Anyone running Egg Beater pedals on their gravel rig?
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Anyone running Egg Beater pedals on their gravel rig?
I went a bit weight weenie and ordered Egg Beater 11's to replace the XTR's on the my Revolt. They are about 125 grams lighter than the Shimano's. What are some of pro's and cons of these pedals on a gravel bike?
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I use Candy's which are only a step up from those in terms of platform. Can't see too many downsides for gravel since you are clipped in most of the time.
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Used to use Candys. Switched to XTRs.
Eggs tend to have lifespan problems (bearings going to pot, or the x-wing breaking, also they eat shoe bottoms)...also the feel is less like "float" and more just sloppy. OTOH, they are great at shedding mud/muck. I think the XTRs are a much better mousetrap--particularly when the PD-M9000 pedals were 50% off last year and cheaper than eggbeaters.
You already bought the titanium ones....remember the weight limit on ti spindles...
Eggs tend to have lifespan problems (bearings going to pot, or the x-wing breaking, also they eat shoe bottoms)...also the feel is less like "float" and more just sloppy. OTOH, they are great at shedding mud/muck. I think the XTRs are a much better mousetrap--particularly when the PD-M9000 pedals were 50% off last year and cheaper than eggbeaters.
You already bought the titanium ones....remember the weight limit on ti spindles...
#5
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I have a set of egg beaters that came on my Ridley, they are really loose like bearings are shot. I have some really well used SPD pedals that look cosmetically worse and that I am not the original owner of , they are still rock solid . If I ever decide to try a different style of clipless pedal it will probably be a Time . I have not heard enough positive stories about Crankbrothers pedals to want to change .
#6
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Actually running Double Shots on the gravel, but thinking of going to Eggs.
I run Eggbeater3s on my road bikes.
I like the four sided entry; don't have to flip the pedals (like the Double Shots) and the newer cleats are much better than the old style. Getting in seems easier.
I run Shoe Shields, almost a must if you have carbon soles (any sole really) though the cleats do come with some plastic shields. I had to modify the SS for my SIDIs, not so for my Lakes.
Now there are like three different cleats; zero float, easy off and normal or something. Nice to have some choices.
With the newer cleats, float is a bit tighter. The older cleats I admit were really loose.
Never pulled out. I did once with SPDs but they were adjusted really loose and they were really old.
By the way, I have no idea how long the newer cleats have been around. I've had my Eggs for like tens years or so and just changed my cleats when I recently got the Double Shots and the Lakes.
Heard stories of early destruction, but I probably have 4-5000 miles on one set and maybe 2000 on the other and so far no problems.
I suppose once they get worn you can always rebuild them.
I like em. If I decide to change, like the other poster, I'll probably try ATACs.
One other thing, they are kinda a theft deterrent as they are really hard to pedal without clipping in. The pedals just sort of roll on the soles of your shoes as there is no real platform to push on.
As I said, I'll probably be changing out the Double Shots as I'm mostly clipped in anyways.
Except I don't make enough scratch for the 11s.
I run Eggbeater3s on my road bikes.
I like the four sided entry; don't have to flip the pedals (like the Double Shots) and the newer cleats are much better than the old style. Getting in seems easier.
I run Shoe Shields, almost a must if you have carbon soles (any sole really) though the cleats do come with some plastic shields. I had to modify the SS for my SIDIs, not so for my Lakes.
Now there are like three different cleats; zero float, easy off and normal or something. Nice to have some choices.
With the newer cleats, float is a bit tighter. The older cleats I admit were really loose.
Never pulled out. I did once with SPDs but they were adjusted really loose and they were really old.
By the way, I have no idea how long the newer cleats have been around. I've had my Eggs for like tens years or so and just changed my cleats when I recently got the Double Shots and the Lakes.
Heard stories of early destruction, but I probably have 4-5000 miles on one set and maybe 2000 on the other and so far no problems.
I suppose once they get worn you can always rebuild them.
I like em. If I decide to change, like the other poster, I'll probably try ATACs.
One other thing, they are kinda a theft deterrent as they are really hard to pedal without clipping in. The pedals just sort of roll on the soles of your shoes as there is no real platform to push on.
As I said, I'll probably be changing out the Double Shots as I'm mostly clipped in anyways.
Except I don't make enough scratch for the 11s.
Last edited by jideta; 08-16-19 at 02:49 AM.
