i like DIY stuff, especially when it’s fairly easy to do and the results are pleasing.
here’s a DIY toe strap doubler that i put together (instructions found here). i had to go to 3 places to get all the ingredients.
home depot:
hole puncher
39th street (lots of fabric/crafts stores):
rivets
rivet tool
james (neighborhood belt guy):
sheet of leather
*i already had a straight edge, blade, and cutting mat
the original instructions called for 12 rivets for each side, but i think the rivets that i bought were just a tad larger than what was pictured so i had to open up CAD and improvise a bit. my estimations were good. here’s how it turned out…
what is it for, you ask…?
a fixed gear bike requires you to pull up on the pedal as well as push down (when stopping). most of the times, a single strap will do you just fine – for example, my road bike has single straps on both pedals. but on a fixed gear, the force you exert to pull up on the pedal is much greater since you’re working to slow down or totally lock your wheels. 2 straps add security, power, and comfort. both my means of propulsion and stopping come from my feet. if, by chance, the strap were to snap or just somehow fail, it’d be bad news for me. think of it this way, imagine trying to walk joey with a kite string…then imagine trying to walk him with with a nice broad nylon leash.
seeeee :)