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Home | Product Reviews | Pedal | Crank Brothers Eggbeater SL | ||||
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Submitted by
Chris Hammond
a Cross Country Rider
from Ferndale, MI
Date Reviewed: 4/15/2008 7:41:50 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Flow |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $90 |
| Purchased At: | American Cycle & Fitness |
| Strengths: | Sheds mud very easily, good float, 4 sided entry, easy to clip in and out of. looks cool. |
| Weaknesses: | The most I've got for this is, I clipped out on accident while climbing, once in a ten miles ride. That's the worst I've got. And that's probably because I'm bad at riding a bike. |
| Similar Products Tried: | None |
| Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper, Egg Beaters, Fox F90RL |
| Bottom Line: | These are great cross country pedals. I'm sure if you're a downhiller, or freerider, you'll want something with more platform, but for the cross country rider, you can't go wrong here. I bashed these off rocks, and you wouldn't know it. I filled them with mud, and had no problem getting in and out. |
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Submitted by
Bomber
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbus Ohio
Date Reviewed: 3/6/2008 10:31:21 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Gooseberry Mesa |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $50 |
| Purchased At: | On line |
| Strengths: | Strong Durable, easy to clip in and out. Mud not a problem |
| Weaknesses: | None that I can think of with the SL model. Now the C model on the other hand, Ive seen break. |
| Similar Products Tried: | None. Started riding CB clipless pedals and never been upset or disatisfied to try anything else. |
| Bike Setup: | Turner 5 Spot |
| Bottom Line: | The bottom line is. The product is great. At first clipping in is a little tight, but once a little wear to the cleat happens, clipping in and out gets easier. And of course, when the cleat is worn out then you do run the risk of clipping out unexpectedly, sometimes when you bottom your pedal out on a rock or log. It happens sometimes, its part of riding. Ive never heard of so many people breaking this pedal until I read reviews. Ive had mine for four years, theyve been used in the rockiest of areas out west and the bearings are still holding up fine. Its a shame when someone buys a product and it doesnt perform as expected, so they just right off the product. You have to expect a little difference between something new and what you are use too.....Id probably feel the same way about shimano pedals (not feeling the same or weird) because Im not use to it. And as for customer service. CB's is second to none. The sent me a free pair of Spindles when I called, for a pair of pedal that I purchase on Ebay. No questions asked except for the address they would be sending them too. I just dont see companies ignoring customers the way it is talked about on some of these reviews. And if they are, its just plain ignorant for them to being doing that, especially in this industry. I guess Im lucky to admit that I have never had a problem with customer service from any biking related company. Customer service from company Ive ever dealt with has been top notch. Anyway, sorry for going off on a rant. |
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Submitted by
Cameron Bell
a Cross Country Rider
from 10348 Carriage Drive, Brighton MI USA
Date Reviewed: 1/20/2008 4:04:22 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Highland Rec. |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $67 |
| Purchased At: | Nasbar |
| Strengths: | Works well in mud and snow conditions. Easy to clip into. Comes with grease port and cleats. |
| Weaknesses: | Easy to break. Bearings don't last very long. Company does not always stand behind product. Very poor communication after many attemps through Crank bros. customer service and Nashbar's customer service. I had one set replaced and then they broke again. I was "brushed off" by both Crank bros. and Nashbar. I no longer will buy or support either company if they can't even reply about their product. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Look road pedals, 747's, 949's |
| Bike Setup: | Hairy Gary steel hardtail. XTR drive train M960, Chris King headset and hubs. Dave Thomas laced wheels, Thomson stem and seatpost |
| Bottom Line: | If you want a good mtb pedal and you don't care if they break down the road then pick up a pair of egg beaters. If you take care of your things and want to use a product for a long time and just replace bearings and cleats WALK AWAY FROM THESE PEDALS. ZERO CUSTOMER Service!!!! Use Shimano pedals instead. |
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Submitted by
Ed W
a Cross Country Rider
from Helena, MT, USA
Date Reviewed: 12/15/2007 9:33:34 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $109 |
| Purchased At: | Great Divide Cyclery, Helena |
| Strengths: | Simple, work very well, easy to rebuild, light weight and minimalist design for great shedding |
| Weaknesses: | sometimes retention spring releases and unclips you when you bounce the bottom of the pedal off something on the downstroke. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano-type |
