Eggbeaters on road bike: Other than the cleat, is there any reason not to use them?

[cheapie]

I currently have Ultregra SL road pedals. great feel, entry, etc. but i have some knee pain and terrible achilles pain when using them for even a short while.

however, when i ride my mtn bike for pretty much any length of time i don't have either of those problems. i think i've checked my saddle position, cleat position, and pedal stroke and can't figure out anything different than that.

TIA!

 

[John M]

I currently have Ultregra SL road pedals. great feel, entry, etc. but i have some knee pain and terrible achilles pain when using them for even a short while.

however, when i ride my mtn bike for pretty much any length of time i don't have either of those problems. i think i've checked my saddle position, cleat position, and pedal stroke and can't figure out anything different than that.

TIA!

No problem at all for eggbeaters on the road. Fast Freddy Rodriguez rode eggbeaters in the Tour de France.

Your problem could be the shoes though (assuming that you are wearing a different model of shoe with your Ultegra cleats than the Eggbeaters on your MTB). Perhaps the arch support, last shape, etc...are different and are putting more pressure on your achilles. To confirm that it isn't some other aspect of the road bike position, you could put the eggbeaters on the road bike and ride with your MTB shoes a bit to see if the problems go away.

 

[cheapie]

No problem at all for eggbeaters on the road. Fast Freddy Rodriguez rode eggbeaters in the Tour de France.

Your problem could be the shoes though (assuming that you are wearing a different model of shoe with your Ultegra cleats than the Eggbeaters on your MTB). Perhaps the arch support, last shape, etc...are different and are putting more pressure on your achilles. To confirm that it isn't some other aspect of the road bike position, you could put the eggbeaters on the road bike and ride with your MTB shoes a bit to see if the problems go away.

good idea. i'm doing the five boro tour in a couple of weeks. i believe that's what i'll do. the 40 miles should give me an idea of whether or not it's the pedals.

fwiw, both shoes are specialized. the road shoes are the carbon pro and the mtn have a regular plastic sole.

 

[Flatscan]

good idea. i'm doing the five boro tour in a couple of weeks. i believe that's what i'll do. the 40 miles should give me an idea of whether or not it's the pedals.

fwiw, both shoes are specialized. the road shoes are the carbon pro and the mtn have a regular plastic sole.

A noted problem for SPD-SLs is that they have slightly less float than what is commonly available, IIRC 5deg. Most people can deal with it, some cannot. I switched from SPD to SPD-SL last month, and immediately started hitting the float limits. I didn't have time to fully dial them in, so I just switched back.

Are you planning to ride the 5Boro with your mountain shoes/pedals? That's a good idea since there's a good deal of walking and standing going up 6th Ave before the bunch breaks up in Central Park.

 

[Insight Driver]

I currently have Ultregra SL road pedals. great feel, entry, etc. but i have some knee pain and terrible achilles pain when using them for even a short while.

however, when i ride my mtn bike for pretty much any length of time i don't have either of those problems. i think i've checked my saddle position, cleat position, and pedal stroke and can't figure out anything different than that.

TIA!

When you say you checked your seat height, did you take into account that your different shoes have different thicknesses of their soles? Did you take into account the difference in how far your foot is from the spindle with your road shoe and pedal?

I happen to like my Eggbeater Candy pedals on my road bike, using a moutain bike shoe as well. I want the convenience of being able to walk easily in my biking shoes. I happen to like how easy it is to find the pedal and clip in compared to other designs and I like how easy it is to rotate out of the pedal when I want to. The manufacturers should stop differentiating their pedals and cleats between road and mountain bike. There is nothing inherently superior about a road pedal on a road bike versus a mountain bike pedal. There are different pedals, some more suitable for mud (hence mountain bike) where most road pedals would clog up and be useless in mud. There are road designs, however, that would work just fine on a mountain bike as well.

 

[capwater]

Work pretty good for this guy, one of the top domestic racers ..............

