Eggbeaters - Conflicting reviews

afcbian

I have recently purchased a set of Eggbeaters MXR pedals and was about to fit and use them but there seems to be loads of conflicting reviews on these.
A biking buddy of mine swears by them, hence my reason for getting them but many reviews on the interweb thingy slate them badly for unreliable clipping in/out, damage to shoe bases and bearing failure. Even the Bikeradar review says they are so-so.
I would be interested to hear some more "real" experiences.

jpstar

Why don't you try them out to get your own opinion on them? Every opinion is going to be different in some way or another so only you can really decide on them, if not, ask to try your mates?

andrewjoseph

I've been using eggbeaters for about 6 years and only had one pair disintergrate on me.

They do need more care than shimano, they do eat into the sole of some shoes, the 'wings' do wear out as do the cleats.

I have never had a problem unclipping but occasionally have a problem clipping in, but no worse than any other pedal.

Grease the pedals from new, pump the grease right through.

I won't use any other pedals (egg beater style that is, I use mallets now on the mtb), the release angle suits me better than shimano mtb pedals.

allthegearnoidea

ive got candy's and Love them! but i Havent tried shimano's so cant compare!
there are a lot of people that are happy with them!
they do loosen up with use too as they will feel tight to get in and out for the first dozen rides or so, but now i can quite easily dab a foot down without thinking!

as for bearings, one of mine went after 18 months of offroad use and No maintenence what so ever, but £12 for crc for a full pedal rebuild kit and there sorted,

as above, bung em on, have a go and see what you htink!

Monkeypump

I 've got the SLs and use 'em on my road bike (with mtb shoes) - have been very pleased with them. Okay, perhaps they're having a easy life on the roadie but I haven't had any problems with them.

After reading about potential poor bearings and hearing a small creak I did re-grease them (very simple to do) and they're still running smooth and silent about 700 miles later.

I've found them easy to clip in/out of, they're light-ish (if that's important to you), and I've had no damage to my shoes (mid-range Shimano). They also give me just the right amount of float and release tension, although only float is adjustable (5 or 15deg, IIRC).

Apparently the standard cleats do wear quickly. Mine have been fine (there is visible wear but they work perfectly), but on an mtb this will probably be more of an issue.

I ride flats on my mtb, but if I was going clipless (which I suspect will happen) I'd buy more eggbeaters. Definitely recommended!

afcbian

Thanks
Always good to get a range of varied "real world" opinions
Will stick them on and give it a whirl

Alex

I had the bearings on my Mallets disintergrate and shred the axle (After 3 years of abuse and three weeks of mucky french downhill and powerwashing), destroying the pedals so I took the opportunity to replace them. With another set of Mallets. I like not being able to pull out of them. I like the mud clearance. I like that on my road bike, the mxrs render it unusable by anyone else.

I've always found clipping in/out to be better on eggbeaters than on shimano, though many shimano lovers don't appreciate the subtlety of the clip out.

One thing to note though, is that MXR users are not on the whole a happy bunch. I have them on my road bike, but I don't think i'd risk using them on the mountain bike. The bearings/sealing is a bit feeble.

If you want eggbeaters to use on the mountain bike, I'd plump for the Eggbeater C. It is at least rebuildable.

whyamihere

Both pairs of Eggbeater Cs I've had on my mountain bikes have been flawless.

On the other hand, my Quattros died after about a month, requiring a full rebuild. Even so, I prefer them to SPDs.

spaniamania

I read a lot of reviews before going clipless.
I went for Time Atacs.
So good never wished to try any other pedal.

tri-sexual

make sure you get the cleats position right on your shoes and you cant go wrong
a little experimentation with cleat positions may be required
if you dont find them comfortable or have problems clipping in and out then adjust the cleats, dont blaime the pedals
after a few hundred miles, inspect your cleats if there is uneven wear adjust the cleats (the egg beater's sprung wings will wear gouges in the cleats if they are not fitted correctly)
finally read the instruction if you are new to egg beaters, the cleats look the same but are directional

Briggo

jpstar wrote:

Why don't you try them out to get your own opinion on them?

That then defeats the whole purpose of "reviews" and Bikeradar would have some magazines that arnt much use

Not everyone can just go out and try, either due to cost or inability to loan them from someone which is why we ask for reviews/opinions from others, so the above quoted comment is useless.

bomberesque

Briggo difference is; he already owns the pedals.

anyway to the OP; they work fine, very similar action to Times but Time bearings last longer.
If you're having problems with the clip action, look to the set-up, probably the answer is there

I use Times, Mrs B uses CB, we've both used shimano in the past. none are bad but Mrs B prefers the action on the CBs and I prefer the Times for both the action and the reliability