| Bike Setup: | Specialized stumpjumper |
| Bottom Line: | Great pedal for cross country oriented performance. I've heard it requires quite a stiff-soled shoe otherwise the rider can feel the foot arch bend over the spindle. No problem with a performance shoe. I've also heard that the models lower than the sl are definitely more cheaply made and less durable. If you're going eggbeater, cough up the dough to get in at least at the sl level. Which means you're spending quite a bit for a pedal. |
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Submitted by
Kevin Andrade
a Cross Country Rider
from Needles
Date Reviewed: 11/21/2007 8:25:58 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Bootleg Canyon |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | came on bike |
| Strengths: | Great for mud, good float. |
| Weaknesses: | Breaks, didn't last long. They hit the ground and get bent, don't work, then break when you attempt to straighten. Shouldn't be used on mountain bikes, unless you ride in muddy conditions. |
| Similar Products Tried: | shimano pedals, performance and nashbar pedals, icon & richtey pedals. |
| Bike Setup: | Pedals came on my new 07 Cannondale Carbon Rush 2 |
| Bottom Line: | The only reason I had these pedals is because they came on my new mountain bike, so I thought I'd give them a try. They worked satisfactory, but were too difficult to get cliped in. You got to be right on the money for them to clip right in. Then when you hit a rock, you really feel it, it kicks you pretty good, bends the egg beaters, and then they break,,,,,,,done ! ! ! |
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Submitted by
Jared
a Cross Country Rider
from Daphne, AL USA
Date Reviewed: 10/28/2007 5:10:25 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $75 |
| Purchased At: | Ebay |
| Strengths: | SImple, well made |
| Weaknesses: | None yet |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano SPD |
| Bottom Line: | I am really impressed with the eggbeaters. They are very simple. I love how easy they shed mud and clip-in. I use these for mostly cross country riding, often in very muddy conditions. If you don't mind having no tension adjustment then these are the way to go. I haven't had any extra wear on my shoes and the cleats seem to hold-up well thus far. |
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Submitted by
Michael Murphy
a Weekend Warrior
from MN
Date Reviewed: 10/23/2007 10:14:01 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Mt Kato |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Strengths: | Great design... |
| Weaknesses: | ...no retention adjustment. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano SPD, Wellgo clones, etc. |
| Bike Setup: | Way too many to name |
| Bottom Line: | I was psyched to try these; they were a gift from a buddy of mine. I put off installing them for quite a while because all my shoes have SPD cleats. When I finally tried them, I wasn't terribly impressed. There's no retention adjustment... that's not that great for me. I had trouble getting out of them a few times when I tested them... I've been riding SPD for like ten years, and haven't had real problems with them since the first week. I guess I'd rather run any basic SPD clone pedals instead of these. |
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Submitted by
ryan holcomb
from folsom
Date Reviewed: 10/16/2007 10:18:05 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | chico, ca |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $120 |
| Purchased At: | lbs |
| Strengths: | light, good looking, easy in, VERY easy out when needed. |
| Weaknesses: | first impression is very different than the typical Shimano setup |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano |
| Bike Setup: | 08 HKEK |
| Bottom Line: | WOW! There is a very noticable clip-in CLICK like Shimano, but once in, I feel a good amount of float. The best feature is I don't come unclipped when pulling up. With Shimano I did sometimes. Unclipping is very easy. more of a slide out than the Shimano slide and unclick feel. eggbeaters feel much faster. |
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Submitted by
Kari Veikkolainen
a Racer
from Finland
Date Reviewed: 10/6/2007 11:36:19 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Borlänge trails |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $100 |
| Purchased At: | ActionSports |
| Strengths: | light weight, dont get stuck on mud or snow |
| Weaknesses: | they destroy shoes very fast, poor bearings, glip off easyly if the pedal hits to ground, Cleat needs to be changed often. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano 520 |
| Bike Setup: | Stumpjumper FSR Expert 2006 |
| Bottom Line: | If you drive a coule of hours per week light cross-country I'm sure you're going to like this pedals. If you drive 3 or more times week I'm quite sure you need to change bearings to these pedals and cleats to your shoes atleast once/year. These pedals will also eat bottom of your shoes. First feeling when I got these pedals was - These are great! Unfortunately that feeling lasted only for a week until the pedal bearings broked first time. Now I have changed the bearing three times during one year. I never had that kind of problem when I had almost cheapest shimano's (PD-520)... |