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/tech/probikes/?id=kgsn_bjm_merckx/BJM_KGSN_Truvativ_crankset

 

[vpr80]

Random question....for the guys doing the 5 Boro ride....how is that anyway? Is it fun or too many people? How hard is it? I am in ok shape but 40 miles is a lot so if its mainly flat then I should be ok but who knows. Anyway just wanted to hear your opinions.

thanks

 

[Flatscan]

Random question....for the guys doing the 5 Boro ride....how is that anyway? Is it fun or too many people? How hard is it? I am in ok shape but 40 miles is a lot so if its mainly flat then I should be ok but who knows. Anyway just wanted to hear your opinions.

thanks

I did it last year on little-to-no preparation, sedentary but not overweight. It's pretty flat except for the bridges and the BQE and Verrazano Narrows Bridge towards the end. I cramped partway through the BQE, managed to lower my gearing enough, then cramped severely and walked up the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

Does it have too many people? Yes, particularly until Central Park. Is it fun? Yes - I intend to ride it every year that I'm able.

 

[fish156]

I currently have Ultregra SL road pedals. great feel, entry, etc. but i have some knee pain and terrible achilles pain when using them for even a short while.

however, when i ride my mtn bike for pretty much any length of time i don't have either of those problems. i think i've checked my saddle position, cleat position, and pedal stroke and can't figure out anything different than that.

TIA!

Any chance that your crank arms are different lengths? You did not say, and a 5mm difference could easily cause the problems you describe. Some people are very tolerant of different crank arm lengths and some have a very narrow margin for comfort.

 

[cheapie]

Any chance that your crank arms are different lengths? You did not say, and a 5mm difference could easily cause the problems you describe. Some people are very tolerant of different crank arm lengths and some have a very narrow margin for comfort.

i don't know! i'll check. thx

 

[cheapie]

did the ride. i was amazed at how many people were in it. i gotta believe it was over 30k riders. spent a substantial amount of time walking, esp before central park. the v narrows was my favorite part because i was finally able to let my legs loose and climb. most of the time i was very carefully pedalling slowly around people that really aren't used to riding with other riders. it was probably one of the easiest organized rides i've ever done. pretty much vero effort except for the couple of climbs that i just let loose and tried to see how hard i could push it. then i had to sit and wait for the rest of my group.


the pedals....i put the egg beaters on the trek 5200 and sadly had achilles pain on the right leg within 5-10 miles. exactly the same pain.

good news: i don't need to spend a bunch of money on new pedals.
bad news: i still don't know is hurting my achilles.

i think my right leg is shorter than the left. would that make a difference?

 

[e_guevara]

bad news: i still don't know is hurting my achilles.

i think my right leg is shorter than the left. would that make a difference?

yes it does.

your shorter leg makes you extend your foot (by stretching your achilles tendon) at the bottom of the downstroke.

look for a shorter crank and replace. see what happens

 

[cheapie]

lol. that sounds like an expensive solution. if indeed my leg is shorter, can't i just get shims or something?

 

[John M]

lol. that sounds like an expensive solution. if indeed my leg is shorter, can't i just get shims or something?

You don't need a shorter crank arm. Yes, you can use shims. Look for the product called Le Wedge that is specifically made for shimming cleats. They are available in three versions (LOOK, SPD, or speedplay) that fit nearly all common pedal systems. You may want to work with a trained bicycle fitter, physical therapist that works with cyclists, or a podiatrist if you have a serious problem.

http://www.lemondfitness.com/products/lewedge/index.html

 

[cheapie]

thanks!

 

[cheapie]

i lowered my saddle a bit and that seems to have fixed the achilles problem. i've put on about 100 miles with virtually no pain in that area so i'm fairly happy.

 

[hd reynolds]

I currently have Ultregra SL road pedals. great feel, entry, etc. but i have some knee pain and terrible achilles pain when using them for even a short while.

however, when i ride my mtn bike for pretty much any length of time i don't have either of those problems. i think i've checked my saddle position, cleat position, and pedal stroke and can't figure out anything different than that.

TIA!

Crank Bros have road specific eggbeaters - quattro SLs.