Categories: Dieting & Weight Loss

Eggbeaters – a Bike Pedal for All Seasons

This is a reponse to Egg Beater Clip-In Bike Pedals: Purchase, Install, Practice, and Upside, published on Sept 28, 2006. I’m writing to follow-up and expand upon Frank Muscat’s article on eggbeater bicycle pedals. My path to the eggbeater was very different from Frank’s: while this was his first experience with clipless pedals, I have tried several varieties before finding my way to the eggbeater. My early attempts were with shimano SPD mountain bike pedals, and later the SPD road editions and SPD-R. I also have raced on the older Look pedals and the Speedplay Zero system.

What Is A “Clipless” Pedal?

Clipless pedals come in a variety of shapes and sizes. What they share in common is that they each have a specific cleat that is attached to a cycling shoe (the cleat screws into the bottom of the shoe, in the center of the foot about 3 inches back from the toes). All clipless pedals require that the rider use some form of cycling shoe which allows for a cleat to be installed. The cleat will actually engage with the pedal to form a solid contact while riding. After some practice, the rider can easily disengage from the pedal and release his/her foot.

Why Clipless?

Although clipless pedals take a little bit of getting used to, they are a much more efficient system than either the platform pedal, or the “rat trap” clip pedals with the straps that go over the front of your foot. The main advantage that both the rat trap and clipless pedals have over the platform pedals is the ability to pull up on the pedals. So, the rider is generating power and forward momentum all the way around the pedal stroke, rather than just when pushing down. Another real plus is that these pedal systems allow the riders foot to remain on the pedal in spite of really rough bouncy terrain or riding really hard, i.e. in a sprint. Because the foot stays in place, the rider has MUCH better control of both his/her body and the bike, and can actually to some extent steer the bike with his/her feet and some body English. Clipless pedals take both of these advantages one step further: the engagement is just more secure, allowing for an even more efficient power transfer, as well as a better interface between rider and bike in general. Also, once you’re accustomed to them, the clipless pedal is MUCH easier to engage/disengage that a rat trap design. The rider simply kicks his/her heel out to the side to release and put a foot down, and steps onto the pedal with a cleated shoe to engage.

Some Background on Pedals in General:

There are many factors which go into determining which pedal to choose: durability; ease of use and maintenance; clearance between the bottom of the pedal and the road, particularly important when cornering; and intended purpose. There are many pedals which are road or mountain bike specific. Road pedals typically can only be engaged on one side of the pedal, whereas mountain bike pedals can typically be engaged on either side. Because road riding / racing does not typically have a lot of clipping in and out during a ride, you don’t need to be able to engage the pedal as frequently, and can get away with one-sided pedal entry. In mountain biking, where the rider is often encountering obstacles or hills to loose and/or steep to ride, the rider must be able to unclip and clip very quickly and to get started on steep terrain. This necessitates the dual-sided pedal. Another factor specific to off-road riding is the ability of the pedal system to shed mud. With all of the getting on and off the bike, and often walking or running unrideable sections, the mountain biker’s shoes and cleats are bound to get muddy. If the pedal system does not account for this and allow the mud to “shed”, this can lead to a real problem. The rider can find him/herself unable to get into the pedals, or sometimes unable to get out!

The Shoes

Most people when they are first getting into clipless pedals will start with a mountain bike pedal system, for a variety of reasons. The dual-sided entry means less effort involved with properly lining up the pedals before stepping in-just step down and go. Also, mountain bike shoes are more versatile. Whereas a road shoe’s cleat is protruding from the bottom of the shoe and exposed, the mountain bike cleat is recessed, and has tread which comes down lower than the cleat. This makes walking around a much more enjoyable experience. Road shoes are meant for riding a road bike, and little else. Even stopping for coffee and walking around minimally can be a bit of a challenge. So for touring, anything involving dirt, or if you anticipate doing any significant walking and don’t plan on carrying additional footwear, mountain bike shoes may be the way to go. If you will be strictly on road, and want something stiff, responsive, and want to make sure all of your expended energy goes into pushing the bike forward, then consider road shoes.

The Eggbeaters

Crank Bros makes several different pedal designs, all of which are based around their original “eggbeater’ platform. There’s the Eggbeater, originally designed for off-road use; the Candy, an off-road pedal which adds a resin platform around the eggbeater; and the Quattro, which has a small stainless steel platform around the eggbeater. The Eggbeaters are by far the most versatile and economical pedal system I’ve ever used. Although they do make a road-specific pedal, in my experience their standard eggbeater design is unbeatable. Although designed as an off-road pedal, I have been using the eggbeater as my road, time trial, mountain bike, and cyclocross pedal of choice. (For more info on cyclocross, check this other article!)

OFFROAD: For shedding mud, it is second to none, with only perhaps the Time ATAC system even coming close. Just by looking at the pedal, you can see that there is really nowhere for mud/snow/ice to accumulate: it just passes right through the open space. If your cleat gets clogged, you scrape it along the surface of the eggbeater to dislodge any debris, and step right in. It’s a “self-cleaning” system in that regard. Eggbeaters are unique in that they offer FOUR-sided entry. You can step on any side of the pedal to engage it, and the mechanism works predictably and smoothly. It has become THE pedal of choice in the cyclocross world, and for good reason.

ON ROAD: Freddie Rodriguez (aka Fast Freddie) popularized the use off eggbeaters as a road pedal, before Crank Bros came out with a road-specific model. Freddie is a 3-Time US Pro Cycling Champion, and is one of the fastest sprinters in the world. The fact that this system can keep him locked in, despite the tremendous amount of watts that he generates, is quite an endorsement. Furthermore, he was racing the traditional style eggbeater pedal; not their road-specific Quattro model. I have chosen this model for my road racing as well. They’re lightweight, easy to maintain, offer plenty of clearance in corners, are inexpensive, and use inexpensive cleats when those need to be replaced.

THE SECRET ROAD SETUP: I contacted Crank Bros. before I decided to use traditional eggbeaters as my road race pedal. Their advice, which really works great: buy the cleat system that goes with the Quattro road pedals. The actual cleat is the same, but there’s also a plastic/resin platform which goes under the cleat and prevents the pedal from digging grooves into the bottom of your fancy, stiff road shoes. It also positions the cleat in a slightly better spot on the shoe.

FOR THE MULTI-BIKE FREAKS LIKE ME: Cycling tends to emphasize different equipment for every different event. You can get pretty crazy 9and overwhelmed) when you get really into the sport. Road, time trial, cyclocross, and mountain bikes! Different bikes for each discipline… and potentially different specialty shoes, pedals, cleats, etc. In my opinion, eggbeaters make it totally viable to have one pedal system for your entire fleet. Even if you use Quattro’s on the road bike and Candy’s on the mountain bike, you can still get away with the same shoe for both (they use the same mechanism, and same cleat). The benefits of this are huge! If you’re out riding one day and get rained on, use your mountain bike shoes on the road the next day! Pedal breaks? Take one off of your other bikes and don’t miss a beat.