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Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: 10/3/2007 5:37:27 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $120 |
| Purchased At: | Merlin Cycles |
| Strengths: | Light, easy clip-in, FLOAT! |
| Weaknesses: | They look really flash and someone will try to steal them if left on the street. |
| Bike Setup: | GT i-drive 1.0 |
| Bottom Line: | Excellent pedal. I never notice them, and that's what I want. No problems with mud, excellent float. |
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Submitted by
Stephen
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: 8/31/2007 5:37:46 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | San Juan Trail |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Purchased At: | waltworks.com |
| Strengths: | lightweight, easy clipping in, good float, confident physical connection to bike, easy clip-out, work well in mud/water/???, look pretty cool (i like the minimalist thing) |
| Weaknesses: | my only difficulty has as much to do with clumsy pedaling as it does the actual pedal -- if i stroke down onto a rock or something, that pressure will unclip me. this is ALWAYS on a tech climb, and ALWAYS means i start the section over or hike the remainder. i can see the problem with clipping out when you don't want to, but my theory would be that it has to do with the way your knees/ankles move when you pedal -- maybe a pedal that will hold you firmer in one place would be a better idea. |
| Similar Products Tried: | shimano spd -- death traps in mud. crank bros. candy and mallet |
| Bike Setup: | waltworks 29er. assorted sram, xt, deore. disc. |
| Bottom Line: | good stuff. stainless steel seems perfect -- sexier than cr-mo, but not as ridiculously expensive as ti. the mechanism is beautifully simple, but i can see that it may not be the thing for everybody. the egg beaters w/o the platform are WAY better than the mallet or candy, because the platform definitely gets in the way of clipping in, and is a terrible platform for riding without cleats, since the spring mech will roll you right off the pedal, anyway. my recommendation is to go either fully clipless with the egg beater or fully platform with some other, non-clipping pedal. good riding. |
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Submitted by
SKRX
a Cross Country Rider
from C Falls, MT
Date Reviewed: 8/14/2007 6:43:57 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Flathead NF Fire Roads |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $95 |
| Purchased At: | EBay |
| Strengths: | Easy to get out of, lots of float, don't clog up, 4 sided entry, light and strong, rebuildable. |
| Weaknesses: | A little hard to find the sweet spot sometimes when trying to clip in. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano SPD 535 (SPD stands for Stinking Piece of Dung) |
| Bike Setup: | Jamis cro-mo hardtail, Manitou R7 Super fork, XT, lots of other upgrades. |
| Bottom Line: | These pedals are a huge improvement over SPD's in my opinion. I am an old-school cross country rider who grew up with clips and straps. In the late 90's I bought a pair of SPD 535s and tried three different times to make the transition to clipless. Every time I went back to my clips and straps, because I was scared senseless by the inconsistent and difficult release from the SPDs (yes I knew how to adjust them). The SPD pedals absolutely destroyed my confidence and I swore I would never use clipless pedals again. Then I found the Eggbeaters. What an incredible difference! Easy release, easy entry, plus they're light and they look cool. I love the reversible right/left cleats that let you choose whether you want a faster release by swinging your heel out, or in (which I prefer). I can't believe I didn't discover these sooner. I have finally made the transition to clipless thanks to the Eggbeaters, and my confidence on technical terrain is no less than it was with clips/straps. If you are a clip/strap rider looking to make the transition, I would highly recommend these over an SPD type pedal. If you see a homeless guy riding SPDs, he probably dug mine out of the landfill, 'cause that's where they went! |
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Submitted by
Al
a Weekend Warrior
from Rome, NY
Date Reviewed: 2/26/2007 5:35:40 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $85 |
| Strengths: | Weight. Intuitive design. |
| Weaknesses: | Does not keep you clipped-in on the down stroke. WAY too easy to clip out of. No sense of security. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano pedals. |
| Bike Setup: | Jamis XLT |
| Bottom Line: | If you are a bigger guy/gal and require a more positive click when stepping in/out of your pedals...the Eggbeaters are not your pedal. Although a cool concept, and they may work well for lighter folks out there...I would suggest a pedal with adjustable spring tension for you. They keep your feet clipped in on the up-stroke pretty well, but when hammering on the down-stroke, my feet would always find a way to un-clip...even though I would consciously try to NOT clip out. Cool pedal, but only for bean poles. |
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Submitted by
base
a Cross Country Rider
from Tampa, FL USA!
