Impressive riding! Did you do all that with platform pedals? No straps or clipless?
Thanks!
I used clipless on the Trans Am riding west, then got from Florence, OR to Anacortes, WA and rode the Northern Tier east with clipless.
The balls of my feet hurt so bad when I was done that I put MKS Lambda Platform pedals on for all the riding after that and will never go back to clipless.
The next year I rode the Southern Tier from San Diego, CA to St Augustine, FL with the platform pedals and loved them.
I ride platforms everywhere I go now when I'm touring.
Eric, I'm heading in the same direction as Stumps.
I rode Seattle->Boston back in the 80s when fast14riots Vitus was still the new thing and used Detto Peitro (art 39s?) and toe clips. I'm so retro on bikes it's crazy but I have zero good memories with toe clips. IMO, toe clips and the old clipless platform pedals from the 60s and 70s were the absolute worst and the only place they belong is on period correct restorations.
IMO, BMX flats are infinitely better than toe clips. They take a period of adjustment when sprinting to not pull your foot off of the pedal, but they encourage better spinning and once you make the adjustment, there are massive, massive benefits, especially for touring and commuting as you can wear real walking shoes and still get great riding performance. I've had them on my commuter/all-rounder/tourer for nearly 10 years and like Stumps, I won't be going back.
Back to Peaks by
Pinnah, on Flickr
My "go-fast" sport tourer is still set up with Speedplay Frog clipless. IMO, the choice between a good floating clipless system and BMX pedals depends on how you ride and where you want to accrue your over use injuries.
If you ride competitively and need to sprint and climb with abandon, then modern clipless are the obvious choice. But, they tend to concentrate forces on the ball of my foot. I have 3 neuromas in my feet. One has been surgically removed and I'm planning on having a second injected with alcohol in a hope of killing the nerve. I don't ride competitively but still enjoy a nice fast work out on the bike regularly but this past year, I'm getting to the point where the fun of hard sprinting literally isn't worth the pain I live with in my feet. I XC ski and hike and cycling should help those things, not hurt them.
For touring and commuting riding where I don't sprint, I hugely prefer BMX flats. A guy I know from a (fantastic) cycling list has tried to use BMX flats for long event rides like centuries and rando riding and reports that he got knee problem. The issue is, just like back in the day before floating clipless pedals, if your foot isn't well lined up you can get bad knee pain as the connective tissue gets stressed. The tendency with BMX flats is that they grip so well that I can end up "locking" my foot in place on the pedal without being aware of it. Yes, you *can* move your foot on the pedal but I find it takes deliberate thought. I've never had knee issues with full floating pedals like the Frogs, so that's a trade-off. But again, I'm in a stage of life where a 2 hour ride is a long one and it will be several years before I have the time to work back up to century length days. So, BMX flats make more and more sense for me.
OH... the great cycling list is the Internet-BOB list, where BOB is short for Bridgestone Owners Bunch. i-BOB is the continuation of a newsletter/owners group formed by Grant Peterson (of Rivendell fame) when he worked for Bridgestone. The focus of the group is practical cycling. Lots of touring, commuting and rando discussions. BMX pedals, fenders and lights are all welcome there. Google "internet BOB" and you'll find it.