Crankbrothers Quattro vs. SPD - So confused!

[RolliePollie]

Hello everyone,

Wow, this site is AWESOME! I just bought my new Trek 1000 WSD about a month ago and I'm loving it so far!!! Aside from a little lack of coordination, I think I'm progressing pretty well. Now if winter would just go away, I could start getting in some good rides!

I'm beginning to look at clipless pedals, but I'm getting conflicting advice. I'm looking at Crankbrothers Quattros vs. SPDS. One friend, a mountain biker, recommends Quattros and says they're much easier for a newbie than SPDs. But my road cycing friend recommends SPDs and says "just don't get eggbeaters!" One tells me Quattros are easier to get in and out of, the other tells me just the opposite. My #1 concern is getting OUT of the pedals, as I've had so much trouble with the toe clips & straps that came with my Trek that I finally just took them off. Also, I definitely want pedals that you can clip into from both sides (this is also based on my struggles with the toe clips/straps AND from observations of my un-coordinated feet by both friends). I already have road shoes that will fit multiple cleat patterns.

Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated!

[LBTC]

Hi, Sara

I used to have Shimano SPDs on my mountain bike and on my road bike. I used to have them set on the lightest setting to be able to get out of them quickly. Although they were adjustable, which was a good thing, I also found that I could accidentally adjust them the wrong way! Ouch! They also required some maintenance - all those moving parts needs lube and need to be checked frequently.

When I switched to Candy's on my mtb, which I also used on my road bike until DH bought me quattros, I loved them instantly! What I have found over time is that the cleat for the eggbeater series of pedals is softer so that it wears out first and the pedal will stay true to its shape for a long time. You do need to replace the cleats more often than you would with Shimanos, but they are not very expensive. The Candy's are great on the mtb, and the quattros are perfect on the road bike. They have just the right sized surface for balance and for pedaling and coasting unclipped, which I tend to do when I'm getting going and getting stopped. I have had no trouble with them not releasing when I need them to!

Me, I'd go with the quattros in a second!

If you're ever worried about getting out of your pedals, a quick spray of your cleats with teflon spray before a ride and they'll be just like butter!

DH just got himself a set of quattros on ebay and says the pricing is looking very good there at the moment. It's worth a look. OH, and they come in such pretty colours!

Oh, and the eggbeaters are the simple pedal with just the mechanism and no frame around it. These can wear your shoes out because there is not surface to hold your weight from around the shoe...which might be why you've been told to avoid them.

Have fun with your new bike!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Mimosa]

Hi Sara

Just pick the one ~you~ like best (look and price). Both are (about) technically equal, and big chance that you'll stick the rest of your life with the one (brand) you choose in the beginning.

I started of 15 years ago with the look pedals, progressed to shimano pedals because they were less bulky at that time. I switched to Time (RXS) 2 years ago but didn't like that, so I am back to the Shimano SPD-SL.

[DrBadger]

Hey Sara-
I have crank brothers pedals on my road bike and love them. I have the candies, which a similar to the quattros, but officially a mountain pedal... the only real difference between the candies and the quattros is the platform they put over the egg beater part of the pedal (from what I understand).

I got a lot of good recomendations for these when I was first looking into clipless pedals, so went with them. However, when I got them the girl at the bike shop (who I had not delt with before) was surprised because she thought they were hard to smaller girls to clip into. They were a little difficult at first, but that is because I needed to wear the cleat in. I just sat in a doorway and clipped and unclipped a lot. Now they are super easy to get into, and I can still pedal quite easily without being clipped in like when I start from a stop sign or light.

As for getting out of them, so easy! So much easier than the SPD pedals on the spin bikes at the gym (though I am sure that is a really bad comparison). You don't have to tug at all, just rotate your foot outwards (or inwards, good if you are falling!) and you will slide right out.

On another note, your location says Northern Californa... where in N. Cal. are you? I am in Palo Alto, and there are a ton of other women on the boards in the bay area. You should come join us for a ride sometime! Despite that lots of them do crazy things like double centuries and bravet series they are really great with newbies!

Good luck, and hope to meet you soon!
Ellen

[VeloVT]

I have Ultegra pedals (SPD-SL) on my road bike and eggbeaters on my cyclocross bike. Frankly, while the eggbeaters are easier to clip out of, I find the Ultegras easier to clip into, in spite of the fact the the Ultegra pedal is one-sided and the eggbeaters are four-sided. And the Ultegras are not actually hard to clip out of, once you develop a feel for it.

I'm happy with the eggbeaters on my cx bike, as they do a great job of shedding slop -- right now I'm using it as a winter commuting bike, and I know I'd be having major issues with road pedals/cleats getting clogged with mud and ice in this weather. They're also exceptionally easy to clip out of -- it's like you just think about clipping out and poof! you are. But overall, for riding, I have to say I prefer my Ultegra pedals. Clipping in or out is very consistant and is accompanied by a satisfying clunk, so there's never any question of whether you're fully clipped in. And this may be my imagination, but I **feel** like the broader platform gives me more power transfer. This really doesn't make sense from a physics perspective, but at any rate I feel very solidly connected to the bike -- they make me feel more secure.

I understand how... awkward... or time-consuming... it can feel to flip over both toe-clips on a bike with clips & straps in order to get started, especially in traffic. But the one-sided spd-sls are not like this at all -- the pedal is weighted such that it always hangs at the same angle, and doesn't need to be "flipped over" -- you really just need to step on it.

