Crankbrothers Egg Beater 3 Pedal

Product Information

If the terrain you ride is somewhat extreme and requires big hit jumping, then Eggbeaters are not your best bet. Crank Brothers actually makes a wide range of other pedals for more abusive activity like downhilling. Is there a bodyweight limit for Eggbeater pedals?

In this regard, I would like to warn you against the use of flat MTB pedals with more aggressive spikes. These work perfectly well for MTBs, where it seems the rule is to never dismount for any barrier, regardless of how long it takes to inch across it, but in the world of CX, dismounting and running isn’t seen as a sign of failure and it won’t be long before you do some serious damage to your calves and/or shins. Lastly, is price. Ultra-lightweight components are made of exotic (= expensive) materials like titanium and carbon fiber. The top of the line Eggbeaters are made of ti and stainless steel. They only weigh 179 grams per pair. That’s insanely light. Do just a few grams of weight really make a difference? One can be relatively well-assured that Crank Brothers pedals are going to work well, given that the majority of American pro CX racers and thousands of amateur racers use them. See the PM for more info, but of the choices, I'd prefer the 2-hole Quattro cleat. It's a bit more adjustable than the 3-hole in terms of angle and left-right as compared to the 3-hole, and the 'road' cleat allows the wings of the pedal to groove the shoe surface. The plastic of the Quattro prevents that. There are a few pedal options on the market. I already mentioned the Shimano Deore XT and the Ritchey Comp XC. Both are solid pedals, and some of my friends swear by them.

While the XTR pedals are better at mud clearance than the XTs, they don’t shed mud quite as effectively as the Time and Crank Bros pedals. Facilitate regular dismounting / remounting of the bike (This means a single-sided road cycling, a clipless pedal is not a good idea.). Crank Brothers has been around since 1977. They started out in a Laguna Beach garage. Just surviving as a MTB gear maker is a huge accomplishment, let alone being a big name since the ‘70s. These guys are true industry pioneers.

When I finally decided to admit to myself that bicycling has become a serious part of my life, I asked around and learned about clip-in pedals and how they hook into the bottoms of special pairs of shoes. Compared to the Shimano pedals mentioned above, the Crank Brothers Eggbeater 3 has a more attractive design. In addition to this, the way it clips in is much nicer. The difference is quite remarkable: clipping into the Crank Bros Eggbeater 3 is smooth and quiet, while when one clips into the Shimano pedal, it sounds like something that has hit the ground after being dropped from the top of a high-rise building. I was also pleased with how much play there is for the foot on the horizontal plane. Yes. You can use standard Shimano SPD cleats with Egg Beater pedals. Still, when your current cleats wear out, it might be a good idea to get Crank Brothers cleats. The difference in performance might be small, but anything that improves performance is worth it if you ask me. Flat pedals are designed to work with the right shoes. If you are wearing sneakers, there is very little chance that you will notice any difference between cheap, plastic pedals and some fancy DH flats.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Eggbeater 3s, and I’ll definitely keep using them for mud, cyclocross, and lightweight xc race day - and to try to get to the bottom of the psychological clip-out question over the year ahead. Older versions of the Time ATAC, such as The Aliums or ROC ATACs, are a little wide as pedals go. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend them for cyclocross races. One of the coolest things I see at the races are pit bikes. These are bikes with regular flat pedals that mechanics use just to get around. Since bike mechanics are on their feet a lot, they don’t want to be standing on cleats. Does Crank Brothers have a good reputation as a component brand? If you're serious about bicycling as a sport, sooner or later you're going to get yourself a pair of clip-in pedals. These pedals are so small that they give you more power and less resistance for your pedaling efforts. If you are not happy with the pedals you are using at the moment, then Shimano SPD might be the best option for you, but there is no guarantee that you will suddenly be able to clip in without a hitch every time.

Release tension is not adjustable, and some found it unsettlingly light, but at least it was always consistent. You can also change the release angle from 15 to 20 degrees by swapping the default cleats from one shoe to the other. And you can buy ‘easy release’ variants that have a 10-degree release angle. The smaller the release angle, the sooner your foot disengages as you turn your heel outwards.) Verdict Probably the most divisive thing about the Crankbrothers pedals, for those coming from SPDs anyway, is the smooth clip-out, compared with the definite resistance and clunk of an SPD. I suspect this is more of a psychological problem than a practical one. I confess I haven’t got used to it yet, but I’ve never accidentally clipped out, and clubmates who ride Crankbrothers pedals wouldn’t even notice it. Finally, you get more options for float (natural foot rotation while you ride) and release angle (the point at which it actually disengages) than you do with SPDs. More on this below. PerformanceYou can adjust the float and release angle on Eggbeater pedals. Float is how much the ball of your foot can rotate while clipped in. Release angle is how far your foot must rotate before you clip out. So, these clipless pedals are basically a little bar instead of a the regular flat pedal design you find on most other bikes, right? I stand up on the pedals a lot while riding my bicycle, and I'm curious if these egg beater clip-in pedals would throw off my balance. That said, the Time ATAC XC 4 is a pedal I would highly recommend. Don’t waste your time with budget models of the Time ATAC. The more expensive models, such as the XC2 in question, are highly durable. They are known to be effective when it comes to mud-shedding and, in addition to being easy to clip into, I found that they provided a secure footing.

As far as I’m concerned, weight is a big deal. The more you ride, the more you appreciate lightweight components. If you’re going for a casual 15 minute ride, then don’t sweat it. But if you’re planning something more epic, lightweight is crucial. Cranks perform well when it comes to mud-shedding, and they can be as durable as any other pedal if you are careful to clean and lubricate them regularly. I’ve been a regular user of Cranks, Shimano, and Frogs, but Frogs don’t have a good reputation as off-road pedals and are not suitable for CX. Eggbeaters are about as simple as a pedal gets — just a spindle with a spring retention mechanism. No platform, no plates, just four sprung bars, effectively making it into a four-sided pedal. angles, the company advertises that Eggbeaters are among the easiest pedals to clip in and out of. InFit is important – your shoe needs to rest on the body of the pedal rather than the cleat mechanism, for stability and trouble-free clip-out. Road bike foot gear is stiffer for better power transfer. Mountain bike shoes are softer for better maneuverability. Plus, you sometimes have to dismount and run or walk, so MTB shoes are more like regular shoes. There are a couple of reasons riders like these adjustments. Some might have knee problems which require more float to take the stress off the knees. Others like to be able to move around a bit when clipped in.