What's wrong with eggbeaters on a road bike?

[beanbag]

I've just picked up my CB Eggbeater 2 pedals so of course I had to take them for a trial run.



During a quick break, another roadie questioned me quite negatively on my choice of pedals.....I chose eggbeaters as I have a pair of Mallet 2's on my MTB and didn't want to splash out on another pair of shoes after spending a cool £120 on my current ones. I didn't see an issue!

Seriously though....what's wrong with eggbeaters on a road bike?! They feel great and I love the mechanism. SPD's hurt my knees a little whereas CB's are very comfortable. What benefit do you get from road pedals?

[beanbag]

Magic919 said:

They look like great pedals. Bit of a shame to put them on a road bike.

Why!?

[beanbag]

Magic919 said:

Because it's wrong and people will give you weird looks.

[beanbag]

Interesting comments so far......I've done about 100km on my eggbeaters so far and they are superb although I can't compare them to road pedals as I've never used them.

Like I said before though; My knees are a little dodgy and SPD's just make them hurt after a while. The Crank Brother style clamp offers enough movement to avoid this but remains suitably solid for cycling hard and jumps. I've never had a problem with my Mallets coming loose when pegging it down mountains so I don't see how the eggbeater will come loose on a road bike whilst sprinting.

Very happy!

[beanbag]

BliarOut said:

Talk to me about eggbeaters, I've got a dodgy knee (two missing ligaments) so I have to be able to fall off without unclipping. Are they any better than my current half clips?

Ouch....can't be good....nevertheless the Eggbeaters give a lot more "float" than SPD's. That is to say, I can twist my foot up to 20 degrees (15 is what I have it set at for easier removal).

This means my feet are not rigid and it allows my knees the necessary movement I don't get from SPD's. It's only subtle but enough so I don't the pain I suffered with my M520's.

I've also found when I've come off my MTB, the CB Mallet pedals unclip without too many problems meaning I've managed to avoid any serious knee injuries. I don't believe the result would be the same with Shimano SPD's due to how tight they hold you in.

With regards to reliability, CB pedals have improved massively this year with the new sealed BB designs. They're not quite as robust as the Shimano's but with a little TLC, they'll last long enough. I honestly can't fault mine and would never get anything else. Certainly not the Shimano SPD's but then it's also personal preference.

Everyone's riding style and needs are different so you need to find something that you feel comfortable with.

[beanbag]

BliarOut said:

Thanks, so you'd still remain attached to the pedals if you fell off/over with eggbeaters?

I think to begin with it's inevitable. It's just one of those things you need to get used to but before long it becomes second nature and you find yourself unclipping when you least realise it.

Saying that, if you yank hard enough at a pair of eggbeater style pedals, your feet will pop out. Since you never use that kind of force whilst cycling, it's never a problem whilst on the move.