FRS "Pre-Pro" Strap Ons

an alternative to cleats, straps and cages.

"If your into bondage you'll love the Strap Ons. Personally never been the biggest fan of being strapped in for the ride but hey it feels hella good...."

Umm... Okay Gypsy. Whatever floats your boat dude. I think what he means is the FRS Strap Ons are super firm yet look surprisingly like they have come from a Kink Club. He may be right, after all inspiration for designs often come from the weirdest of places!

Despite their looks, the FRS Strap Ons aren't for freaks. They are designed tough for fixed trick riders, yet are suitable for the pub bike, polo steed, or the mountain bike. They are super adjustable, and less likely to damage your shoes than cages. They also won't pop open accidentally, and have no moving parts or buckles to break. They are like a flexible cage, but over your whole foot not just your toes.

The strap on is designed to be used on platform pedals like those on a BMX and some mountain bikes. Odyssey Twisted PCs work a treat.

Design update:

We have produced a limited run of 25 pre-production straps, which are all currently undergoing testing. It is our plan to use feedback from this pre-pro run before starting a bigger batch. Anticipated production date will be around October, with orders already flowing in. If you are interested in a set from the next batch, please let us know directly. Alternatively hassle your local bike shop, and let them know that you want some ordered in.

We are pretty proud of our Strap Ons, and believe that there is little like it in the market. The actual design is ridiculously adjustable, able to fit tiny shoes right up to size 13 flippers. The main feature of the design is the massive surface area over the top of the foot. Other designs focus around thin straps, with the biggest on the market being 50mm wide. The Strap Ons have a surface area of 100mm over foot, meaning that it "literally feels like your foot is duct-taped to the pedal." Another feature of the design is it has no exposed strap ends on the inside of the system. This means that when pulling your foot in and out there is nothing to snag on or come undone.

Design update #2:

The straps are now tougher truckers; hear all about our material updates.

Big thanks to local Brisbane riders Dan Licastro and Nathan Moore for all their dedication and hardwork. Without them, this design would not have happened. We are all proud of this design, and believe it works better than anything else we have tried. Dont believe it is as good as we say? Here are all the reviews that we have recieved so far. Unedited, and unbiased.

Reviews:

Lewis, www.lepistaresistance.com, 27th July, 2009.

Hey BOcrew,
Received the straps a few days ago and have had the chance to use them a bit. Its been a bit weird since Im so used to my cleats, so they have been on and off the bike a bit. I think that if it was a rider coming from using cages it would be a much smoother transition.

The straps are really solid. They hold your feet very well but still allow for a quick pull out if you need. I think alot of the solidness is attributed to the large surface area of both the straps and the pedals - and this is something that gives the setup a superior feel than my current cleat (time atac) set up.

One of the other features I have found to be really great for my riding is that I can change how tight the straps hold my foot WHILE I am riding by pushing my foot deeper or shallower in the straps. So if I am just riding somewhere I can push my feet really deep in the straps so I can get as much leverage to crank up and skid as I need, but when I am tricking I can pull back just a little which still gives me enough attachment to control and maneuver the bike, but I can be confident I can bail on it if it comes to it.

The set up has also meant that when doing bar spins I can bring my foot right back to flush with front of the pedal (to give the wheel more clearance to spin) but still also have something to pull up on. Where as with my cleats I have to time the crank/pedal rotation so that it gives me enough room to spin the wheel with out hitting my toes.

The whole system was really easy to adjust, and my only grief with the set up was having to mod the pedals. It took time, but being something you only have to do once, so is no major issue.

The only thing I could see so far that I would change is the velco on the seatbelt webbing at the top of the strap. Because I have adjusted the top side straps quite tight to fit my slim shoes, the ends over hang onto the middle section by about 5-10 mm and now the top cover of seat belt webbing wont stick down to that top part. A potential solution could be to have a flap of velcro attached just next to the BO gear tag that could fold over the top of the side straps in this situation.

Thanks again, will keep riding them and update you with how they are going.

Andrew, 1st August, 2009.

Fitted real easy and they feel pretty snug on the foot. I guess early feedback as follows:
Feel much snugger on the foot than regular clips/straps. Bit harder to get the foot in (compared to MKS-9 pedals that I had) because the Odyssey pc pedals seem to flatten out upside down, I guess that might just take a bit of getting used to... unless there are some tips... The inner straps rub on the crank arm, so not sure what wear I will get over time (black cranks).

Update:
Spent a few hours on the bike today and really liking the tightness of the straps... hold well when mashing against the pedals and also when doing skids...
I am still working on improving the ease of getting the pedals up around to get the foot in, hasn't become second nature like my old pedals yet.

Update:
The crank rubbing seems to have disappeared as there seems to be ok clearance now. I will check the centering of the rear strap tomorrow but it certainly was centered when I installed it. By the way the instructions you gave for fitment and pedals setup were dead on simple to follow.

Had a big ride today and loving the FRS heaps more every time I ride. I really had to mash on some stops today and I really feel the FRS handles the pull-up from my front foot really well. I am really starting to notice more benefits. I guess I did about 30 km today and I would believe I am getting better pedal efficiency than clips and straps. I am guessing it's because of the snug fit on the front and rear of the shoe I am getting more up and down stroke. Bit like when riding clipless.

As for getting in I think I've nailed it with getting the left foot moat on the first go or at the least the second attempt. No doubt this is close to becoming second nature.

Had about 4 randoms come over and ask about the pedals when I was having lunch in the city. So I gave you a plug of course.

Anyway I am pretty stoked with the purchase and good luck with the launch. I think my son wants a pair for his bike now.

Kaspar, www.kasiconcepts.blogspot.com, 3rd August, 2009.

Yo, I broke a strap yesterday and the BOgear shit came that arvo... wicked timing! I put them on and rode into work today, totally awesome!! Thanks heaps for the hook up, I'll chuck a few photos on the blog and say some shit about them. They should get good exposure in Japan! [BOcrew note: Kaspar's heading to the Cycling Messenger World Championships this month]

Chris Fonseca, No Cassettes, 5th September, 2009.

Henry and I are riding the straps, I've been filming for my section in Gnarcotix and it's a downhill section. My foot has not slipped out yet nor has adjusted while riding. The straps are strong, thick and the top piece holds the foot in perfectly. You have a good product coming out. One thing that could be worked on is the strap part that connects to the pedal, when falling on your side the straps kind of wear down, other then that there awesome.

Henry is loving the straps too, He never rode straps until I gave him the other set. His bunny hop 180 bar-spins are on lock now.

People who have ridin Henry's and my bike love them and would like to know when they are coming out. What will you call them and will there be different colors?

I would like to film an ad for you and be your rep for the USA!

We are working on a new project and I have a clip in Macaframa 2 next year. I would like to know if you could send 2 or 3 more sets out for some other riders I am and will be filming?

Thank you for the opportunity to let me try out your product and I know you have a winner in your hands. I ridin Hold Fast and I fully can't commit nor feel confident while riding in there straps.

Thanks

Liam, 16th September, 2009.

The straps are great, like couches for feet. Comfortable and solid. Within the first couple of days riding with them, I was busting out skids at any opportunity, with impunity when going round corners and weaving through cars, everything felt safe and controllable. Even non-dominant foot skids feel great. I've also had lots of riders stop me and ask where I got them from.

They really have changed my riding style for the better.

The only thing I would have changed, the rear opening top of the strap, has been fixed in the redesign, so I'm sure the final product is even better. It would be great if you sold bundled pedal and strap packs, because I had to visit 3 bike shops to find someone who had the Twisted PC pedals in stock. A hobby hacksaw blade works well for cutting the pedals out.