Submitted by
smokey422
a Cross Country Rider
from MO
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2008
Strengths: Mud shedding, weight.
Weaknesses: Difficult entry, lack of platform for times when I couldn't clip in right away, durability. Made hot spots on my feet due to the small platform. Bruised my shins easily.
Bottom Line:
I purchased these pedals because of the rave review they got from MBA. I should have known better than to believe them. I never could get consistent entry with them compared to my Shimanos and Times. Release was OK after I shaved the cleats for technical riding. They also didn't provide a good platform for pedaling unclipped when that was necessary. The end caps fell out and they needed new bearings in a year's time, a problem I never had with my Times. They also caused painful bruises on my shins when I banged into them.
I decided to put them on my cyclocross bike that I use for gravel road, dirt trail, and pavement use. They had such a small platform that they formed hot spots on my feet after 30-50 miles. I can't imagine doing a century on them.
If you're interested in this type of pedal, get the FAR superior Time ATACs.
Similar Products Used: Shimano and Wellgo SPDs, Time ATACs.
Bike Setup: Fisher HT, SRAM 9.0 drivetrain, Panaracer XC pros.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Arlington, VA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2008
Strengths: Weight, simplicity.
Weaknesses: Too minimal; made powering up a hill (if you came unclipped for whatever reason) really difficult.
Bottom Line:
Didn't give these a long enough stay on my bike to wear them out as other have. I really disliked the pedal from a design standpoint (stated above). Stick with ATACs. If you're a weight weenie, get the Titans... they're roughly the same weight as these.
This is a re-test 3.5 years after my first one. I've just worn out the bearings and bushings after over 4 years of riding. I e-mailed Crank Bros last night and the reply came this morning - a service and repair kit will be in the mail ASAP.
These pedals are the greatest - just fit and forget. There's even no need to clean them as the mud drops off when it dries. Mud entry has never been an issue at all and the entry and release is smooth and consistent no matter what the conditions - just stomp down and go, twist and release.
Submitted by
Gary Satlemann
a Cross Country Rider
from U.K.
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2007
Strengths: Light weight
Weaknesses: Pricey, lousey seals and bearings, cleats ware very quickly, hot spots on the soles of the shoes.
Bottom Line:
This is strictly a west coast...nice dry warm weather.... US pedal. It won't last 2 minutes in UK grit and mud. I'm on the second set. The seals will not prevent the ingress of grime into the bearings and the bearings are not up to the job. Cleats ware at an alarming rate in the UK conditions, they clearly are not designed for constant immersion in mud. This is a costly pedal. Better to use the more durable Shimano or Time products.
Similar Products Used: Shimano, Addidas, Specialized.
Bike Setup: Spez 2002 FSR.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
colin
a Cross Country Rider
from uk dorset
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2007
Strengths: Amazing design, clears mud, good float that protects knees, lightweight. No real problems with bearings if greased twice yearly
Weaknesses: eggbeater S - Am I a product tester for this company? - two broken spindles and one unscrewed spindle mis threaded in factory all during normal riding and no crashes. I am 6 4" and 210lbs but do not abuse my gear. Broke both original 2002 model and 2004 model Most of the reviews below are only a few months old - mine broke after about 14 months use. Changing to spds before I have along walk home or gashed achillies. Crankbros distributor UK replaced first pair after some haggling, I kept the receipt second time and I am awaiting retailer reply
Submitted by
Timsk
a Cross Country Rider
from United Kingdoom
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2006
Strengths: Light and look good. Easy to get out of without feeling un-secure. Big float option. Swanky packaging.
Weaknesses: Numerous. There's something very wrong with the design of these pedals; having the bearings exposed poorly shielded from dirt and water when they go on about how good they are with mud clearence is a bit daft. Not a pedal for people who ride in muddy conditions at all. I've replaced the bearings 4 times in the time that I've had them so that makes them very high maintance. I don't have to replace my BB annually so why the pedal rebuild? On the last rebuild, The bearing was seized into the pedal body and I tried numerous methods for getting it out. No chance. I'm sticking them on ebay for 0.99p. Can be difficult to clip into in a hurry as the contact area is so small.
