Clipless question

I've been riding cages/straps for years now on my fixed ride, and have been thinking about trying out some egg beaters. My question is, has anyone had any problems coming unclipped under the emergency of skidding? I understand abandoning ship would be much more difficult than cages, but my main question of concern is the odds of accidentally coming unclipped.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Courtright on October 24, 2011 at 10:19am

BTW, you can pick up the old model 1 eggbeaters for a song ($30-40).

Remember, though, that they have a bushing and a bearing (whereas the new, more expensive ones have two bearings) and the bushings will need to be replaced periodically. The newer ones last a lot longer.

S said:

Don't forget that they are very dirt/mud/snow resistant. The open design stops it from getting caught up in the cleats and it gets shed pretty easily. I've found crank brothers to be pretty good about providing service as well in the past, they sent me new cover plates for my quattros for free when I contacted them about replacements because they came off.

Steve Courtright said:
I echo the good reviews for the eggbeaters/candy pedals. Easy to get out of in an emergency, walkable/minimal cleats, but you can do a full sprint and not worry about accidental exit. IMO the best option for all of commuting/casual riding/racing (cross, mtb.).

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Permalink Reply by Eric Puetz - Smart Bike Parts on October 24, 2011 at 10:34am

Highly recommend Egg Beaters: by far the most common pedal ridden by the ChiCrossCup.com racers. 4-Sided entry makes getting into them a breeze especially in muddy/slushy conditions. Equally good as a commuting pedal and is the least expensive way to improve speed/cadence. Only people we hear asking about accidentally coming unclipped from same is track racers who are turning BIG GEARS at around 120 revolutions per minute. Legitimate concern there, but no bike commuter (who values their life) would ride anywhere near this cadence and speed. Have over 50,000 miles on Egg Beaters and Candy Pedals. A third of those miles were on a single speed fixie. Never came unclipped once and when I somehow collapsed the spring on an old pair of Egg Beater Ti Pedals, Crank Brothers upgraded me to new Egg Beater 3 for around $50.

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Permalink Reply by Billy Poore on October 24, 2011 at 5:03pm

Thanks for your feedback everybody! It greatly helps. I checked out Crank Brothers website to get an idea of cost and saw that their eggbeaters are definitely reasonably priced. Eric, I'll have to swing into your shop in the next week or so and see what's up! Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by william on October 24, 2011 at 8:05pm

I dont trust eggbeaters for fixed gear riding. that combo is sketchy -- been there, done that. if you use a brake, then they'd be fine I suppose. brakeless? no way. they are also incredibly fragile and often need to be sent back / repaired / replaced by Crank Bros. Pick up a pair of Atac Aliums or a Shimano SPD pedal instead. I like A520s or A600s which have a nice platform that can help reduce/avoid hot-spots.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Schneider on October 24, 2011 at 8:18pm

I use brakes, but FWIW I like the campus style SPD pedals for fixed riding, too. I also like being able to get lots of compatible shoes that are OK for walking once I get where I'm going.

william said:

I dont trust eggbeaters for fixed gear riding. that combo is sketchy -- been there, done that. if you use a brake, then they'd be fine I suppose. brakeless? no way. they are also incredibly fragile and often need to be sent back / repaired / replaced by Crank Bros. Pick up a pair of Atac Aliums or a Shimano SPD pedal instead. I like A520s or A600s which have a nice platform that can help reduce/avoid hot-spots.