Brand new Sunlite Low Profile Alloy ATB Pedals w/ Toe Clips.
There are a number of reasons for using either toe-clips (pedal straps) or clipless pedals:
- It allows you to pull up as well as down, increasing the efficiency of your pedalling. This is something that you need to work at to get full effect from, as it is not a natural motion to most people.
- It positions the pedal under the ball of the foot giving you better leverage. While you don't need straps or clipless to do this, it does help keep your foot in the right place.
- It helps to stop your feet coming off in rough ground while mountain biking.
- It gives you more control over the rear of the bike allowing you to lift and shift the rear more easily. This makes it easier to bunny hop, and helps with controlling the bike on rough ground.
Beginner cyclists use these pedals with toe clips as a bridge before graduating to clipless pedals and shoes. Experienced cyclists sometimes still use pedals with toe clips because they already know that a lot of energy is expended simply keeping the balls of your feet centered on the pedals and they don't want to have to deal with an extra pair of shoes so these pedals allow them to be wearing comfortable shoes when they hop off the bike (if you've ever seen cyclists with their special cycling shoes all walking into a bagel shop after a long morning ride it is quite the sight and almost looks like they have high heels on backwards :)