Bottom Line:
If you ride your bike a lot, stick with your slightly heavier more reliable SPDs and Times.
I have no experience with SPDs but I've never hear of anyone having to constantly rebuild them. I've never had to touch my ATACs and I use them on both my MTB and my commuter bike which I ride daily in all seasons, all weathers.
Poor product. I bought a Crank Brothers pump once and that was rubbish as well.
Purchased At: Little Raleigh dealer in West London
Similar Products Used: Time ATACs
Bike Setup: Intense Tracer XT/XTR, Rockshox, Hope etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Timsk
a Cross Country Rider
from United Kingdoom
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2006
Strengths: Light and look good. Easy to get out of without feeling un-secure. Big float option. Swanky packaging.
Weaknesses: Numerous. There's something very wrong with the design of these pedals; having the bearings exposed poorly shielded from dirt and water when they go on about how good they are with mud clearence is a bit daft. Not a pedal for people who ride in muddy conditions at all. I've replaced the bearings 4 times in the time that I've had them so that makes them very high maintance. I don't have to replace my BB annually so why the pedal rebuild? On the last rebuild, The bearing was seized into the pedal body and I tried numerous methods for getting it out. No chance. I'm sticking them on ebay for 0.99p. Can be difficult to clip into in a hurry as the contact area is so small.
Bottom Line:
If you ride your bike a lot, stick with your slightly heavier more reliable SPDs and Times.
I have no experience with SPDs but I've never hear of anyone having to constantly rebuild them. I've never had to touch my ATACs and I use them on both my MTB and my commuter bike which I ride daily in all seasons, all weathers.
Poor product. I bought a Crank Brothers pump as well and that was rubbish as well.
I’ve used these for about 3 years. The spindle came off a few years ago and Cranks Bros upgraded me to a rebuilt set of the improved design. They are an awesome pedal. Light weight, easy in, easy out, low maintenance, and inexpensive cleats. I used all the following pedals before eggbeaters and none of them compare favorably:
SPD – mud up too easy. Not enough float. Too many screws to adjust – if they are not all the same then you get inconsistent release
FROG – crummy rubber spring on the cleat wears quickly and results in play between shoe and pedal. Plastic body breaks easy. Won’t release to the inside (until the knob wears off, but that’s not by design). Expensive, complicated cleats. Mud up really bad.
BEBOP – way too fragile for mtb. Very complicated and expensive cleat that wears out quickly. The spring is a spring steel bar in the cleat the looses it’s shape and you pop out of the pedal unexpectedly. Mud up really bad
TIME – similar to eggbeaters but I found them harder to get into. Weigh a lot more. The plastic body holds mud and pieces of log etc… I actually had to stop on several occasions and use a multi-tool to pry wood out of them before I could get into them.
DON’T BUY THE “C” MODELS. They are some kind of brittle carbon steel instead of stainless. I put my old pedals on my roadbike and quickly went through 2 pairs of the cheap version on my mtb. The cages break when you hit rocks etc. I never broke a cage in 3 years with the stainless, but broke 3 cages in 3 months with the “C”. It’s too bad Crank Bros have to market something at that price point. It will just give them a bad name.
Customer service is good. In both the broken spindle case and the broken “C” pedals they have upgraded to a better pedal (for a fee, but better than starting from scratch).
Weaknesses: Hmmmmm.... I'll get back to you. Oh, price on the Ti models. Twice the price to save 30 grams? Just go to the washroom before you ride and you've lost more than 30 grams. Save your money and don't bother with the Ti models. (Secret: I dare say it's already the lightest pedal out there!)
Bottom Line:
I have used other 2 sided pedals in the past (I've been usind clipless for 12 years now), and these by far are the best I've used. The ultimate test is the anual Paris-Ancaster (60 km point to point) race that is often mud bogged. I've walked through mud up to my ankle and am able to clip in one shot. No scraping, or stopping to get a twig to flick out the mud, no spinning the pedal a 1/4 turn to find the cleat. Just aim, clip in, you're done. As far as the maintainance goes, those who complain about taking the pedal apart are on crack. Undo ONE screw, slide pedal off spindle, apply grease, reassemble. 5 minutes once or twice a season is not a pain. The cleats are brass, but it's cheaper to replace the brass cleat than the whole pedal. It's built into the design... the cleat wears out so the pedal doesn't. Crank Bros have an awesome product and as long as the quality stays the same, they have a life time buyer.
