SPD/Egg beater/Flats help for XC Comps...

joec1

I have been looking at upgrading to SPD's after taking part in my first XC event last week and failing on the uphills (there were an awful lot) i finished 49 out of 69 and think that SPD may help me keep on going.

Something i have found really hard ot get a genuine comparison of is "Egg beaters vs SPD vs Flat Pedals" i know there is a fair bit of contraversy there. but as a relatively new MTB'er i dont want ot fall into a pitfall and buy something that wont help me. Im already set on buying some but dont know whether Egg beaters are worth the extra, or even how they differ from SPDs?

Im sorry if some of you think this is really remenial but i have been looking and cant seem to see any pics of descriptions about how they fit and compare directly.

Thanks.

Northwind

Thing is, the work needed to get up a hill is identical with SPDs or flats. SPDs have an advantage on short steep bits as you can pull up as well as push down, though that burns your legs faster. SPDs can be more efficient since you're forced into pedalling nice circles, but this is actually something you can do on flats too, it's just harder to do.

Honestly, the secret to getting up hills better isn't to change the bike, it's to ride up more hills But you might well find SPDs of some sort do help.

joec1

Thanks North wind.

Yea i had heard and logically it makes sence that i can push/pull with them. which is the advantage i am lacking at the moment.

im relatively fit. can ride a good 20mile offroad in a respectable time with friends who ride harder and faster than me. (me keeping up and not holding them back)

its just the assistance SPD would bring to smoother riding and more efficent pedal power. im not bothered about leg burning as myuscles will build up in time.

interested to find the difference between Egg beaters and SPD pedals....

CraigXXL

With the SPD's the push pull effect is much more efficient not just for climbing but sprinting too. I've had Shimano's since they came out first on road bikes then MTB's and never any complaints, simple to service and reliable. My mate is a fan of Egg Beaters as that is what he bought first . I 've tried his and find them different, no worse or better, I'm just used to Shimano and you develop a memory muscle effect to engaging and disengaging. He's never had any problems with his either so I think it's down to a personal choice although I do think the Mallets are a better design than the Shimano platforms if you are wanting those style of pedals.

neil²

Egg Beaters are much simpler in design but less adjustable. If they get mud in them it just gets pushed through next time you clip in because of the open design. Although called Egg Beaters, that is just one of the Crank Bros range - I use eggbeaters for racing, candys on the road - all of which have the same fundamental clipping in method.



SPDs are a bit cheaper and more complex but you can adjust the tension. They are a more enclosed design so any mud tends to clog them, but it can't be too bad because a lot of riders stick with them.



The cleats look almost identical but aren't, so if you have more than one bike and want to use the same shoes you need to keep to one system.

My impression is that there are more people who move from SPD to eggbeaters than the other way round (in fact I don't know anyone who has gone eggbeater to SPD, but I'm sure that there will be some on the forum).

I use Crank Bros on all of my bikes - CX, road, MTB and have been delighted with them and never had a clogging incident, even when the rest of the bike is caked.

Personally, I think that eggbeaters look much kewler 8) 8)

ride_whenever

It's irrelevant for your performance really. Pulling up gives such a slight power advantage over the course of a race that it isn't really worth it just for the performance. Of course they are fun to try, and I'd recommend anyone tries them, they might well prefer it. Because you've got the option of pulling up you also can get away with a wrong gear choice a little better. However your best option is to:

GET FITTER

joec1

ride_whenever wrote:

However your best option is to:

GET FITTER

lol haha.

ok. so how does the dismount work with eggbeaters?

is it twist like the spd pedals?

neil²

joec1 wrote:

ride_whenever wrote:

However your best option is to:

GET FITTER

lol haha.

ok. so how does the dismount work with eggbeaters?

is it twist like the spd pedals?

Yes

meesterbond

There are other options too... Time and Speedplay for example. I've just switched from Crank Bros Quatros to Time on my road bike and they're excellent...

I use Mallets on my mountain bike though, simply because they work. They're a bit heavy, but I'm no weight weeny so it doesn't bother me. However, they have been known to fall apart. I had a pair disintegrate on me the other week - replaced them with more Mallets, but even so, you may well hear about the build quality not being great....

Personally, I think the build quality is fine, it's that they need a little more TLC from time to time - the occasional regrease and rebuild, which I'm just too lazy to do!

gs3

If you're planning to go clipless (either SPD or CB) then I suggest you try Shimano 520's to begin with as they are cheap, reliable and easy to sell on if you decide to change brands.

They can ge found at
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... egoryId=81
for under £20. Not too much to pay to try them out!!

.

Northwind

ride_whenever wrote:

It's irrelevant for your performance really. Pulling up gives such a slight power advantage over the course of a race that it isn't really worth it just for the performance.

There's some lab tests which showed that "lifters" weren't neccesarily adding any power at all- some of the tested riders were losing as much or more power in the downstroke as they added with the up. The most consistent way to add power is to lift the back foot, but not enough to pull up, just to unweight it... Apparently, I don't know either way, I just know that for me lifting was a good way to burn my legs out faster for not much benefit. But then I'm unfit.

britishseapower

i've just started using spd's, got some of them shimano m520's thrown in for free with my new bike, and got some shimano mt41 shoes from merlin for £35 (half price). After two rides so far i seem to be getting on with them fine, just have them really loose so clipping in and out is easy then after a few rides you can begin to tighten them as you get used to it. I never thought i'd be using them, but persistant nagging from mates and girlfriend caused me to cave in and i can see some definate advantages so far.

Bottom line is, it's worth a try!

Sparky-1uk

Never had any problems with shimanos. Always long lasting, not clogging, reliable and positive cleat engagement and release. You can get mutli release cleats too so you can get out easier, might be a consideration as you'll be new to SPDs.

I've tried others over the years and you just can't beat Shimano for price and function.

bike husband

Hi What Mountain Bike Oct08 did a 20 pedal test from spd to crank brothers to flats
if you want a copy let me know and I will post it to you. hope this helps