Road Cycling - Speedplays and Crank Bros. Egg Beaters

My new bike came with SPD pedals. Prior to this I used cages for years. Although I had contemplated clipless systems, I was leery about being more "attached" to my bike.

Since I "discovered" Bike Forums a few months ago, I have done a lot of reading, advanced searches and some posting. Since quite a few posts revealed that it may actually be easier to release from clipless systems than properly fit cages, I am looking towards a clipless system with greater interest.

I am concerned about float, and I have known for years that the Speedplays are worth consideration. Their great reputation is apparent. I plan to take off the SPD pedals included with my bike and replace them with the Speedplays.

Likewise, I have read a lot of positive things about the Egg Beaters. What I haven't seen were many posts which concentrate on choosing between and/or comparing the Egg Beaters and the Speedplays (for road use).

The Egg Beaters have 6 degrees of float, which does not seem like alot, yet I have not read one post about knee pain.

My riding habits will mostly be around the neighborhood. Stop and go on the boardwalk and frequenting local parks and bike paths Riding around and also stopping to walk a bit with my wife and the newborn (just wait until she can ride with us!) As such, I feel that a walkable set-up would be an added and important assett.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Rob

I love my Egg Beaters. No knee pain whatsoever and completely easy to disengage at any time. I have them on my Roadie and MTB.

My riding habits will mostly be around the neighborhood. Stop and go on the boardwalk and frequenting local parks and bike paths Riding around and also stopping to walk a bit with my wife and the newborn (just wait until she can ride with us!) As such, I feel that a walkable set-up would be an added and important assett.

If you plan on walking, the SpeedPlay Frogs along with the appropriate MTB shoe is your best bet. The Frog cleats are recessed in the lugs of the sole and won't cause problems when you walk. They offer tons of float, have easy entry and exit and are a snap to maintain. My Frogs are over 5 years old, with lots of miles and no problems. Another benefit of any SpeedPlay pedal, albeit a long ways down the road, is that you can buy each little part that you need to maintain or repair the pedal or cleat.

http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.frog

If you want to give Speedplay pedals a shot, I have pair FS :)

Will work out a deal w. you

I love my eggbeaters. They were/are my first pair of clipless pedals and I'm impressed. I got some sneakers from specialized, the sport mountains, for $20.00 and the combo works great. They are easy, once you do it a time or two, to get into and especially easy to get out of. Plenty of float. I like them alot.
Doug

eggbeaters rule! They have a similar cleat to SPD and are easy to walk around on since the cleat is "hidden" on many touring/casual cycling shoes as well as mtb shoes.

Although I liked the Speedplay Frogs I had, for your situation, I would probably lean towards Eggbeaters (cro-mo version). I think that for the money and your situation they're a better choice but would encourage you to give both systems a try if the shop will let you. The main advantages I see of the Eggbeaters over the Frogs is the greater number of entry/release positions and shoe compatibility. Both are probably equally walkable. I'm currently using Speedplay Zeros but they're not nearly as walking-friendly as either the Eggbeaters or Frogs. I'm reposting a comparison between the various Speedplay pedals that I think will illustrate my reasoning (note that this is especially coming from a road-cycling POV):

Which Speedplays? Frogs, X-series, Zeros?

I've used Frogs on my roadbike and have switched to Zeros. I have tried the X pedals but not for any extended period of time.

Frogs require toe-in entry (not a big issue for most roadies or people used to road pedals) and heel-out exit but they are double-sided. They have a lot of float (18 deg) which can be unsettling at first especially if you're coming from SPDs. Some people describe the feeling as like pedalling on blocks of ice. It took me about a week's worth of riding to get used to them. Release can be slightly ambiguous at times. and the release angle can feel a bit extreme because of all the float. You also sometimes don't really know if you're clipped in or out. Frog cleats are big but they allow you to walk on them without damaging them much. However, you may have to trim the cleat box on your shoe. And if you have road shoes that don't have SPD (Frog cleats use two-bolt SPD style mounts) style mountpoints then you'll need to buy SPD adapters. This unfortunately added quite a bit of stack/shim height to my setup and was the primary reason I switched pedals. The mechanism is simple. They require very little maintenance... nothing to adjust... nothing to clog up... only one moving part and it just a locking plate compressed with a piece of elastomer. Also, Frogs are one of the lightest pedals on the market but that's compared to other offroad pedals since Frogs are really considered offroad pedals even though I would consider them poor for MTBing since you have to clip in toe-first. They'd make great commuter pedals though.