I purchased these when they first came out after hearing all the hype in 2002. They have definately lived up to their expectations. I have knocked them off rocks, buried them in mud, jumped and dropped with them, and watched my bike tumble down the trail ahead of me after I wrecked, and they still work perfectly. I haven't had to rebuild them, only replace the cleats every season.
I still ride them with the cleats set for easy release and have never had a problem. I find it hard to ride platforms now and feel more comfortable with these anyday on almost any terrain. I have a pair of CB Mallets on the way.
I highly recommend these to any XC'er or aggressive rider.
Submitted by
Jens
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2005
Strengths: The feel of these pedals are great and the fact that you have 4 entry points as opposed to 2 with most other pedals. The mud clearance is great but as we haven't had a decent rain in Sydney for ages i must say that this is not a big issue for me.
Weaknesses: The maintenance cost in both hours and dollars are way too high. I can understand the need to replace the brass cleats, but having to constantly service and rebuild the actual pedal is a pain. The other main issue is the wear on the sole of the shoe, after a while it doesn't matter if you buy new cleats as the shoe has been worn out and the play between the shoe and pedal cannot be removed.
Bottom Line:
Great pedal that when it comes to feel, but the work and maintenance cost required i would not recommend anyone using this pedal unless they have full sponsorship from Crank Brothers...
Similar Products Used: ugh... al the shimano entry level pedals, eggbeater candy c's, half platformhlaf clips, speedplay frogs, look carbon crap, speedplay X2s
Bike Setup: Litech magnesium frame, cannondale AL rigid fork, XTR/517 wheels, old XTR crank (replacing asap), Kenda Kozmik Lite 2 tires (my sweeties), easton carbon bar, Thompson seatpost, Avocet o2 titanium saddle, XT linear brakes, 17 lbs
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
S G
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlotte, NC
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2005
Strengths: Easy in easy out. Durable.
Weaknesses: At first I'd have said the cleat material. But they work and I got replacements at a great price. So no big deal.
Bottom Line:
I never clean my bikes. I know thats bad but I'm lazy. Even if I do clean them I don't really work on the pedals. The bearings are fine, everything works. I have bashed rocks and crashed hard and nothing has happened to the pedals. A friend of mine gave them to me because he said they were too hard to get out of. I have no problem. I occassionaly ride skinnies and can get out of my eggbeater quickly.
It sucks that others aren't have the great experience I've had with these. I'm putting them on my next project (fixie).
Similar Products Used: I had an old pair of Onza clipless with elastomer bumpers and some CODA's which is probably why I think the Eggbeater as so great.
Bike Setup: Titus Switchblade and a Redline Monocog.
Strengths: good mud clearance, easy entry and exit
Weaknesses: I have several sets of these pedals. my original set lasted a couple of years before the mechanism came off the spindle. lately I have seen several mechanisms do the same. Some in near new condition.
Bottom Line:
I sent Crank Bros. an email a week or so ago about this problem and asked them if they were aware of the problem and if so are they intending to correct the problem. To date I have received no response. I moved on to Time XS Carbon this week and have already found advantages.
Similar Products Used: Candy SL, Mallet C, Candy C, Eggbeater Stainless, Quatro
Bike Setup: Which One?
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Submitted by
Testtech
a Cross Country Rider
from Betthesda, MD
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2005
Strengths: Easy entrance and exit, mud proof
Weaknesses: Sharp edges
Bottom Line:
These pedals perform well with one caveat for the developing rider: if you fall and your shins contact the pedal, you will experience abrasions, cuts and bruises. I never had this problem with Shimano SPD's. I have now retired the Cranks and am trying Frogs (no sharp edges). If you are a competent rider, these pedals work very well.
