Eggbeat 1/Clipless Pedal Review

To clip, or not to clip? A review on clipless pedals.


Most people think clipless pedals (Called clipless but you do clip in) are only a performance thing, but for a trike this isn’t always true.

Clipless pedals cure foot drop, and can take a little worry out of your ride.


I am going to talk about one style of pedal in particular: The Crankbrothers Eggbeater 1.


The Eggbeater 1 pedals look funny, but are good for several reasons.

First off the Eggbeater looks goofy, but it IS for a good cause. Most pedals only allow you to engage the pedal on either one or two contact points. These pedals allow for engagement on four sides, which means you don’t have to fumble around with the pedal getting it in to the right position. Just put your foot on and away you go!


Some people may argue that this next point is not an advantage, but I am a "reliability in simplicity" kind of guy. There is NO spring tension adjustment. What this means is you have no little screw or weird adjustments that might make engaging or disengaging feel uneven.


Another great thing with these pedals is that you can adjust the release angle. Depending on which side you mount each cleat, you can either have the cleat disengage at 15 degrees or 20 degrees.

This is good because you can have the cleat float some if you need to move around, but don’t want to disengage your foot.


If you are wanting to run this Crankbrothers Eggbeater or other clipless pedals, you will need to purchase shoes, and that will be covered in another review. My recommendation would be to buy them local to ensure fit and comfort. A nice touring shoe will give comfort more than efficiency but an overly stiff shoe can really ruin a ride.


This pedal is rebuildable, with kits available from Crankbros, which means you can keep these pedals forever and have them in tip top shape through the years.


These Eggbeaters, or any clipless pedal for that matter, give you a pretty big advantage in that you don’t have to worry about keeping your foot on the pedal. Even if you don’t make a conscious effort to pull as well, your body will end up realizing that there is extra work that can be done, and you will find your self clipping right along quicker than ever before.