X-series pedals are very light but the cleat is a big box that attaches via a 4-bolts and protrude pretty far out. Most road shoes will accept them fine. Like the Frogs, they have a good amount of float too but I'm unsure of how much. Clicking in is pretty much straight down. Like many road cleats, they're hard to walk on and if you don't use cleat covers, you can mar or damage them.

Zeros look like the X-series but are incompatible (don't ever try clicking into X-series pedals with Zero cleats and vice versa). The major difference between the Zeros and the X pedals is that you can adjust the Zero's float... and you can adjust inboard and outboard float independently. This of course will also adjust your release angle. I run 4 deg inboard and 6 deg outboard. The cleats are much like the X pedals. There is really one moving part which is a circular ring that acts like a spring. There are also two adjustment screws which adjust your inboard/outboard float. Keeping the cleat well lubed makes for smoother action. They do take some time to break in though. I found it extremely difficult to click in at first and even more difficult to click out. It took me working the action several dozen times before things felt comfortable.

Downside with the Speedplay pedals... especially the Zeros... is price. I think they run anywhere between $250 to $275 for the high-end Ti ones. The steel spindle version is a bit cheaper but still rather pricey. My Frogs ran around $120.

It seems as if a stiffer shoe is nearly a necessity for the Egg Beaters. That eliminates most of the walkable shoes available...or does it?

The egg beaters require a very stiff soled shoe,ie one with a carbon fibre sole.
Because theres not much area supporting uyour foot on hte pedal the cage tensds to create pressure points under the shoe. This annoys me and is# uncomfortable.
So I sold them and went back to Time.

Of the two options you presented I'd gofor the Speed palys unless you want to buy stiff soled not so walkable shoes, then i wouls say go for the eggbeaters

I've had no pressure issues using my older Northwaves (though they are an older Stealth with a stiffer sole than say a casual shoe) with eggbeaters. Can't say enough good things about these pedals.

I have had the eggbeaters for about 9 months now and had no problems with pressure points using sidi dominator 4s and these do not have a carbon sole.

I do aggree that you could benefit from stiffer sole...but to say you must have to carbon based soled shoe is going a bit too far.

I have absolutely no problems with my $20.00 pair of specialized sport mountains. I just use the velcro straps and the only time I ever feel any tingling is when I have them on too tight... a simple lift of the velcro and letting it reattach fixes it 100% of the time.
Again, I absolutely love them and for $50.00 for the pedals and $20.00 for the shoes... how can you go wrong??
Doug

Some folks have pointed out the "achilles heel" of the MTB shoe while some hadn't experienced the discomfort. It seems as if a walkable shoe that has some stiffness may be a good compromise for the Egg Beaters and Speedplay.

I will not be going off road, at least not with the Specialized Sequoia, so the more aggressive sole of the MTB/ATB shoes are more than I really need.

Two shoes come to mind.
I have not been able to get much info on them, including how much stiffer they are than an MTB shoe.

-The "walkable" road shoe by Specialized- 03 Sonoma
This is marketed to someone who wants the walkability of an MTB shoe but does not want the MTB shoe design.

http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?section=12959&browselevel=shoes&JServSessionIdroot=do988oh7cc.j27006


-Diadora Voyager Touring Shoe.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=84&subcategory=1041&brand=&sku=1698&storetype=&estoreid=

Unfortunately, I could only find one "mention" of a review on the Sonoma. It was on a UK cycle retailer site which quoted from a UK Bike magazine giving it a rating of 9/10. (I couldn't find the actual review on the magazine site)

The Diadora received some praise in posts found on bikeforums.net

Neither shoe is rated on roadbikereview.com or mtbreview.com

Specialized sells the Sonoma online for $60.

Bike Nashbar has the Diadora on sale for $40. Only size 39 and 42 in stock. The 39 MAY(?) fit me, but it is difficult to tell..see related tangent below:


On a related tangent...

Shopping for values (online) or less popular shoes (not carried by the LBS) can be challenging.

I can't seem to find an exact conversion for my shoe size- different manufacturers appear to have different conversion values.

