Crank brothers pedals for road bike

heavymental

I'm building my Best Bike at the moment and just thinking about what pedals to go for. Ideally I'd quite like to keep the SPD system as thats what I have on my current bike so would mean I didn't have to buy new shoes/cleats.

Most of the road pedals I notice don't go for the spd cleat design so I started looking at the Crank Brothers pedals. I have seen Eggbeaters on road bikes but without any kind of platfrom it must be uncomfortable? The Smarty and Candy have small platforms so look like they might be better for road use. And although the Quattro is more designed for the road it doesn't look as good at the above 2 models!

Anyone use Crank Bros on their road bike and got any opinions?

graeme_s-2

I use Quattro's on my fixie and my road bike and find them to be great. Compared to the smartys I used on my hybrid they feel a lot more solid, and stable, they have a bigger contact point.

Can't compare them to any other clipless system, as I've only used Crank Brothers pedals.

aracer

Have you got SPDs or CB pedals at the moment? If you have SPDs then you're wasting your time looking at the CB ones, since they take a different cleat (and there are a few different options for road pedals that take SPD cleats).

heavymental

I have SPD cleats but I'm sure I rode my mates eggbeaters without a problem!? Only tried it up and down the road but I thought they fitted in fine. Maybe I've now screwed up his pedals!

I'm actually now looking at the Shimano PD-A520 as it looks like it might be a better option.

robbie the roadie

Providing your shoes haver fairly stiff soles you shouldn't feel any discomfort. I too ride SPD's on my road bike as I only need one pair of shoes then for all my cycling needs.

aracer

Yep the A520 is a good option, and probably the easiest to get hold of. http://www.bellatisport.com/shop/produc ... Ti-Cr.html is a lighter alternative (I'm using the even lighter all ti version of that).

homercles

I had this exact conundrum when speccing my new bike - everything else I have is SPD already and didn't want fresh outlay on shoes and cleats. Was recommended A520s in the shop and looks to be a neat solution. If nothing else, if you decide you don't like then it's not a bank breaker either.

rdaviesb

I've got Egg Beaters on my fixed, road, touring and tandem bikes, and love 'em. They've saved my knees, and with decent (stiff) shoes I don't have stability problems.

Pirahna

I've got Quattro's on two road bikes and standard Eggbeaters on another plus my mountain bike. Wifey uses a similar mix. i think between us we have 8 pairs of Eggbeaters.

You can buy a 3 hole cleat to fit road shoes. Don't buy the 3 hole adaptor, get the proper cleat. With a stiff soled shoe there is no difference in comfort between the pedals although I'd err towards the Quattro for road use, I think they feel a bit more supportive. If you asked my wife, she prefers the normal Eggbeaters.

heavymental

But you definately need CB cleats to use Eggbeaters? I can't understand how I was able to use my mates if that is the case.

edeverett

@ aracer, How do you find the XPedo pedals? I'm going to be building up my new Burls Ti frame soon and these could be just the ticket as I like multi-purposeness of SPDs. Are they good quality? Easy to get in/out of? How do they compare to the Shimano pedals - I'm currently on XTR. (I'm trying not to be a weight weenie, but it's catching and these seem a good price)

As for Egg Beaters, I'm not a fan - I commuted on them for a year or so. I found the cleats wore very quickly and my shoes became so loose it would feel like the cleat was rattling around in the cage. Thay are beautifully made and a beautifully designed, but the reality was disapointing. I'm much happier with Shimano SPD pedals.

edeverett

@Heavymental - Yes you need different cleats for the two systems. The cleats are about the same size, so they might fit, but it's asking for trouble: The two systems use quite different mechanisms to engage/disengage and I wouldn't want to tempt either action to go wrong.

spasypaddy

i used to use them on my roadie got numb feet so they got moved to my commuter, they are the best pedals ive owned and love them but think i could do better with full road pedals and solid soles rather than MTB shoes.

aracer

The Xpedos work just fine. I have Shimanos on other bikes, and I'm not sure I could tell the difference in terms of functionality. The only issue is that the sealing on the axle isn't that great, and if you get the ti axle, that can wear when it gets dirty, but that's only really an issue off road (I had a similar double sided set I used on my MTB which did wear out - the road ones have been fine), and not a problem with the steel axle.

vernonlevy

Heavymental wrote:

I'm building my Best Bike at the moment and just thinking about what pedals to go for. Ideally I'd quite like to keep the SPD system as thats what I have on my current bike so would mean I didn't have to buy new shoes/cleats.

Most of the road pedals I notice don't go for the spd cleat design so I started looking at the Crank Brothers pedals. I have seen Eggbeaters on road bikes but without any kind of platfrom it must be uncomfortable? The Smarty and Candy have small platforms so look like they might be better for road use. And although the Quattro is more designed for the road it doesn't look as good at the above 2 models!

Anyone use Crank Bros on their road bike and got any opinions?

I use SPD pedals on all of my bikes and have found the system to be fine. It's all a question of getting a rigid enough shoe.

I've done over 3000 miles of fully laden touring plus 3000 miles of Audaxing over the past 3 - 4 years and the only problems I've had was when my shoes' rigid sole started to fail after three years worth of regular use. Can't complain though, the shoes were a bargain at £20....

I can not comment on the suitability of egg beaters though I'd assume that the platform is determined more by the shoe than the pedal.....

Dustine

I run egg beater(the bare cage ones, not ones with a platform) on my road bike and my road fixed, and havent had any problems with either. Although the fixed is wearing out the cleats much faster; to be fair, ive done several thousand miles across two sets of cleats on two pairs of shoes, so thats pretty good going. Never found the lack of platform an issue, and i ride in MTB shoes which arent as stiff as road ones. Never ride more than about 50 miles though, so riding much much further might be more of an issue i guess???