Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Houton Tx
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2007
Strengths: light weight, easy to rebuild, sheds mud.
Weaknesses: none to think of.
Bottom Line:
I have had these for a while now, and damn they are tuff. I do not know what is up with the other guys posting saying they break. Perhaps they were not the Steal version but mine have been put through the works. As long as you remember to grease them No worries. I have not had to rebuild mine yet and they have been in some water and sand. Since We have more mud here in Houston I decided to go with the Egg Beater and I am glade that I did.
Submitted by
Timsk
a Cross Country Rider
from Brighton, UK
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2007
Strengths: Light, very smooth disengagement, look cool in the glass cabinet in your LBS. Easy to maintain and spare parts are readily available.
Weaknesses: They need rebuilding every 4 months with the $12 dollar rebuild kit. Extremely dangerous. Pedal has a tendancy to come off the spindle evey 500 miles or so due to inadequate weather sealing; all the internals rust and eventually fail. The design puts too much horizontal load on the bearings and they WILL eventually fail if you ride in wet conditions. Not designed for use outside of Southern California due to the possibility that it might rain. Inboard bearing's outer shell became completely siezed to the body with rust after the 4th bearing relapcement.
Bottom Line:
i don't know how they get away with it. Very dangerous product. I'm now boycotting all Crank Bros equipment. Has anyone ever successfully sued Crank Brothers due to serious injury? I was going to put them on Ebay but my concience got the better of me; I'd never stitch-up a fellow cyclist.
Bike Setup: Too numerous to mention but cover MTBing, Long distance touring and commuting.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Hank
a Racer
from SW Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2007
Strengths: Light Weight, "good" looks
Weaknesses: lots
Bottom Line:
Simple fact for the weight and price they cant be beat.
If you want any more from a pedal get the Time ATAC, I have the 2004 model after they "fixed" the little problem of the platform pulling off of the spindle, and still, the platform came off the spindle (spindle wound up in my foot). I had the pedal rebuilt only to have the bearing cease and come off of the crank arm.
The only positives i have is, they are light, comparatively cheap for the weight, and they don't release like the time's when you bang a rock.
I'm going back to the Time ATAC, and I would recommend you do the same.
Submitted by
Ray
a Weekend Warrior
from Puyallup,WA
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2007
Strengths: Robust, bulletproof, simple design, sheds mud like a dog on carpet.
Weaknesses: None that I can think of
Bottom Line:
Used these for a few years now in the Pacific NW. Lot's of mud, rocks, crashes. At first I was a little nervous that the binding would get damaged hitting rocks, logs, etc., but they have held up perfectly. They won't release no matter how hard you pull up, you have to twist out. On my third set of cleats which are brass and designed to wear out before damaging the binding on the pedal. Seems like a smart idea to me. More than enough float, and a predictable release everytime. Easily cleaned and re-lubed. These things will last forever.
Weaknesses: feet never stay clipped while torquing of in tech sections. I could go either way on the amount of float. These pedals are built like garbage.
Bottom Line:
I've only used these things four times (i raced them once at waywayaonda)before they totaly crapped on me. I craked one realy bad on one of the jaws the other one had a hairline crack in the same place. Bent the axel on the left and seized the bearins on the right(the jaws also were locked in the "open" position). That was the forth ride the first three were almost as disaterous. almost every time i would torqu up a climb one of the two, if not both would release. After my first ride I figured I had the cleats a little askew so i adjusted them many times with the same result. While desending they would roll out from under my feet. Like many other people have said while in tech sections (i.e. rock gardens) the bottom of the pedal sticks way down below the shoe and once struck will scissor and release. I ride generally NJ and NY very rocky steep stuff and race at Plattekill and am Doing the H2H series for 2006 and dont reccommend these pedals for anything NJ has too offer besides fireroads. I have reverted back to my SPD's TAKE THIS AS A WARNING these pedals are not for the serius hard rider they caused me many a headache
Similar Products Used: SPD's I geuss a little heavier but worth the more weight
Bike Setup: Spec epic some custom stuff (My race bike)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Gabriel Vardones
a Cross Country Rider
from Middletown, CT. USA
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2006
Strengths: Good if you're filming a crash video because they'll guarantee fall overs and crashes.
Weaknesses: Unpredictable release. Low-hanging design snags on rocks and step-ups.
Bottom Line:
These pedals are a travesty. In fact, they're a travesty of a mockery of a sham (Woody Allen). They came on my new Cannondale Rush 1000 and I was origionally enthusiastic about them. I liked the light weight and simple design. Then I tried them, and my enthusiasm waned pretty quick. Their are two major problems with these pedals. One is that release is very unpredictable. Sometimes they relese easily, sometimes not. The other is that the side you're not clipped (or sometimes locked) into hangs down low below the pedal spindle and snags on rocks and roots. it's like lowering your bottom bracket by 15mm. Also, the cleats are made of brass, a very soft metal that will wear away quickly. Mine had noticeable wear after only two rides. I rode on them five or six times and endured several fall-overs and copious scrapes to both elbows and forearms. Finally, the last straw came when I was trying to ride a step-up, maybe 18 inches high, and the pedal snagged, stopping me. Then I couldn't get unclipped and fell over. By bike suffered minor cosmetic scratches. They would have happened anyway, but the first damage to a new bike always bums you out. I'm going back to my old SPD 747s- they're not great pedals, but they're way better than these.