Date Reviewed: 12/25/2006 6:36:00 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $100 |
| Purchased At: | LBS of course |
| Strengths: | indestructable! |
| Weaknesses: | zero dude! |
| Similar Products Tried: | time atac xs |
| Bike Setup: | stumpjumper fsr expert 05' |
| Bottom Line: | Whoa! do NOT look at any other pedal. Why? these are the best, as they do not bend, they have excellent float, they are ergonomically correct, they look cool, and they will make you a better rider. they shed mud better than any other pedal on the market. they will not bend or break, no matter what surface you bang them off of - i have hit everything with these babies and they keep on taking the abuse. i have done NO maintenance on them over the last 2 years and they continue to perform flawlessly! clipping in and releasing are effortless, in both directions for clipping in, and you can pull out in any direction. i have yet to have them spin around and hit me in the shin - not once. these are beautiful pedals and they get comments all the time from all riders. they work well and they look good - and they will make you a better rider! they are worth $129.00 retail. even the brass shoe receptor has not worn out yet, and it is the only wear part. the customer service from crank bros. has an excellent reputation too. |
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Submitted by
Julien De Braekeleer
a Racer
from Belgium, Temse
Date Reviewed: 11/9/2006 9:55:37 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $100 |
| Purchased At: | 't Fietshuis, Melsele |
| Strengths: | Light, very vast clicking, feeling free, looks great |
| Weaknesses: | Too easy to click out! Only 6 months and allready worn out??? Or just a warranty case? |
| Similar Products Tried: | Time ATAC Alium (2004), Time ATAC XS (2005) |
| Bike Setup: | Trek Top Fuel 98. Tuned: full XTR, Pace RC39XC, Bontrager X-Lite wheels |
| Bottom Line: | I planned to buy the pedals but didn't want to make the cost for new pedals because my Time's worked great (the Alium one). But when 2006 series became available with the blue spring, I couldn't resist! At first I thought they clicked out so quickly and wonder if it was normal. After a few weeks I dindn't care anymore, but after only one month I could move one part of the clam for about 1 or 2 mm. This week when I wanted to go for a sprint I clipsed out just by pulling the pedal! Also turning my heel outwards, I clipsed out whitout ANY resistance! My cleats are olny two months old an worn 3 time a week. Normally that couldn't be the problem... A friend of me had the same problem with two pairs of the same pedal, send them back to his dealer and had them both back replaced by new. Will I get the same conditions? Now I'm thinking to go back to the Time's. But they weights so much... |
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Submitted by
Bill
a Racer
from Tampa, FL
Date Reviewed: 11/3/2006 4:19:04 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $100 |
| Purchased At: | the web |
| Strengths: | light weight, reasonable cost (the Ti models get expensive though), pure simplicity, easily rebuildable. |
| Weaknesses: | none for this rider, but some may have more confidence in a pedal that looks more substantial. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano, Frogs, an entry eggbeater model, and some oem stuff. |
| Bike Setup: | aluminum hardtail, XTR, King hubs, SID race, avid brakes, ect.. |
| Bottom Line: | These are a really good pedal for this rider. Just like about any clipless pedal once you get used to them everything feels right. They don't have nearly the float of a pedal like the FROGS, but I like the firmer locked in feel that these offer. I always read the reviews here before buying anything because buyers experiences speak more than any advertising hype. So, on the negatives I heard. Some said they slip out or stay locked in the pedal when they fall. Well, at some time, I imagine one will unintentionally disengage from the pedal, but that's just the way it is. With any clipless pedal there is always a feeing that you might stay locked in, but experience will have you disengaging the cleats like second nature (or in your sleep). Same with skiing, or any other bindings. Another buyer claimed the pedal cages broke to pieces all the time. Well, nothing is impossible, but that is highly unlikely. There is over a year of 6 days a week riding of all Mountain variety's on this set with nearly a 2oo lb rider and that is the last fear I have, -- them coming apart. Though I understand they look like you could break them. There will probably be a lot more breaking than the pedals, in that case, and the pedals would be the least of your concerns. Though then again, maybe that rider received a defective set. Another complained about the soft cleat material and how the cleats wore out more quickly. That could very well be, as the cleat material is purposefully made of a softer material than the pedals. This way the cleats wear out and the pedals do not. One thing that is great about these is to routinely service these pedals all you need to do is inject some grease through the axle with the supplied fitting, and then wipe off the over-flow. Also, when the bearings wear out (about 7500 miles on the last set until they were really loose) the rebuild kit is readily available from Crank Brothers for about 15 dollars. Now, we mainly do XR racing at this point, but one riders claims that the bottom of the cages get caught on obstacles, and that seems believable if you are the kind of rider whose trails regularly have your chain ring grinding over logs and so forth. Anyhow, for us these were a really good investment and the value rating is for the stainless steel model we use. Had we bought (and would love to) one of the Ti models the value rating would have to be lower. |
