Cunninghambikes

In the early days the conventional wisdom was that toe clips and straps couldn't be used on mountain bikes because they wouldn't allow a rider to disengage quickly in emergencies, generally were too difficult to get in and out of offroad and in any case didn't work with burly offroad shoes.  This was not acceptable for Cunningham who sought the efficiency that they provided.  Consequently, through extensive modification and design, he souped up clips and straps to make them work.

He often started with BMX pedals which he made single-sided.  He cut away extra material to enhance cornerning clearance.  He removed teeth on the cage on the entry face.  He built up a platform on the pedal to allow the show to gain solid footing while preserving ease of disengagement.  He shaped the leather straps, treated the leather for softness and with chalk or graphite.  Rather than using toe strap buttons, he added on to the leather of the strap itself.  He reshaped the cages to make them more open and beefed them up.

Following are pictures of a set of Cunningham modified pedals from 1984.