Product Review: Power Grips (Comments: 10)
Author: Jason Crane
Date: 28 July, 2007
Category: Product Reviews
I bought a set of Power Grips this month on the advice of a column in The Practical Pedal, which said they’re great for bike commuters. I was looking for a good pedal that didn’t involve clipping in or other things that seem like a pain in the neck when you’re stopping every 100 yards at a traffic light. I’ve now been riding the Power Grips for a couple weeks, and they’re fantastic.
Easy on, easy off
Power Grips were designed a couple decades ago for mountain bikers. In this era of technological innovation, anything more than 10 minutes old seems hopelessly outdated, but Power Grips shouldn’t get chucked on the scrap heap, particularly if you’re an urban cycle commuter. As you can see from the picture above, they couldn’t be simpler. A strap made of Space-Age-Lex or some other top-secret material runs from one corner of the pedal to the other. When you stick your foot in at an angle, the strap is loose. When you straighten your foot, it tightens. Got that, all you engineering majors out there? Like I said, simple.
You can adjust them to your preferred level of “power-grippiness”TM
They’re fully adjustable. If you’re actually a mountain biker, you might want them tighter so you stay attached to the bike as it hurtles off the cliff and down the side of the gorge to end up in a crumpled … er … anyway, you might want them tighter. If you’re like me, you’re more concerned with ease of removal than with vice-gripping your tootsies to the pedals. You never know when you’ll have to ditch your commute-o-cycle to avoid that Hummer.
As with any piece of cycling equipment, the real question is: “How cool do these make me look?” As I’ll think you’ll agree, the evidence is incontrovertible:
Big Daddy McCool and his Power Grips
A word of warning, the Power Grips Web site was fairly craptacular when I ordered mine. It seems to be better now, but you can also just call them toll-free at 800-999-8277.
10 comments to “Product Review: Power Grips”