I've never used any of the Crank Bros styles with a platform, and it sounds from everything I've read on this forum that people like them. Based on my experience with the eggbeaters though, I would caution you that the Crank Bros system is not necessarily as easy to clip into -- I've found that I've stopped aiming for a precise, immediate clip in when I start in traffic (the kind I can get easily with my road pedals), instead i just put my foot somewhere on the pedal and sometime in the first 5 revolutions I"ll "feel" the "sweet spot" and "get" clipped in. I would imagine this may be more of an issue with the platform design, since you have the four-sided clip rotating inside the platform, giving you less than full access to it, and at any given time it may have to be rotated a 1/4 turn before you can engage it. For me, the Ultegras are faster to get into.

This is my (longwinded) two cents. I think pedals can be a lot like saddles -- meaning a whole lot will depend on the quirks of individual preference.

Good luck!!!

[jobob]

I really like my eggbeater pedals and have them on both of my road bikes.

I have no problem clipping in or out with them.

When I first got them I had a little bit of difficulty clipping in one foot. I found that the sole of that shoe (I use mountain bike shoes) was interfering a little bit with the clip/cleat connetion. I carefully shaved away a very small bit of the sole of that shoe around the cleat opening, per the instructions provided by Crank Bros in the eggbeaters box. I had no more problems clipping in after that.

I won't use any pedals other than eggbeaters now.

[Veronica]

I switched from my SPDs to Eggbeaters to save weight last November, no other reason. I can honestly say I don't see any real difference in clipping in or out with either type.

V.

[missymaya]

My first set of clipless pedals were the crankbrothers eggbeaters and I loved them! They're great starter pedals. But, when you miss clipping in the pedal, there's a good chance you'll hit your calf against the pedal. I know I had bruises on my left calf for a little while, learning how to clip into them, but that didnt bother me. Either than that, they were great.

[HillSlugger]

For my first clipless I decided I liked the idea of the adjustable release tension so I went with spd M520's. I've been happy with them for nearly a year and see no reason to switch to anything else.

[BeeLady]

I have SPDs, they are the only ones I've used and I like 'em and I like the shoes that I got with them that I can also walk in, as I use my bike for errands.

Two tips that were given to me that I think are worth passing on: when you buy your shoes and SPDs/eggbeaters/whatever, ask for your bike to be put on a trainer in the LBS and practice clipping and unclipping for a while. Second tip: I am glad that I got in the habit of always unclipping my left foot; no thinking, just unclip that foot. I leave my right foot clipped as that is my stronger leg to push down on the pedal when I start off.

[emily_in_nc]

I had to shave the sole of my heavy-treaded mountain shoes (Cannondales) a LOT to be able to clip in at all to Eggbeaters Candies. Eventually I got it mostly right, but I still had some trouble clipping in with my second foot on rooty singletrack, since I couldn't coast long enough on that type of surface to clip in easily every time, so I often ended up riding with the second foot unclipped for awhile. Not fun!

So, on the recommendation of Triskeliongirl, who posts here, I switched to Speedplay Frogs and sleeker shoes and LOVE the pedals. They are very easy to clip into and out of; I never give it a second thought. And, they have float to help your knees, unlike SPDs (as I understand it, I've never used SPDs).

Good luck with whatever you end up with. I'm obviously in the minority with the Eggbeaters. I did like them -- I suspect my shoe was more to blame than the pedals, and the fact that I had a shim under the right cleat to correct for a leg-length discrepancy. I think that made clipping in harder. So, you will probably not have this experience.... The Candies colors were great - I do miss that about them, since I love a color-coordinated bike. Oh well, can't have everything!

Emily

[LBTC]

My first set of clipless pedals were the crankbrothers eggbeaters and I loved them! They're great starter pedals. But, when you miss clipping in the pedal, there's a good chance you'll hit your calf against the pedal. I know I had bruises on my left calf for a little while, learning how to clip into them, but that didnt bother me. Either than that, they were great.

Just thought I'd clarify:

I can see this being a problem with the original Eggbeater pedal that is a tidy little metal frame with no platform around them. The Quattro (and the Candy) has a generous platform around that little metal frame, so a missed clip just means your foot is on the pedal surface, not sliding off of it. I am a spaz enough that I miss the clip in once in awhile on either of these pedals, but I usually don't end up with the dreaded big hit on the back of the leg....those hurt!

H&B
~T~

[RolliePollie]

Thanks everyone for all the great info and advice! I think I scored today...my uncle is sending me a set of "gently used" SPD pedals to try. I also noticed Sierra Trading Post has the Quattros on sale right now. I think I'll wait for the freebies to get here and see what I think...then maybe just go ahead and order the Quattros so I can compare. It sounds like lots of people are happy with both types. It would be nice to have the chance to compare both...however it's also very hard not to be swayed by the prospect of free pedals! This is getting me all excited about going clipless. I can't wait to see the difference in the feel of pedaling. There are literally no flat roads or trails here where I live, so any power I can get from the upward pedalling motion should help a lot.

PABadger...I'm up in the mountains between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, so I'm a pretty good distance from you. Thanks for the invitation to ride though! I might have to drive that far to find some flat terrain - lol. Right now there is snow on the ground so my bike gets a rest while I go skiing tomorrow!