Crank Brothers Blue Eggbeater 3 Cast Steel Bike Pedals

I ultimately returned these. I bought a new 3900 dollar bike, went to have the shop install these but the threads on one was messed up and I did not want to screw up the threads on my crank arm (carbon fiber). I had them install my 12 year old crank brothers on the bike. From comparing the old vs the new ones, I think my old ones are better quality than these. Seems like maybe these are seconds or rejects. Either Crank Brothers have poor quality control or someone is selling rejects. Great price but buyer beware.

I've loved Crank Brothers ever since I started buying their products. These pedals were my fourth pair. My 1-3 were all perfect, and lasted forever. They were two sets of Mallets, and then the previous version of this pedal. I've been riding more aggressively since I became a dad, because I have less time to ride, and thus, I broke my last pair after having them for about 4 years. Ordered a new pair from Amazon, and about a month after installing, I looked down and noticed the pedals looked brown, as though I had painted them such. No. It was rust! Rust? Really? Rust? A friend ordered a pair a month before I did, and has had no such issues. I mean, they still work just fine. But how long do I expect them to last when they are rusted? Never had such an issue with my old ones. I haven't yet sought resolution with CrankBrothers, because last time I tried to reach them using their system, I NEVER heard back. I'm too busy to spend time chasing after them, even though I ought to do just that. Your mileage may vary.

I am a fan of Eggbeater pedals but they do have their drawbacks. The Eggbeater 3 pedal is a good compromise between the lower-end pedals and the ultra-pricey titanium version that costs as much as a few entry-level bike-shop bikes. The titanium pedals also are a bit iffy if you weight more than 200lbs; breaking a spindle while riding is an experience you never want to do even once. It sucks and if it happens in heavy traffic it could be the last thing you ever do. Just sayin' The older design Crankbrothers pedals had a reputation of breaking even with the steel spindles due to poor design of the spindle machining steps. They claim to have fixed this now and I feel the new ones are no more prone to breaking than other pedals on the market. Still, a reputation remains... The new pedal design still has not fully succeeded in fixing the seal problem. Water and muck still gets into the bearings more than other pedal designs. Water and muck in the bearings are bad news for longevity. The good news is that Eggbeaters are extremely easy to take apart, clean, and re-grease. You should do it often and do it regularly before there is a problem. You can also buy a rebuild kit which will make the pedals like new if you wait too long. Just be aware that the maintenance requirements of Crank Brothers pedals are higher than other brands but if you keep up with it they will last nearly forever. It's a give and take. Being able to rebuild these pedals is worth it IMHO as a cost of needing it much more often. The only other issue I have with these pedals is cosmetic. The colors are ugly and tacky IMHO. The painted springs soon become chipped up and the paint flakes off terribly. They look terrible. They should just keep the springs silver and be DONE with it. The rubber sleeves that come with the pedal are ugly colored and exact replacements are not available either. Sure,you can buy the optional tread contact sleeves to replace them with but the smallest sleeve on the kit is MUCH thicker than the tiny included one. If it is too large then you are SOL and there is no going back. CB doesn't sell the original ones -even if you don't like the tacky colors. The sleeve kit should include a copy of the original band too so there IS a going back. The aluminum anodized bearing end cap is also the same tacky matching color as the springs and the nylon bands. If you ride off-road they will soon get really messed-up. Also the aluminum is so soft that the first time you go to remove them to service the bearings the screw slot will get messed-up, even if you have a large-enough screwdriver that actually fits the HUGE slot it will still bend a little and look like heck. Fortunately the bearing rebuild kit comes with black plastic replacements that are not tacky-looking and are actually lighter than the mild-aluminum ones. Or you can buy titanium aftermarket replacement end-caps that are stronger and don't scratch or deform when you put a screwdriver to them. Unfortunately they are actually heavier than the super-soft aluminum ones by a fraction of a gram. That goes to show just how soft and fluffy the alloy ones that come with the pedals. They are not a dense/strong grade of aluminum at all. But all in all these are great pedals with a few minor issues with needing grease often and cosmetic issues that are not a big deal for most people. They aren't the lowest cost pedal on the market but then again riding higher-end bicycles isn't for poor people.

I'm surprised by some of the negative reviews on these pedals. I'm not sure how anyone can find it difficult to clip into these pedals, and I'm equally unclear how rust is an issue on a pedal made of stainless steel and aluminum - but a couple of the low ratings mention these problems. I've had great luck with my Crank Bros 3 pedals. I purchased mine for $85 - probably about the best deal going for pedals of this quality. At 278 grams they are significantly lighter than comparable and more expensive Shimano SPDS. In 2+ years, I've yet to clog them with mud. They come with a 5 year warranty (well above industry standard), and the fact that they are serviceable (available rebuild kits for just over $10) make them pretty unique in the market. Despite their lean design, they've been very solid for me, and I put them through the paces. My racing days are pretty limited, but I ride these pedals at least twice a week - 2 to 4+ hours per ride in a wide array of conditions here in NorCal. (BTW: I'm 5'11, 177 lbs.) Never had any trouble! But when I eventually do, it's VERY nice to know that I can actually service these bad boys with a relatively cheap rebuild kit. So nice to know there are still a few companies out there that design products with routine maintenance in mind. I wish they made an entire group!

replace my Shimano PD-A530 with this eggbreater 3. At first and second ride, clipping in feels harder than SPD but release is lot easier and quicker. after more ride i was getting use to it. overall, I Love it! Update 5/9/2012 The pedal hold up excellent after 3,000+ miles on them. Believe it or not? I am getting a new set for my new road bike. Just getting into road bike this year so, I have to buy a pedal and after I try these road shoes, I design I go with MTB shoe instead. First I already have a expensive MTB shoe, second I getting use to the egg beater. and the last they are so light and looking cool :) I have about 300 miles on my new egg beater on the road bike and they just feel great!