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Submitted by
Joel
a Racer
from Phoenixville, pa
Date Reviewed: 10/20/2006 7:10:22 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $100 |
| Purchased At: | lbs |
| Strengths: | Light weight, ease of use, durability and 4 way entry! |
| Weaknesses: | none until recently. The 06 pedals are releasing too early. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Time, shimano. |
| Bike Setup: | Cannondale F-600 |
| Bottom Line: | These have always been a very good pedal, light weight, STRONG, extremely capeable of shedding mud and debris. Easy to get in and out of especially if going over the bars! But I have a new (2006) pair of these guys and they release way too easy, I don't know why, I have never had the problem before. Overall a great pedal, very capeable of racing every weekend and riding hard 3-4 times a week, these guys are VERY durable and will last a very long time. Just pay attention to the new ones, I don't know if they made a huge batch of bad cleats or if its a design flaw. If it weren't for my recent problems I would havae given them perfect 5 Flamin Chilis! |
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Submitted by
Brandon
a Cross Country Rider
from St Paul
Date Reviewed: 10/9/2006 7:58:31 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Lebanon/Memorial |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | Light and they look cool. They shed mud and dirt nicely. |
| Weaknesses: | Inability to keep me in the pedal. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Various shimano pedals |
| Bike Setup: | NINER Sir9 SS |
| Bottom Line: | These pedals are not for me. I can not wait to get rid of them. I like to be in my pedals in time of need. I have spent TOO much time bent over from getting a saddle in the jewels due to my feet clipping out at undesirable times. I have tried changing the release angle...and that still didn't do it. Bottom line, for me these are not it! However, if you are just starting out with clipless pedals I WOULD recommend these. They have easy entry and easy exit. Once you get used to them, move onto a pedal that you can adjust and that will keep you in when you need to land a drop or twist your body around a boulder or tree. |
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Submitted by
Ben Dillard
a Cross Country Rider
from Reston, VA
Date Reviewed: 8/17/2006 6:37:39 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $65 |
| Purchased At: | BeyondBikes.com |
| Strengths: | Very smooth entry/release. SPD compatable cleats. Strong. Light. |
| Weaknesses: | None |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano M545 |
| Bike Setup: | Specialized FSR XC |
| Bottom Line: | Great pedals. Much smoother than Shimano. They take a beating on my FSRXC due to its low BB height, but they show no signs of breaking. It was a little scary at first since the release is so effortless I was afraid that I would unclip unintentionally, but that has not been the case. I would recommend these to anyone. |
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Submitted by
Rich
a Cross Country Rider
from Louisville, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: 7/16/2006 9:18:59 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | any at Winter Park, CO, USA |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $80 |
| Purchased At: | eBay |
| Strengths: | Solid pedal/cleat interface. Consistent release. Value. Weight. Mud and snow tolerance. |
| Weaknesses: | None. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Time ATAC Carbon, older Shimano SPD. |
| Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain ETSX-70 with fancy bits added. |
| Bottom Line: | This is a great product. I upgraded from the CrMo stock eggbeaters that I had used for a year and a half. The Eggbeater SL has *perfect* feel and release. They never pre-release, but always release when they should. The CrMo Eggbeaters were okay in this regard, but the SL is outstanding. The Crank Brothers Eggbeater design gives much more consistent release than the Time ATACs and will release in the mud and snow unlike the Shimano 747 SPDs. These pedals would be a great choice for anyone not needing a platform-style pedal. |
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Submitted by
robotkiller
a Cross Country Rider
from JAX, FL
Date Reviewed: 7/11/2006 4:55:58 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only |
| Strengths: | Looks slick, light as hell. great value |
| Weaknesses: | Too much float, waaay to easy to clip out |
| Similar Products Tried: | Candys, 959 |
| Bike Setup: | |