The Specialized site says that a size 39 = US 7 and a 40 = US 7.5
(Going by this, the Diadora may fit)

I looked on the Diadora web site (US) but they do not offer any information on their cycling shoes. I am not sure what their conversion is.

I am wearing Merrells right now. Says size 40 = US 7, a half-size difference than what Specialized claims.

I wonder if sizing remains constant within a manufacturer's line...in other words, if I try on a Specialized shoe but it isn't the one I want, would another Specialized shoe the same size be the right fit.

I wonder if sizing remains constant within a manufacturer's line...in other words, if I try on a Specialized shoe but it isn't the one I want, would another Specialized shoe the same size be the right fit.

Not necessarily. Just like buying regular street shoes, sizing often varies even with the same manufacturer. In my opinion, on-line is not a good place to buy shoes. Particularly less expensive shoes. If you can't try it on and feel how it fits, it's not good. Because shoes are largely made by hand, even shoes from the same production run can be slightly different.

If you compare the sizing charts from different manufacturers, you will see there is no agreement as to exact sizing standards. For instance, Nike runs small compared to SIDI even though they use the same Euro "standard" sizes. A Nike 45 is more like a US 10 1/2, where SIDI 45 is more like and 11. Even "standard" widths will vary amonst the shoe makers.

Be very careful when buying shoes on-line.

I appreciate the caution about buying shoes sight-unseen. I was rather coming to that conclusion, but was swayed by some of the great closeout deals out there.

One closeout is the 2002 model of the Egg Beater. I know that there are nice design upgrades to the latest version. Is the $60 for the older version worth the bargain or is the newer version (at twice the price) going to be a better value down the road?

Again, right now (and especially with a 10 week old at home), I don't think that I will be riding hundreds of miles a week any time soon.

Rob

Based on what you have posted about how you are going to ride, I see no difference to you in what Eggbeater you buy. The more expensive models are just upgrades of the earlier ones, which in no way were deficient.

Buy the closeout Eggbeaters and spend the money you save on a good pair of shoes. In shoes, like bikes, fit is everything!

Originally posted by Davet
Buy the closeout Eggbeaters and spend the money you save on a good pair of shoes. In shoes, like bikes, fit is everything!

Gotcha!

Well, I ordered a set of the 2002 Egg Beaters.

Performance had them for $60 but when I started to place an order, they were sold out. "Too bad" since I have been happy with Performance in the past and there were some other things I would have ordered from them.

Later that night, I started to place an order at another e-tailer. I went back to Performance to cross reference another item and the Egg Beaters were showing as available again!

I also ordered the Park PW-3 pedal wrench. Although I have a great selection of mechanics tools, my open end wrenches are not as thin as the pedal wrench...better to get the pedal wrench I figured. I could have bought the Egg Beaters at the LBS for $20 more than found online and have them install them, but for the same price, I have a tool!

Picked up some Pro-Link chain lube and some new gloves at a decent price. I ordered the Zinn book since my bike repair books are WOEFULLY outdated.

I will go to the LBS to check out shoes and purchase them there.

I appreciate the feedback I received and I hope that this thread will be equally educational to other readers! :beer:

Rob

So are SPDs that come with low to mid-range road bikes that bad? This is what I have, too. Are they really more difficult to clip out of than speedplays or eggbeaters? What is the main disadvantage of SPDs compared to these others?

I just received my new shoes and eggbeaters from sierra trading post. The eggbeaters were 60$ and the shoes a bagainous 33$ allegedly reduced from 120$. Normally I wouldn't buy shoes online but these were northwaves, and my road shoes are northwaves so I figured they would fit as well as those did. Luckily they did.

I'm really happy because I had been looking for shoes to commute in, i.e. that I could walk in easily too, and it's hard to find size US14 EUR 49 shoes around the place.

The eggbeaters I really like too, much easier to clip into and out of than my look pedals and I think will work well. They're so much easier to get out of in fact that i'd recommend them as a first pedal. I'm tempted to try trackstands now :) I can see with the small cleat area that people could get feet problems, however as it's on my commuter and not my roadbike, I doubt i'd ever go more than 15 miles in a day on them.

Excitedly received my package from Performance. Wanted the pedals by this weekend, so I paid for 2 day service.

