Review - Crank Brothers Eggbeater 3 Mountain Bike Pedals

I have tried and tested the majority of mountain bike pedals on the market today: from the reliable and cheap Shimano M520, to the innovative and expensive Look S-Track. To date though, I have yet to try the Crank Brothers offering. The Eggbeater has always intrigued me, and I recently had the chance to test and review it. This is my feedback...

The Crank Brothers Eggbeater 3 pedal is the lightest mountain bike pedal on the market today, and yet it boasts 4-sided entry and a high pedal-to-shoe contact area. It achieves this through the unique compact spring design; which allows the cleat to engage with the pedal in the recess of the shoe's lugs, whilst the tread lugs themselves stand firmly on the axle of the pedal either side of the spring.

The minimalist design is created to not just be lightweight, but also highly effective at shedding the mud and debris that might build up on a bulkier pedal. This makes the design highly attractive to mountain bikers, cyclocross riders, and gravel enthusiasts.

The design works. I was initially sceptical, and thought that the small spring and cleat would create a pressure point on the sole of the shoe. The reverse is in fact true; because the design means the tread of the shoe sits directly on the pedal axle, it creates a wide and comfortable contact point. In addition, the mud clearing is very effective, and the four-sided entry makes clipping in effortless.

The main concern voiced about Crank Brothers Eggbeater pedals is their longevity; I have heard stories of pedal bearings seizing and disintegrating mid-ride; it is in truth the reason I hadn't tested them to date, for fear of this happening on a long endurance ride. However, Crank Brothers have addressed the root of this problem: in the early Eggbeaters the pedal used a tiny spindle bearing (actually similar to many higher-end Shimano pedals), which was so small that it wasn't hard wearing. The new design utilises a larger premium quality bearing set, housed behind double seals, and secured with a strong hex-key end cap. The design looks and feels far more robust, and Crank Brothers are so confident in the new durability of the pedals that they provide a five-year warranty on all Eggbeater 3 pedals.

I have been riding on the Eggbeater 3 pedals fitted to my 3T Exploro for over a month now, racking up 1500+ gravel kilometres in the process. The pedals continue to perform faultlessly; with a smooth feel, positive cleat engagement, squeak-free performance, and strong feeling of effective power transfer.

I am impressed. Crank Brothers appear to have taken a great design that had a few initial faults, and ironed out the issues to create an industry leading product.

>> View the Crank Brothers Eggbeater 3 Mountain Bike Pedals here <<

Editor note: I will of course, as with all reviews, update this review if the durability of the Eggbeater pedals does not hold with continued wear and use. However, given their performance so far, I don't expect this to be an issue.