definitely improve efficiency as compared to open platform pedals. The one area where they are at a severe disadvantage to clipless systems is during the "pull back" phase at the bottom of the rotation. Legs have powerful muscles available for the pull back, but very little pull back is possible with the Christophe clips. A little bit, but not very much. It is just enough to maintain your foot's position on the pedal, but not enough to help propel your bicycle forward. My one complaint is that only two sizes are offered. My Merells are size 11.5 and end up placed too far rearward. The L/XL size is really not so large. It would be better if the company offered a longer clip or if the packaging included optional spacers and longer bolts for men over size 10. Please vote "yes" if you found this review to be helpful to you. This exercise no longer matters now that the Big River has chosen to ignore the number of "helpful" votes when presenting product reviews in "top rated" order. Nonetheless, it's a courtesy to your fellow purchasers who did not receive the product for free in exchange for a review, and who have nonetheless taken the time to write a review that is carefully researched and written.

Exactly what I needed. They position my foot easily and I can take off confidently. And also position the pedal for the startup stroke. Recently (after I quit with the clip-in lollipop pedals I've used 20 years) I've been through all the choices: flat, old-schoolntoe straps and finally these. They are the clear winner. Minimal power assist, but so much safer.

These half toe clips seem well made, and are entirely adequate for my needs. I don’t know if anyone is going to add power on the up-stroke with them – I wanted to prevent my foot from sliding forward off the pedals, as well as to have an aid for quicker and more consistent foot placement. Other reviewers have noted that the clips come nested, and that has caused one to be taller over the shoe than the other. True, see photo. I used simmering hot water; held the tighter clip in the water with forceps, to warm; wore leather work gloves to shape the clip further open. I used my other clip with a piece of masking tape (so I would not confuse them) for comparison. This took about 5 attempts, as you have to open it a little further than desired to allow for some closure as the piece cools. I was pleased to see that when attached, the bottom surface is about level with the pedal… as photos shown by other users showed a significant step up from the pedal, into the toe clip, which seemed very wrong. The hardware was acceptable, if you already have a tube of blue Lock-tite on hand. Something should be used to prevent the nuts from loosening. Other options would be split or star lock washers, or Nylock nuts. Do not over-tighten -- snug is good. I almost ordered BOTH sizes because the size guideline seemed suspect, and foot positioning on the pedals will vary by personal preference, shoe type, fit, etc. I wear size 9 ½ running shoes, and finally decided that the large would be TOO LARGE… there were too many people with size 12 or 14 shoes that really liked the fit; it didn’t make sense that my feet would fit just as well. PLUS, I figured if they were too short, I could fashion spacers to hold the toe clips further away from the pedals – whereas if they were too long, no mods would help. So my size 9 ½ shoes fit pretty well in the size S/M, with no mods needed. See the photos with two different shoes fully inserted. When I ride, my shoes end up 4 or 5 mm away from the toe clips, so I expect that some people with size 10 shoes would be fine with the S/M size.

I have these, the best mini clips available, with platform pedals, on all 5 family bikes because: (1) We can ride wearing any shoes and be comfortable on the wide platform pedals, instead of paying big bucks for special cycling shoes that are uncomfortable for walking. (2) If the need arises, in normal stop and go traffic or in an emergency to put a foot down, the mojo clips are the easiest to escape from. Much safer than any strap system. (3) with the use of crank- or pedal-mounted power sensors, it has been proven that NOBODY (even professional cyclists) put much upward force on the pedals. Some cyclists pull up on the pedals, but only when climbing at slow pedal rpm’s. Not during normal spinning at 60-90 rpm’s. (4) What makes toe clips/straps/clip-in pedals more efficient is keeping the trailing/upward moving foot on the pedal while unweighting it during the 7-11 o’clock part of the pedal circle. Thus the leg on the downward power stroke does not have to lift the weight of the opposite leg. Mini clips are up to the task of keeping the foot on the pedal-even, in my case, while spinning downhill at >120 rpm’s on my fixed gear bike.

