Eggbeater or Candy?

[two_third]

Eggbeater or Candy?

Words by Dan Saunders

March 2013

Dan Saunders regularly uses both the Crank Brothers Eggbeater and Candy pedals. Whilst elsewhere on CycleTechReview.com both sets are currently being tested, Dan offers his personal experience of these innovative pedals.

When I started riding seriously, there was one name in pedals that I was told I needed to try because of the variety of things I would be doing; that was Crank Brothers. I have used their pedals for everything from centuries to cyclo-cross. I have crashed at everything from zero mph to 35 mph and they never missed a beat. The question remains though – which do I prefer: Eggbeater or Candy?

The addition of an aluminium cage makes the Crank Brothers Candy pedals more attractive to many riders

I initially started out with the Candy. I liked the fact that there was a bit of a platform just in case I didn’t clip in or didn’t have my bike shoes. The Eggbeater initially gave me the impression that I would be pedaling on an axle. At the time, I wanted more area for my foot.

In races, the Candy performed well. Getting in and out was simple and easy. I only had mud issues in the muddiest of CX races. In dry conditions, they were great. The Candy never unclipped when they weren’t supposed to and even survived my 35mph crash in traffic.

I have yet to change the bearings in my Candys. I have been pretty good about keeping the grease in them fresh and have always dealt with Crank Brothers directly. Their service group is very quick to respond and when I had my accident, they fixed the shaved down pedal and sent it back quickly. I would have no hesitation in using their “spa” service if I didn’t feel like I could change out the innards myself… if it ever came to it.

Crank Brothers Eggbeaters

I picked up a pair of Eggbeaters after a couple of very muddy races where I ran into some issues with the mud not clearing from the cleat on trying to clip in. This was at the end of the season. The next race wasn’t as mucky, but I could tell there was a difference. It wasn’t until the following season that I was able to really put them to the test and they performed flawlessly.

In the interim, they were used for training and commuting and I enjoyed what seemed to be an even easier clip in and clip out. There was a little bit of a learning curve since you needed to be a bit more on target when you went to clip in, but once that was ingrained, it was as simple as stomping on the pedals.

While the Eggbeaters performed great, they were not without issues. Whether it was because of the lack of additional body to support my weight, or just my dismounting technique, I seemed to have loosened the left pedal somewhat quickly. When I contacted Crank Brothers about the issue, they again responded quickly and evaluated the pedal in a timely manner. If I remember right, they changed out the bearings and things were back to normal. I still use them today.

So which do I prefer? To be perfectly frank, it depends on the ride and conditions. I’ll typically race with Eggbeaters – especially if things are muddy. They clear mud more efficiently, which means I get power to the pedals quicker.

For commuting, long rides, and early season dry races I prefer the Candys. The additional platform seems to allow a little extra stability and power transfer, which is especially nice for those long uphill training rides. The weight difference between the two is even small enough that most should really feel no difference.

Crank Brothers Website

[/two_third]

[one_third_last]

[hdp-ad 20]
[hdp-ad 21]
[hdp-ad 22]
[hdp-ad 23]
[hdp-ad 24]
[hdp-ad 25]

[/one_third_last]