Similar Products Used: Wellgo SPD clones, Ritchey WCS, Onza, Shimano SPD 737 and 747.
Bike Setup: Cannondale Rush 1000
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
owen
a Cross Country Rider
from park city, UT
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2006
Strengths: Light, easy to clip in, lots of float. Float is good if you have bad knees.
Weaknesses: Expensive cleats, and they wear out fast.
Bottom Line:
A good looking, simple design, hassle free pedel. You will love it, especially in muddy regions. The cleats are designed to wear out, not wear out the pedal.
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Blur, Fox float front & rear, avid, easton, mavic, hope, bla, bla, bla.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
kelly
a Cross Country Rider
from grover, wy
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2005
Strengths: Extremely easy to clip into. Just hit them with the tip of your toe, roll forward, and wait for the click.
Weaknesses: Lateral float, but as one reviewer stated, "keep your toes pointed forward" and not much of a problem. However, the still feel a little "loose" side to side at times.
Bottom Line:
I used my old ritchie pedals for 3 years. Didn't really like them, but they were servicable. Took the bike in for repairs and decided to upgrade. So glad I did. This pedals take my bike to the next level. The feel better, perform better, and look better than my previous pedals. They feel indestructable under you feet. Clipped in feels secure and strong, but release easily with natural foot twist when falling. I ride an average of 3 times a week and do a lot of climbing followed by quick decents. I have no complaints after 3 hard summer months of riding. These pedals are excellent and do exactly what Crank Bros promises they will. That makes them worth the money in my book.
Weaknesses: Excessive float when compared to the Nashbar SPD pedals I've used.
Bottom Line:
Bought these in a combo with Answer shoes through Nashbar and really like them. They are a little tricky to clip-in to at first, but I think that is more a product of having used SPD's for so long. They look very cool on the bike too!
Similar Products Used: SPD pedals for 10+ years (if that is really similar).
Bike Setup: Ancient Stumpjumper FSR
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
David Geracitano
a Cross Country Rider
from Albany NY USA
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2005
Strengths: Easy to clip in & out, strong
Weaknesses: A little float
Bottom Line:
I have had this setup for 4 years now and it is still going strong. People are complaining about the float, it is only side to side, so what's the problem? Keep your feet pointing forwards like you're supposed to, the minor amount of float gives you small room for error without unclipping on hard ascents. These things last forever, work great, and elicit a lot of questions from people, like "Where are you pedals?", or, "What the hell are those things?". I'll never buy any other pedal.
Strengths: simple, easy to maintain design. True trail proven performance. easy in easy out.
Weaknesses: none that I can think of new ones are lighter but also more expensine and I personally don't think they can take the abuse as well.
Bottom Line:
These are by far the best pedals I've ever used due to the simplicity of design, value and durability, these guys will take a beating and will last for years on the roughest trails. Great buy.
Similar Products Used: da bomb, shimano M545, azonic, and wellgo
Bike Setup: Jamis Komodo FX with Deore Hydros Gruppo, Panaracer 2.1 XCFire tires and Taurus DB rims
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Andro Galero
from Butuan City, Philippines
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2005
Strengths: -simple design -smooth entry and exit -unique eggbeater look -very strong build & finish -very very good mud performance -light weight
Weaknesses: -expensive replacement cleats
Bottom Line:
Bought these pedals second hand from my friend who's upgrading to the more expensive and lighter Eggbeater Triple Titanium. I love the way my pedals look, its so simple and unique and has a very strong finish. It still doesn't have a single scratch after hitting the dirt for more than two years of trail riding abuse. Even when i'm walking thru mud, the pedals still clicks in, it has the best mud performance of all the pedals i have tested.
The only downside is its expensive replacement cleats, $20 per set. But at least it has lasted all these years and i still have not rebuilt it even though i ride 10-12 hours a week on rough terrain.
Buy these pedals if you're a weight-weenie trail rider on a budget.
Purchased At: Ruby canyon cycles grand junction,CO
Similar Products Used: candy sl
Bike Setup: yeti 575, nixon
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Adam Larson
a Cross Country Rider
from Osan Air Base, South Korea
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2004
Strengths: Simple design, very easy to get in and out of, lots of float, no adjustments to worry about.
Weaknesses: Fast cleat wear
Bottom Line:
I bought these as a package deal with some Answer shoes, because of the good reviews I had read, and I couldn't be happier. 4 sides make these pedals very easy to get into. More importantly though, is how easy they are to get out of. I was a little worried when I saw that there is no tension adjustment, just two different release angles depending on how you install the cleats. But as soon as I started using these pedals I realized that I was worried about nothing. The release of these pedals is amazing. I don't even have to think about it. My foot's instinctive reflex when falling is all it takes to get out. And I've only had one or two accidental clipouts while riding, probably because the cleats are starting to wear a bit. The fast cleat wear is the only weakness but you can pick up replacements for $20 so it's not that big a deal. I recommend these pedals to anyone. I suppose you could go for the Ti versions if you've got the money and want to shed a few grams, but for value, stick with these.