First Time Clipless: Eggbeaters?

[black2003ss]

I switched over to crnakbrothers candy's at the suggestion of teammates...don't regret it one bit. Sure, there is a little more "play" where the cleat floats a little more in the binding, but I actually like it. Also, I don't have near the problems with mud and debris caking up in them. There were a few times with SPDs where I couldn't get the cleat to engage the pedal without stopping and cleaning both the pedal and the cleat off. Of course, to prevent this, just ride everything and don't end up walking!

[Bento]

Executive summary, don't buy egg beater. I am not bitter, really. I loved them while the worked. Super light and clear ice and mud great. I have had four pairs over 10 years.

My first one, I killed in the basement, my fault. The next two were Ti, older style. The latest one is an Eleven. The older cages and springs are worn and sloppy. They release until high load. I almost got my money's worth, but they were $$$. Now the elevens were supposed to be better and they are, but after 1.5 yrs they are starting to get sloppy.

For me it seems the NDS pedal goes bad first. They definitely, require new shoes. Sidi will void the warranty if you don't use the Crank Bros cleat plate. Though my shoes have not cracked. The cage will wear two grooves in your shoes. If the shoe tread outboard and inboard of the cage is worn, your foot will rock side to side. This causes knee issues. I know two gents who gave up on them for this reason. I tried the black plastic "sleeves" to add support. They sort of worked, but they are not easy to install correctly. I think a partial disassembly is required to install them right.

I will be going with Time soon. I am done with band-aids. Very few negative comments with Time. The elevens will be snow/ice only duty if I don't make a warranty claim.

[DeJ]

Another vote for Time ATAC. I’ve used a set for the last four years. They have the right amount of float for my bad knees. I’ve beat the crap out of them, never cleaned or done maintenance on them and they still work perfectly.

I’ve had one bad crash while using these. When I came-to face first in the dirt, my bike was like ten yards away. So I came unclipped!