Nowadays, every bike rider with common sense rides regular (plastic) platform pedals of clipless "click" pedals with an integrated binding system. But a few decades ago, all road, track and cyclocross bikes were equipped with cage or quill pedals with toe clips and straps.
For us in The Netherlands, there was basically one kind of toe clips: steel Christophe toe clips. Single version for road and track, double version for CX.
Okay, there were some strange products like plastic/nylon Asian or French (Zefal) clips and aluminium ones. The plastic clips didn't work because somehow the material was too soft and getting into the clips wasn't always that easy. I also tried some aluminium clips (Cinelli?), but these snapped after a short while. Christophe clips were made out of chrome plated spring steel. Simple, functional, durable, good. Just as reliable as T.A. steel bottle cages.
Other brands were ALE, Georges Sorel, ... Later, Shimano and Campagnolo had their own toe clips and these were also okay. The steel ones, I don't want to mention the plastic and aluminium clips.
But why bother about other brands if there's Christophe? For many years, this brand was synonymous for toe clips.
The Benotto kid bike I have has a nice pair (okay, a bit rusty) of very small Christophe toe clips. Nowadays very hard or impossible to get a new pair in a regular bike shop. If you're lucky, you're still able to find some in web shops or on Ebay. And on old, used bikes.
Arty not farty
2 days ago