# Correct toe straps



## Bmc5733946 (Jun 18, 2021)

Does anyone know the correct toe straps for a 1974 Paramount? And what has become of Metacortex?

Brian


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## juvela (Jun 18, 2021)

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the Schwinn Approved toe clips and straps which were sold over the counter at that time were products of Poutrait-Morin of France and had the brand names AFA, Christophe  & Lapize

February 1974 catalogue pages -









the "ask for" toe straps at that time were Alfredo Binda brand which were distributed by Cinelli, and of course cost twice as much

do not know if there was a "stock" or "default" toe strap for the Paramount at that time since every detail could be specified by the consumer

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## Bmc5733946 (Jun 18, 2021)

Great information exactly what I was looking for. I have a pair of Zefal and a pair of Campagnolo straps coming. I was aware that things could be different for the Paramount,  wasn't aware of the variety of choice. Thank you very much for the help!

Brian


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## juvela (Jun 18, 2021)

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at that time the Alfredo Binda was the "ask for" brand because it was thicker, stiffer and longer lasting

at a certain point Binda introduced a laminated model which was very much sought after for its lack of stretch;  as recalled it was only available in "natural" colour - sort of an ecru

do not now recall its specific launch year but it may have been around this time

one problem with the french brands such as Lapize and Paturaud was that they were thinner and tended toward stretchiness

sorry was unable to give you a specific answer

hope this helped a bit

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## Bmc5733946 (Jun 18, 2021)

Juvela, you've helped immensely! The clips on this Paramount are Christophe/Zefal and are aluminum. I say Christophe/Zefal because they have the Zefal "Z" just below the strap guide and "Christophe" running down each side of the "loop", (for lack of a better word) and the word "special" just under that "Z". I haven't found much information on the aluminum toe clips, wondering about the vintage of them. I think the straps I have ordered will be appropriate enough for who its for, me.
Thank again!

Brian


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## all riders (Jun 18, 2021)

In my experience, the Christophes were the most common and I think it would not be hard to find some NOS to go with your clips


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## juvela (Jun 18, 2021)

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have no hard dates in me head for the launch of alloy toe clips

seem to have first launched in the mid-1970's

suspect a 1974 date might be slightly early

note that the catalogue pages posted above are dated February 1974 and do not show them

one practical problem with them was durability
since the pros got their kit for free they could fit new ones for each event or stage if wished

us mere mortals must of course pay out of pocket for our kit...


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## Amanda Reckonwith (Jun 18, 2021)

I am uncertain how much riding you have done in the past with clips and straps. As well, I am uncertain whether you've done much riding recently with what you can buy now without mortgaging the house to buy the laminated version of them from Japan by Kashimax and MKS, which are in the $100 and up range.

Velo Orange sells a laminated toe strap version for about $25. I have not used them, but will probably go to those when my current strap collection starts to go bad.  The problem with many of the current straps that are sold is they go limp after a month or two of riding, and won't stay formed up in a nice solid loop to let you easily insert your foot.  It's not so bad on the MUP, but can be very irritating in stop and go city traffic, with red lights and stop signs.

Performance was contracting for and selling a pretty good double layer strap, of stitched layers of leather for about ten bucks. But those are gone now. along with most of the quality toe straps I used to buy, The current crop is pretty sad.  If you want to ride with clips and straps, try to find something that is stiff enough to hold shape well on the pedal. It makes your life with them much more pleasant. Less exciting when you miss picking up a pedal in traffic.

There are some old Pake plastic straps that are very stiff, and last forever.  But they're in very bright, space age colors and probably not what you have in mind for a bike of this age.  Pay attention to your sizing on the clips. Too short a toe clip can cripple your feet if you log much mileage. Maybe you know this already, so good luck.


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## fattyre (Jun 19, 2021)

Mind if I tag along here?   Working on a similar project myself.   Looking for a somewhat correct toe clip set up for a 1973 Paramount.

When did Campy start producing toe clips?  I see several variations in the stamps on them. I’ve loosely searched through some catalogs (1973, 1974) and was somewhat surprised to not find any in there. 

Perhaps I’ve wrongly assumed the Campy produced there own at that time.


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## Bmc5733946 (Jun 19, 2021)

I started out on clips and straps in the 70s, tried clipless in the 90s. Bad knees meant it was hard for me to get out of the clipless pedals so back to clips and straps without cleats, much safer and painless for me, without cleats my feet are allowed to float a bit, just what I need. To the best of my knowledge the Christophe clips were pretty much the only clip ever offered by Schwinn on the higher end bikes in the 70s and came as standard on Paramount and are called out in the spec sheets. I would assume they were most common down through the line and are called out on many Schwinn spec sheets from the 70s. The aluminum ones I have are not called out but I believe and assume they are original to this bike, they had the same accumulation of grime as everything else on the bike. Might have been a dealer install or even after, they are in nice condition albeit lightly scratched etc., so there is that.

Brian


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