This pedal does not have any audible click when it engages and disengages. That's what my friend said about these Eggbeater pedals. He added : The only way to know whether you are engaged or disengaged is to pull your feet up and see if the pedals are connected to them.
This got me thinking ... then how do the numerous Eggbeater pedal users live with these pedals? So, my friend, being the nice guy that he is lent me his pair of Eggbeater pedals for this review
:-)
The Good
I bought my XT pedals for 110SGD. A pair of XTR pedals costs 180SGD. I think XT pedals are around 350grams (?). XTR pedals are jusssttt a little bit lighter at 325grams. The claimed weight of the Eggbeater SL pedals are 266grams! BUT when I weighed them, 1 pedal is just 132grams! These pedals are beginning to look like a financially challenged weighweenie's dream-come-true because they only cost around 150SGD!
Another thing, while most pedals in the market have only two positions where you can clip in, these pedals actually, has four! So no more rotating the pedals so you can slip your shoes in.
The Bad
I have been researching about these pedals for this 'review' and I have come across a few posts about the pedals destroying the soles of MTB shoes. I thought to myself maybe these are just people who don't follow instructions .... but Crankbrothers themselves sell a shield that goes in between the soles of the shoes and the cleats (http://www.crankbrothers.com/accessories_shoe_shields.php). So, the manufacturer knows about this and has even created a product to prevent this from happening! Uhhhhh ... I have four pairs of Shimano cleats and not one of them destroyed the soles of my shoes... So what gives?
There is also the fact that Crankbrothers sell a rebuild kit for these pedals (http://www.crankbrothers.com/accessories_rebuild_kit.php). Selling rebuild kits is not bad but the thing is apparently, these pedals need to be serviced every few months. The pedals that I have with me are a testament to this as the left pedal is all wiggly due to one of the bushings disintegrating (?!). These pedals have only been used for three months and they have never been used for off-road. This is another 'what gives?'. I have a pair of Shimano 520 pedals which have been subjected to jetspray, mud, seawater, etc. for the past two years. This is Shimano's cheapest pedals (I think) and they have yet to fail me....
It's beginning to look bad for the Eggbeater pedals!
I bet the magazines you subscribe to never said anything about the issues I stated above. Hah! The joys of being an independent 'reviewer' :-)
no side to side adjustment?
The Ugly ?
12 July 2010 - update
Finally! My OnOne Inbred is finished and the I was able to install the pedals to my new Deore crankset. However, after I installed the cleats to my right shoe, I noticed that unlike Shimano cleats, Crankbrothers cleats do not have any side to side adjustment (see picture above)! Is this good? Won't this have a bad effect on my knees?
After installing both cleats, I went for a road ride. I can summarize the feel of the pedals in one word : float ! Is this good? I am truly not sure. I read in lots of internet reviews and other publications that float is good for the knees. But this much float? I think if I bring this to a trail ride and I go downhill, cleats with this much float will accidentally release from the pedals!
Also, my friend is right. Although there is a 'click' when you clip in. There is absolutely no click when you unclip. So his problem of determining whether he is unclipped or clipped is a valid one. There really is no way to know but to pull on the pedals.
As for being able to clip twice faster because of having four clip points (whereas other pedals only have two), I think it is either overrated or I don't know how to clip in properly. I did not notice this on my old pedals but it seems the way I clip in is I put my toes on the pedals and then I gently roll into position until the cleat under my shoes 'finds' the engagement point and then I press in. This is second nature to me and so I do this without thinking. But when I did this to the Eggbeater pedals, the pedals just rolled !
The Verdict
I really really want to like these pedals. They have this bling factor and they are light. So, no matter what, I have to test them and find something that will make me want to change all my pedals and cleats to Crankbrothers!
However, my short experience tells me that my friend was right in stowing these pedals under his bed and getting XTRs instead.
Anyway, it looks like I will be bringing these pedals to the trails this weekend as my 520s are still stuck in my old crankset.
Maybe, I'll put up another update once I've done some trail rides with these pedals.
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