My package arrived. No pedals, no gloves...they are discontinued.
Charged me for the Zinn book, Pedal Wrench and the Lube, but shipped only the book and wrench in "carton 1 of 1".

I am a bit upset and will have to call them. Most vendors will use your supplied email address or phone number to tell you that some items are discontinued. I would not have placed the order only to incur a second shipping charge from another retailer if I knew before hand that what I added to my cart was not available.

Argh...spent $10.50 shipping for $40 something dollars of merchandise. My original order was over $120.

Its been years since I ordered from Performance, but I remember expecting better.

Sorry just venting! :mad:

Rob

Originally posted by jonny texas
So are SPDs that come with low to mid-range road bikes that bad? This is what I have, too. Are they really more difficult to clip out of than speedplays or eggbeaters? What is the main disadvantage of SPDs compared to these others?

Most of the SPD clones you find in the entry to mid-range level are based off the original PD-M747 design which was Shimano's first SPD pedal. As such, they share the same common criticisms which are primarily poor performance in mud, inadervtant release and lack of float causing knee problems. Shimano has improved on their original design and have addressed those issues to a point but Speedplays and Eggbeaters generally perform better. Of course one can find other problems with those pedals too if one looks hard enough. My personal issue with the Speedplay Frogs is that you have to go in toe-first. While this might not be a problem for some, it's not my preference. Some people have said that the Eggbeaters don't provide enough of a platform so that you can't use them unless you're clipped in. Sometimes you want to be able to pedal without being clipped. I've also heard criticisms regarding people "rolling" off the Eggbeaters while trying to click in. Like I said, everyone has their own stories. I'm currently running Time ATACs which have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. In general, I prefer them to either of the other two mentioned.

Originally posted by Psykik
Excitedly received my package from Performance. Wanted the pedals by this weekend, so I paid for 2 day service.

My package arrived. No pedals, no gloves...they are discontinued.

Rob

I send an email to Performance. The rep responded that they usually send an email about discontinued items, and this was an oversight on their end.

They decided to refund my postage, which is very nice.

The lube is coming separately.

Will try to order the Egg Beaters again...maybe Sierra Trading Post!

Rob

I've noticed that there is a learning curve with the eggbeaters. However, once you get it you got it.. I don't even think about clicking in anymore.. but it took awhile. As far as the small platform... no problem with me and I'm a heavy dude who puts a lot of weight on the pedals. I use the specialized sport mountain shoes. No problems what so ever. I love em.
Doug

After using and loving Look pedals I tried Egg Beaters when they first came out because I wanted to be able to use mtb shoes for commuting to make walking easier. After using them for about a week I liked them so much I ordered two more pair to outfit all my bikes with them. And this was when they were still over $100 per pair. I have never experienced hotspots. Like Doug I use inexpensive Specialized Sport mtb shoes for commuting 22+ miles per day. I have Northwave mtb and Shimano road shoes that I generally use for longer rides, more because they look better. I wore the Northwaves on the MS 150 last October and noticed no hot spots. But that may be because other body parts were hurting. :o

Another reason Egg Beaters might work well for your riding with a lot of stops and starts with the associated clicking in and out is that you can click into any of the 4 sides so you never have to worry about which side is up. After a few rides you don't even have to think about it, just put your foot on the pedal and there you are. My Northwaves are better about this than the Specialized. They seem to have something of a channel that guides the pedal right onto the cleat. Check sierratradingpost.com for some prices on Northwaves.

And Egg Beaters are a snap to rebuild.

sierra trading post has everything on sale at an extra 20% off till this sunday. they still had eggbeaters availible. must buy online for the 20% sale.

Yep, great deal at Sierra...Egg Beaters for under $50 after discount!

Is the float on eggbeaters only 6 degrees? I was advised it was more like 18?
Does any one know?

I've been riding with spds for many years. However, I also have experienced knee pain when I go for rides greater than 40 miles, and therefore just purchased speedplay frogs. If you are only biking around your neighborhood and will not be going for long rides, stay with the SPDs; you won't need to buy new pedals, and they are easy to use, as exemplified by the fact that they are the most popular shoe/cleat system around.

If you are only biking around your neighborhood and will not be going for long rides, stay with the SPDs; you won't need to buy new pedals, and they are easy to use, as exemplified by the fact that they are the most popular shoe/cleat system around.

uhh, you bumped a post from two years ago? I'm pretty sure the guy isn't looking for advice any more \.