#7
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I've been using eggbeaters on all my bikes since they were first introduced. They need rebuilding and service occasionally but it's not hard to do. They've been a solid choice for me.
#8
Blazer of saddles, trails
As others have already said, the durability of Eggbeaters--bearings specifically--is quite limited.
While I run and enjoy Eggbeaters, the key for me is to treat them like a disposable item. Sad but true. I've not had good luck with the bearing replacement kits. I find that replaced bearings last even less time than the originals. I've come the conclusion, thus, that futzing with the replacements is not worth the time/cost trade-off. When your current pair dies, buy a new set of 3s and just slap them on the Ti spindles from the 11.
While I run and enjoy Eggbeaters, the key for me is to treat them like a disposable item. Sad but true. I've not had good luck with the bearing replacement kits. I find that replaced bearings last even less time than the originals. I've come the conclusion, thus, that futzing with the replacements is not worth the time/cost trade-off. When your current pair dies, buy a new set of 3s and just slap them on the Ti spindles from the 11.
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I have been using Crank Brothers pedals on various bikes for 6 years, bought most of my pedals used and I never had to change a single part on any of them. I currently have 5 pairs, 1 egg beater (fat bike) 1, 2 candy 2 (gravel bike and SS 29er), 1 egg beater 2 ( XC Bike) and 1 mallet 2 (commuter). All that was ever done to them was take the pedal apart clean and regrease. I noticed that the spring on my older pedals is weaker and may need to be replaced but thats a cheap replacement. I used shimano pedals for a few years and I like crank brothers a lot better specially in the stick mud and there's a lot of it here.
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As others have already said, the durability of Eggbeaters--bearings specifically--is quite limited.
While I run and enjoy Eggbeaters, the key for me is to treat them like a disposable item. Sad but true. I've not had good luck with the bearing replacement kits. I find that replaced bearings last even less time than the originals. I've come the conclusion, thus, that futzing with the replacements is not worth the time/cost trade-off. When your current pair dies, buy a new set of 3s and just slap them on the Ti spindles from the 11.
While I run and enjoy Eggbeaters, the key for me is to treat them like a disposable item. Sad but true. I've not had good luck with the bearing replacement kits. I find that replaced bearings last even less time than the originals. I've come the conclusion, thus, that futzing with the replacements is not worth the time/cost trade-off. When your current pair dies, buy a new set of 3s and just slap them on the Ti spindles from the 11.
That said, those were 11 year old Eggbeaters. To be fair, the spring could have worn out - albeit I'm not sure this is plausible. I didn't use the pedals that much. They were on my cyclocross bike, and were also used for short commutes sometimes.
Speaking of bearing wear, the owner's manual suggests that you periodically check the end caps to make sure they're tight. They're supposed to keep crud out of the bearings. The end caps can loosen, and this will also cause side to side play. In fact, if they loosen too much and come out, you can lose the entire pedal body. Occasionally you'll see photos of Eggs where the rider says the thing slid off the spindle, wtf?! This was the likely cause.
Also, Crank Brothers did get new ownership (Selle Royale Group) in 2008, I believe. I'm pretty sure my old Eggs were previous to that change of ownership. It seems like they did a big internal reorganization in the mid 2010s as well (see comments here). Their current products may be more reliable. That said, Shimano's pedals have long been reliable and high quality. Shimano doesn't have end caps coming loose all the time. Why should I bother with Crank Brothers?
Another potential con of Eggbeaters for gravel is this. If your gravel bike shoes don't have a super stiff sole, then it's possible the relatively small platform on the Eggs may be a disadvantage and may cause discomfort. If your shoes are super stiff, then it may not matter as much.
Last edited by weiwentg; 08-22-19 at 08:39 AM.
#11
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I've got Eggbeater 3's for the last two years now after using SPD's. I won't go back. I love the ease of getting in and out. No need to flip or look at the pedal. Just put your foot on it and roll it forward and click. You're in. They're light. As for the bearing kit. It's $20 and you don't have to take the pedals off the bike. No big deal.
#12
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I replaced eggbeaters with XTR for 2 reasons: 1. I found them more difficult to clip in, especially if you needed to do so quickly, and 2. on rides over 50 miles I was getting hot spots on the bottom of my feat (even with the extra plate under the cleats. They are indeed lighter and shed mud well, but the comfort and convenience of the XTRs are worth the extra weight.
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