MKS Alpha vs Toshi Double straps

I hope so, i bought some earlier today :)

hey i'm sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but i googled and that's what i found.
so basically i have to choose between the super fancy njs alpha sports (£80 on wiggle) and the super fancy toshis, which are sold in the shop here in town (something more than 80)

question is: is all that money really worth it? cause i bought some cheap double straps and i took them off after two days, no grip at all and i had to tighten them up again after almost every stop.
i'm choosing among those two because they are the easiest to get at the moment for me, but still, f*ing expensive.

and another thing is: is really a good idea to rock toshis on a commuter bike? i mean, straps can be stolen in less than 10 seconds, and when they are as worth as the wheelset i don't know if that can be a good idea to park the bike around for more than the above mentioned 10secs.

apart from that, what would you suggest among these two? maybe it's better to go for a third party?

thaanks

go clipless

Edwardes do a laminated double strap much like the alphas and Toshis for £25, Aleksi on here has been using his for over a year no problem.

I put the SÄG doubles on last night. Haven't given them a good ride yet, but they seem pretty solid. Were easy to install on MYKS Sylvans (didn't have to cut or pull them with pliers) and don't look like they'll stretch like the crappy Soma / Exustar etc ones.

[URL="http://www.pedalconsumption.com/files/sag_double_toe_straps_out_now1.jpg"][/URL]

Got em from the MASHSF online store.

Condor sell the njs alpha's for £59.99, bought some last week.

They are a bastard to get on my custom nuevo's. I acctually put the pedal in a vice, and then used pliers to pull the straps through, needed both hands on the pliers and pulling as hard as i could.
They take lots of time to get on, so i doubt any thief will nick them, they are even harder to get off.

^^ They are not easy to install. I had to use lube and even then it was an effort to pull them through. My only criticism of the Alphas, other than them being difficult to install, is the flappy little bit of leather behind the buckle which sometimes gets folded over.

the SÄGs seems pretty solid too...does anyone has any feedback on those? they also come with the doublizer thingy which certainly looks cool but i'm not sure it actually makes them more solid

is there any major difference btween toshis and alphas anyway?

Edwardes do a laminated double strap for £25
those are the exustars, very good for the money. tdv stock them as well

I put the SÄG doubles... and don't look like they'll stretch like the crappy Soma / Exustar etc ones.

Bollocks, the Exustar straps are really good.

I've not tried Soma but they look to be the same construction as On-One doubles (a single layer of leather rather than leather-plastic-leather). On-One doubles are cheap but stretch right away. Avoid them.

...they also come with the doublizer thingy which certainly looks cool but i'm not sure it actually makes them more solid

It sort of holds them in place slightly better if your running single gate clips. I made my own doublizers with a scalpel and a £1 piece of leather.

is there any major difference btween toshis and alphas anyway?

Hipster points.

I was assuming that the crappy doubles I got from Chari & Co last year were Exustars etc. Anhwyay, the SÄG straps are really good. Rode 10k's in them this morning, no problems. The doublizers work great.

...you bought the wrong exustars, then.

the ones that velosolo carries are quite excellent.

@ boredyouth -

my 2p:

If you feel uncomfortable about spending £80 on straps you've prob ans. your own question.

I've got to say the ones I made myself via skelators tutorial work well enough. Need to readjust about once every 1-2 months depending on rainfall.

The rivets on one of the straps on one side has popped out bc I didn't put a washer behind it, but they've held up fine and been used to commute most days.

i got the toshis because they come in white. 70 punds at hubjub special order

hey i'm sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but i googled and that's what i found.
so basically i have to choose between the super fancy njs alpha sports (£80 on wiggle) and the super fancy toshis, which are sold in the shop here in town (something more than 80)

question is: is all that money really worth it? cause i bought some cheap double straps and i took them off after two days, no grip at all and i had to tighten them up again after almost every stop.
i'm choosing among those two because they are the easiest to get at the moment for me, but still, f*ing expensive.

and another thing is: is really a good idea to rock toshis on a commuter bike? i mean, straps can be stolen in less than 10 seconds, and when they are as worth as the wheelset i don't know if that can be a good idea to park the bike around for more than the above mentioned 10secs.

apart from that, what would you suggest among these two? maybe it's better to go for a third party?

thaanks

My two pence, having tried double straps of a couple of varieties, metal clips, on mks sylvan pedals, on mtb pedals, double straps with plastic clips on bmx pedals, and horizontal straps on bmx pedals (JOL straps to be specific), and now clipless : Time ATACS, with carbon soled specialized mtb shoes.

If you are wanting to do any kind of trick riding Horizontal straps are where its at, maximum leverage/comfort/speed of release when it comes to bailing from or doing tricks, very durable, no fixings/fastenings/anything to break!

For commuting/speed/general bombing around, it doesn't get better than clipless, nothing compares....seriously nothing, not even the best double straps and clips in the world can touch a good clipless set-up, the performance increase is amazing, and if you are riding brakeless your braking ability jumps up ridiculously.