PEdal question -= difference between candies and eggbeaters

[SalsaMTB]

Candies will give you a slightly larger contact area on your shoe, depending on the shoe you are using.

Here is a picture of the candy w/ road shoe


As you can see, there is no contact at all on the platform. They will do nothing for you


Here is an image of the candy with a trail shoe, has some grip, but pretty smooth


There is still a small gap between the platform and the shoe. So they will do nothing for this type of shoe


Below is a picture of the candy with a meaty mountain shoe (sorry, not the greatest)


As you can see there is contact points near the bolt and the spindle. It is only slightly more contact near the bolt of a standard C pedal, but on the spindle side you do get a decent amount of more contact. This may help distribute the pressure a little bit

If you are looking for a shoe with a platform, this isn't the way to go, go for the mallets. They give good contact on a mountain shoe and can be used with a normal shoe. Personally, the tiny amout of additional contact the Candy give, I really don't see a need for it. I think people like them because they see the small platform and perceive it as doing more than it really does.

[bcipam]

Crank Brothers make the Eggbeater Pedals which come in different styles such as Candies, Mallets etc. The original Eggbeater is a small, 4 sided pedal which frankly looks like an eggbeater or whisk (you know like to cramble eggs with), Candies (as shown above) have a small platform which surrounds the eggbeater pedal, Mallets have a very large platform (and are suited for mountain biking).

The amount of surface supposedly distributes force outward. Many people like the smallness and ease of the original Eggbeater, plus it's very light weight. Platforms add weight but you gain some stability.