I like having toe clips on my peddles. I had a bicycle stolen, and when I bought a new bicycle, I also bought a new set of toe clips. I bought the bicycle from Amazon, and it needed to be assembled. I asked my brother to help me out, and it took about a month for us to coordinate our schedules so we could put the bicycle together. When we went to attach the toe clips, we discovered that these peddles do not allow attachments. The process looked simple, but the peddles edges are smooth with no grill to screw the peddles into. By this time, the return window was closed, so I still have these toe clips sitting in my garage unused.

I spent years racing BMX and riding MTB before serious cycling took a back seat to family and career. I resumed the hobby about 18 months ago and still enjoy riding fast, technical singletrack but was taking a beating on my old rigid MTB so bought a fancy new one with full suspension about six months ago. It came with SPD pedals so I bought new shoes with clips and stuck with that setup until a few weeks ago after failing to regain the confidence (and therefore FUN) that I had with loosely strapped toe clips. I don't like the idea of flesh-eating flat pedals so figured these Zefals would be a great compromise, which is the case! They are easy to flip into, hold my feet in place in rough terrain, help transfer power on upstrokes, yet are easy to bail out of quickly. My only complaint is that the size guidance both here on Amazon and on the Zefal web site is ambiguous at best, so I hope the following helps save others the frustration and inconvenience I endured by guessing wrong and having to return and reorder to get the right size! The following size chart is on the tag: Toe-clips size S / M for Shoe size <= U.S. 9 Toe-clips size L / XL for Shoe size > 9 The following dimensions are on the Zefal web site (see "TOE-CLIPS 45"): L/XL : 75 x 89 x 67 mm S/M : 65 x 82 x 67 mm Based on the two sizes I purchased and measured, those numbers represent length x height x width. - length from front of pedal to front of toe clip (determines where bottom of shoe will rest on pedal) - height from bottom of toe clip mount (NOT top of pedal) to top of toe clip - width from left edge of toe clip to right edge of toe clip at widest part (where front of shoe fits) I wear a size US 9.5 shoe. With the S/M clip, the ball of my foot is too far behind the axle of the pedal, as if I'm riding on tip-toes. With the L/XL clip, the ball of my foot is well aligned with the axle of the pedal, about exactly the same as with my old strapped clips. My photos compare S/M with L/XL and show how my shoe fits on the pedal with the L/XL mounted.

These clips are the gateway into clipless pedals! I'm writing this review after swapping them out for Shimano MTB pedals. These were exactly what I needed to get used to having my foot bound to the pedal but without the full commitment. I have an endurance road bike and knew that I'd be quickly moving on to MTB pedals, but I needed practice being aware of removing my foot from the pedal. These toe clips are excellent for that training and I used them for nearly 2 months before the switch. I plan on getting a commuter single speed or hybrid bike and my pedals with these toe clips will be installed on them. Even after abusing them on barely-paved NYC streets with my long crank arms (so the clips routinely scratched the pavement), these still look great! They're also very easy to clean and service. Mountain bike shoes, cleats, and pedals will cost around $200 combined, so these are incredibly cost effective as well! I would recommend these clips to anyone who finds the notion of being one with the bike a bit daunting and who wants the ease of being able to wear any shoe on their bike!

They are solid pedal clips. The problem is it didn’t come with the hardware to attach them to my pedals. I had to go spend $3 more at my local hardware store, and I read in other reviews that this happens a lot. This makes the product 4⭐️ instead of 5.

se monte parfaitement, plastique de qualité.

I downgraded from clips to these on my daily commuter; clips were overkill IMHO and limits the shoes that one can use. L-XL fit perfectly for my size 10 foot. Quality product from a recognized name in bike accessories. All required hardware supplied, although I may upgrade to lock nuts at some point. Installation requires a slotted screwdriver and 8mm wrench and can be performed by pretty much anyone; just be sure to tighten them up with tools so that they don't fall off while you are riding!

