CrankbrothersEggbeater MTB Clip-in Pedals - Minimal, Lightweight XC/Gravel Pedals

These are great pedals. After using Look Keos for 13 years, I did something heretical and put these on my road bike. I was tired of the occasional fumbling trying to click into the looks (the bottom of a Keo is like a bar of soap). I was extremely sick of walking around with the massive Keo cleat on the bottom of road shoes. My foot was at an uncomfortable angle, the soft plastic wears quickly, and they’re treacherous on smooth surfaces.I thought about Speedplays, but those would only solve the engagement point problem. They also have a big cleat and feedback from friends warned that they have too much play.I finally reached the point where I didn’t care what roadie purists thought and bought these pedals.My biggest concern was worrying if these would provide enough of a platform under my foot to keep it stable while pedaling. Happily, that is not a problem. Paired with Giro’s Privateer shoes they are perfectly stable. They come with shims, end cups, and a template so one can adjust them to match a wide variety of soles. The brass cleat is tiny and is tucked up between the tread of the shoes which completely eliminates the duck walk that I hated so much. Some people complain that it wears faster than steel but, compared to soft plastic, it lasts MUCH longer. I don’t worry about it at when I’m required to hop off the bike and refill a bottle or have a civilized lunch. The spring tension is enough that my foot doesn’t slop around with too much play. It stays straight and clicking in and out is dead simple.I’m sure these would be great for an XC or gravel/cross bike, but I absolutely love them on my road bike, regardless of what the duck walking road snobs think.

My fourth set of Eggbeaters. These things are better than the Energizer Bunny - and Timex watches. The just keep going and going - and take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. This set is for a Mt. Bike I keep at a remote location. They're a bit on the heavy side but, like I said, they're bullet proof. For mountain biking on wet, muddy trails you'll never have to worry about your cleats or pedals getting mucked up, preventing you from clipping in. If the pedals do get fouled a swift kick or two will clean them out. Crank Brothers also sell rebuild kits for these so if they start to wobble a bit, or the springs don't grab like they used to, both bearings and springs are replaceable. For mountain biking these are the cats pajamas. I ordered another set for yet another bike and will review those as well. Crank Brothers have it going on with these pedals.

Ive been riding 5,000+ miles per year for the last 3 years now and before that I rode pretty consistently 1,000 - 2,000 / year for the previous 9-10 years.I've used all of the major pedal systems.As far as bang for buck goes, I find the egg beater 1's to be the ultimate in value / weight and durability.My first hardtail mountain bike came with an old set of egg beater 1's. It was a single speed, and mashing hard on trails in southern California, I eventually snapped a spindle after about a year of hard use.This made me lose faith in the egg beaters so I moved on. Though, at the time I didn't understand that it was single speed climbs with lots of my late 20's youthful torque which did them in and they were already a well used pair when I acquired them.A few of years ago I was putting together a steel gravel / winter build for a long winter in Vancouver, BC.I was enticed by the egg beater 1's again for the low price, making them an expendable item to be abused by rain and salt and then tossed at the end of the season. I was astonished to learn how lightweight they were, a feature I was not aware of with the first used pair I owned.Not only did they make it through a long wet winter in Vancouver, but since returning to California, they have been my go-to gravel pedal. they are tuff, durable and light.I also will often use them for training rides in winter on my road bike.I dont like using my speed plays in the rain since they are pricey and quite a pain to do maintenance on, so I figured id continue to abuse the egg beater 1's and see how much longer they can go.Well, they still keep going.I appreciate the walkability of them with a shoe that has deep lugs. the small cleat system is really recessed and if you are wearing conformable SPD shoes, you don't even notice they are there.For this same reason they are also great for road touring when you want to be able to wear your cycling shoes to walk around a small town at the end of the day.Its now been over 2 years, with over 5,000 miles on the set (at least) and they still feel as smooth as when I first got them.Many people (myself included) don't like the fact that they can't be serviced at home.If you're like me, you like buying a quality product that you can maintain and keep in tip top condition.(They do offer higher priced options which can be serviced)But ive come to think of pedals as an expendable item. My speed plays are a nightmare to grease.I do every other bit of mechanical maintenance on all of my bikes, but Speed Play grease management is a chore I no longer wish to tackle. Life is too short.Yes its nice to know you can change bearings of your pedals over the years, but with regular abuse, any pedal body will eventually need replacing which means no pedal is for life.They clear mud beautifully. Never once have I had to do some trail side cleaning of my cleats with a stick.they also offer float similar to speed plays and Time. So if you have knee pain, they are a great option.I dont have knee pain but I do appreciate some float.Egg beaters get a bad rep because some are turned off by how they are "hard to clip in".While there is a learning curve, once you get the hang of it, it's simple. I can do take offs from stand still on loose dirt inclines with these with no problem. And as long as your shoes have a few lugs, you can even get a couple of out of the saddle pedal rotations without being clipped in (if needed) to get going.they dont look like they would be good for that, but they really are.So it's really nothing an hour of practice in an empty parking lot can't solve. And once you get the hang of it, you keep the benefits of using the best value pedal system ever made.Don't believe me? Just compare weights / prices of other pedals. You will be astonished of how affordable these are.Given the mileage I have on my egg beater 1's, im willing to bet ive got another 2 years out of them.For a pedal thats under $50, lighter than the high end Shimano alternative which is 3x the price, and a joy to use, I don't think you can beat these.

While they are technically mountain bike pedals, I love these for touring, commuting, and just running errands.I've put at least 10k miles on them over the past 7 years and have them on all my bikes (road, touring, and gravel). They are light, bomb-proof, and shed mud like nothing else. Since these are older models, you can also obtain them at a very reasonable price. I especially like the cleat size, which is compatible with "recessed" shoes, so you can easily walk around when off the bike. For road bikes, there are clipless solutions that give you better power transfer. But if you aren't racing, do you care?

I like the minimalist design, and they work very well for me. (Even if I had to spend a lot of time explaining to non-cyclist friends that, yes, they're supposed to look like that.) The four-sided design makes it easy to clip in from almost any position, and a quick twist is all it takes to clip out. I bought my first pair of these several years ago, shortly after they first came on the market. I've put a pair on every bike I've bought since then. Since the basic design hasn't changed over the years, that means I don't have to change shoes or replace the cleats when I buy a new pair.Pedal preference is a personal thing, but I'd certainly recommend giving these a try.