My post was the last one nearly two years ago...and well...I am honored! (even if the deal HAS to be long dead by now!) ;)

For your use, I would go for Eggbeaters. You don't walk with Speedplays!!

Your writing:
'My riding habits will mostly be around the neighborhood. Stop and go on the boardwalk and frequenting local parks and bike paths Riding around and also stopping to walk a bit with my wife and the newborn (just wait until she can ride with us!) As such, I feel that a walkable set-up would be an added and important assett.'

Well, stiffness shouldn't be your biggest concern.You could use sandals for that.
Having both Speedplay and Eggbeater, I can say : Don’t worry about the float.
Unless you have some serious unusual legs +-6 deg is more than enough.

Egg beaters continue to have no weaknesses (except for looks)

Honestly, for round town riding, you might be better off w/ just platforms. I do so on my townie SS.

I have bowlegs so I have the need for lots of float. I have Speedplay X3's, Crank Bros Candy SLs, and Frogs. X3's are the best for free float, HOWEVER, they are not the best to walk in. They are also more of a road cleat.

Candy's are good because they also have float AND a platform on the pedal, in case you wear regular shoes. The float is there, although it's a little tighter than the X3's. W/ my Sidi MTB shoes, it's not an issue to walk in them. I've also raced CX w/ them and they're great in the mud.

Frogs could be your answer. Lots of easy float, like X3's, but also easy to walk in like Candy's. The only drawback is that they don't do well in really sticky mud. Other than that, I wholly recommend them.

This thread is the perfect example of posters in their own world.
.

... and the newborn (just wait until she can ride with us!)
Hey, how old are kids before they start riding? Your daughter's about 2 yrs old now, right? :jealous: :)

I use eggbeaters on my mtb. That said...If you're looking for a shoe that you can wear around town, as well as on your rig that is also a good riding shoe (BONUS!!!), then check these out:
http://www.cannondale.com/clothing/05/aw/model-5FR01.html

They look cool, and the soles are nice and stiff. My feet are wide, the cannondales are good for my feet.

Good luck.

I have also been considering new pedals lately. Has anyone ridden eggbeaters after coming off of spds? I was wondering how the float compares. It took forever to get my cleats dialed in for the spds (Shimano mountain shoes) so that they didn't make odd noises. It seems like there's a very small range at the center of the float where there is no spring action, then a sort of springy bit of float, then the hard edge where you end up clipping out. I found it irritating and played with cleat position until my foot was in the "free" spot most of the time while pedaling.

I would like to find a pedal that I can have a walkable shoe with while having a bit more free float. I also would like to be able to set the cleat so that the pedal doesn't allow my heel to move in far enough to hit the chainstay. I kick my bike once or twice in an hour's ride. That's just not right!

Go with the Speedplays. The X series are fine. X-2 will do you for many years of service.

Go with the Speedplays. The X series are fine. X-2 will do you for many years of service.

And they make great walking shoes (not) ;)

C'mon. I love the Speedplays, but I could never use them on the mountain, cx or commuter.
You can't walk on those cleats. Period. They have no mud clearance what so ever, so off road
make sure you never go off the bike.
Love them on the roadbikes. Would like to have them on the CX, but someone please help me.
Hove do I mount those cleats on a M.B. shoe?
If you want a Speedplay pedal for your type of use, it's the Frog. Float of 26deg, lightweighted
and SPD mount pattern. Great pedal, but for CX, off road and commuter I prefer the Eggbeater
because of the extremely easy enter/release. Unbeatable

I just got my wife a pair of candies for $49 from performance for her clipless transition (also, I've been wondering about Eggbeaters for myself as a solution to separate road/mtn shoes and cleats). She really wanted a walkable system and seeing me hobble around on my x series cleats was not encouraging. I came from mtn bikes and always used Time ATACs which offer LOTS of float with a very reliable entry, so for me, the Speedplay X series is great. (I kinda like the ice cube thing) I think the eggbeaters are definitely the way to go for someone wanting to run one pair of shoes/cleats with multiple types of riding, though, and still haven't ruled this option out. By the way, I don't have any knee problems, I guess I was just "born" into liking the float with the ATACs.