Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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.