Eggbeaters are just as susceptible to getting effed as any other pedal. Especially if you mess around with them, I'm sure they're subject to spontaneous exploding. Worse for the earlier generations. Using the grease port every once and a while is a good idea.

That said, I got a pair, and though I like them just fine, they're not the greatest. Super easy and whatever, but with the way the cleat is set up, they're super tight for a while, then they're perfect for about a second, and then the cleat wears more and they're looser than Susan Sarandon will be in year 2013. And with the Eggbeater styling, if you bump the underside on a rock on the trails or a curb or something, the other side (the one your foot clips into,) opens up. Some ATAC's in my future, I think...

On the MTB, I kind of like the easy-out. But for the road I wouldn't get anything from Crank Bros. except the Candy-C's. In that case, though, Time Aliums are probably better anyway.