Impeccable

Reçu dans les temps . J’attribue dès le départ 5 étoiles pour cet article puisqu'il sera difficile d'avoir mieux pour le prix . Une comparaison toutefois avec le produit qui est vendu en magasin de sport : Celui vendu ici est sens conteste plus intéressent , puisque il est construit dans un plastique plus épais et donc plus durable , il sera donc inutile de vouloir économiser 0,60 euros de différence en l’achetant dans un magasin de proximité . Installation : Rien de plus simple si vous installez ces cale-pieds sur des pédales au format standard ( trous espacé de 2 cm 5 ) Les plaques perforées métalliques livré avec ces cale-pieds ne sont d'aucune utilité pour une installation sur des pédales en métal , Elle sont a utiliser sur des pédales en plastique . Conseils : il faudra prendre en compte que les pédales plate-forme sont plus large ( 8 cm contre 6 cm pour les pédales standard . Photo 1 ) Donc je vous conseil de prendre des cale-pieds plus petit ( S/M ) pour les pédales larges 8 cm , sinon elle vont trop se déporter vers l'avant et paraitrons donc trop longue de 2 cm . Par-contre , si vous possédez des pédales au format standard de 6 cm, installez des cale-pieds de la taille ( L/XL ) Personnellement , j'ai une pointure de pieds de 44 et des pédales plate-forme large ( 8 cm ) donc j'ai installé des cale-pieds au format ( S/M ) et tout va bien ( Il es inutile d'installer des cale-pied au format ( L/XL) sur des pédales large , a moins de chausser du 50 ! ) La profondeur des cale-pieds S/M est de 6 cm . La profondeur des cale-pieds L/XL est de 8 cm . Autre conseil : Posez votre pied sur la pédale en position normale et mesurez la distance entre le bout de votre pied et le bout de la pédale ou sera fixé ce cale-pied . Ceci vous permettra de savoir pour quel taille de cale-pieds opter . A savoir que c'est la plante de votre pied qui doit être en appui sur la pédale bien sur . ( Photo 5 : Chaussure pointure 44 sur pédale large 8 cm " dite plate forme " avec cale-pied S/M ) Dans cette configuration mon pied est idéalement placé . Si j'avais opté pour des cale-pieds au format L/XL mon pied aurait été trop en avant de 2 cm est m'imposerait une mauvaise position . Alors prenez le temps de choisir la bonne taille de cale-pieds c'est importent . Voilà pour le petit conseil du jour . Ces cale-pieds sont une alternative aux système automatique sous chaussures pour un usage en ville ou a la campagne d’ailleurs . Ces cale-pieds ne seront jamais aussi efficace qu'une installation automatique mais suffirons largement pour nous apporter un plus en matière de force complémentaire au pédalage et surtout d'éviter d’être obligé de replacer constamment nos pieds au bonne endroit sur nos pédales . Effectivement , rien de plus désagréable que d'avoir les pieds qui glisse , cela induit aussi un problème de déconcentration pendant notre effort . Si nos pieds sont bien calés , ont peu évidement bien plus se concentrer sur cet effort puisque le problème de maintien est résolu ( Disons qu'il est bien plus facile de rouler les pieds bien calé , que ce soit sur de grandes distances ou sur des petits parcours . TEST : J'ai testé ces cale-pieds sur 460 km en voyage a vélo , je les trouves bien pratique pour garder le pédalage bien dans l’alignement , cela évite certaines douleurs et augmente la force d'appuis ( Très efficace en cote ) Conclusion : Je vous recommande cet article qui est sens aucun doute très utile pour qui veux augmenter sont confort de pédalage , la puissance et le grippe . Coté fiabilité : Une foie bien fixée aux pédales , ces cale-pieds tiendrons plusieurs années , c'est un bon produit ZEFAL dont la bonne réputation n'est plus a faire . . . (( Vous allez me dire que c'est une très longue lecture pour de simple cale-pieds , mais il s’agit de votre confort et de votre santé , donc je met toute mon expérience a votre disposition comme je le fais habituellement pour tout les articles techniques )) Alors , si vous avez des questions j'y répondrai avec plaisir , et si vous avez trouvé mon commentaire utile , merci de me le faire savoir par un CLIC en dessous . Merci beaucoup . Jean 34 cyclotouriste . PS : Cet article est vendu par paire ici .

Work well and very durable. Easy to install.