Feedback on Cheap Ti spindles for Crank Brothers Eggbeater

[carbonazza]

I finally tried cheap Ti spindles two months ago.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/RockBros-Titanium-Ti-Bike-Bicyle-Pedal-Spindle-for-Crank-Brothers-Egg-Beater-Candy-1-2-3/1752403716.html

However while hunting a creak that appeared recently, I found out it was coming from the left pedal( amplified as usual by the frame ).

Look at what I saw when disassembling it (the top one):

Scary isn't it?

The bottom one is new, as I received two left side by mistake
The other spindle(right side) is not as bad, but already well underway.

After breaking 2 crank brothers in 2 years.
And having tried cheap Ti spindles, I'm afraid it is time to look for another brand of pedals.

Anyone has relatively light pedals and still happy after months of usage ?

[xcbarny]

I love my speedplay frogs, though probably not the best if you get a lot of mud. They give a really solid conection, as they don't rely on the soles of your shoe for support.

Previous to that i was on time Atacs for many years, with few durability issues, just a bit pricey.

[Patrick C.]

Did you break the steel eggbeaters too, or just Ti? 

[karstenhorn]

Hello

I recently bought a set of TI spindles too in order to solve an issue with too narrow Q-factor on my crankset. I saw the Aliexpress ones but did not trust their manufacturing process as I have read that their TI usually contains way too much aluminium. I bought from this USA based producer/seller http://www.ebay.com/itm/151575142140 and after 500 km of riding, they basically looks like new even I'm 220 pounds and heavier than their max weight recommendation.

[voodoo320]

Wow, I thought Ti should be strong and sturdy...  I have steel eggbeater and still works at it best...
 

[SportingGoods]

The problem with Titanium is that depending on quality it will be stronger or weaker then steel. I'd bet that the CB Ti spindle is high quality (but such expensive!) when the cheap ones are weak. I'd stick to steel.

I would recommend Time pedals. They are perfect to me:
- Large float (allows to move freely on the pedals without unclipping)
- Nice mud shedding (better then Shimano, probably not as good as CB)
- Very good weight/price ratio: I found a good deal on XC 8 (carbon / steel), 100€ / 287g the pair. Time XC 12 (carbon / Ti) are 200€ / 244g (but can be found cheaper, probably 160€ when hunting for deals).
- there is still some material around the spring so they are protected from rocks and there is a nice area for the foot to land unclipped. They are still in perfect condition (no damage, no play) after 15 month. I haven't done any preventive maintenance.

[JohnnyNT]

Xpedo XMF08TT are light (215g) shimano-style pedals, people have been happy with them.

[carbonazza]

Thank you all for the information.
I'll review Xpedo( I saw already these skinny beauties on r2-bike.com ), Time( I need some float similar to CB pedals ) and Speedplay models.

The pedals that failed:
An Eggbeater 2, all the inside parts exploded in pieces.
The spindle wasn't broken but well striped.

A Candy 1, the spring snapped in two pieces.
Nothing related to the spindle.

[Carbon_Dude]

carbonazza, like you I have liked Eggbeater pedals for many years.  However, my recent experience from 2 years ago when I broke a spindle got me thinking about changing pedals.  However, since Crankbrothers warrantied my replacement pedals and I ended up with three new sets, I have stuck with them for now.

However, if I were to change, I'd try the second most popular pedal out there, Shimano XT/XTR.  In recent years Shimano has improved the design of the pedals and other riders who have switched did so because the Shimano pedal have zero maintenance and extremely high reliability. 

[SportingGoods]

What almost got me into the Xpedo is the SPD compatibility. Shimano SPD is still the most common standard, so that it is easier to try someone else's bike or get someone test your bike w/o changing pedals. And as much as I like the weight of the Xpedo, I still question their ability to stand All-Mountain abuse, hitting rocks regularly. So I stick to my Time pedals as long as they don't break, but most my friends have Shimano and it sucks that I can't just pull the leg over their bike and test it 
I'm so used to generous float now that I'm not sure I could go back to other pedals. My previous pedals were Look S-Track and they were rigid as hell, 0° of float. Perfect for commuting or road.

[carbonazza]

if I were to change, I'd try the second most popular pedal out there, Shimano XT/XTR.

I started with a pair of XT, but like sportingGoods it looks I'm used to some float now, and found them rather rigid, when using them as backup pedals.

@sportingGoods, I'm confused, do the XPEDO are SPD with float? Or only CB and Time provide it?

[SportingGoods]

It's hard to tell until you have tried yourself. Numbers mean nothing. The Look S-Track claim 3° of float, this is very inaccurate, it is really 0°, you are stuck in one position once clipped. The SPD design does not seem to call for real float, so I would say the feeling is nowhere near CB or Time.

[JohnnyNT]

One more thing to keep in mind is that Shimano SPD has 2 types of cleats, one of which allows a certain level of horizontal play : http://www.berklix.org/bike/shimano/cleats/ Nevertheless, for the Ti XPEDO pedals, steel shimano cleats are not recommended. Brass cleats are included and IIRC you can get TI cleats as well.

[cmh]

I bought from this USA based producer/seller http://www.ebay.com/itm/151575142140 and after 500 km of riding, they basically looks like new even I'm 220 pounds and heavier than their max weight recommendation.

Having had chain failures in the past, I wouldn't be in any rush to overload pedal spindles. Having one of them fail while you're really cranking on the bike is going to end _very_ badly, and if you happen to be going fast at the time, it'll be very badly indeed. I'm 220lb and value my nuts and face far too much to ride Ti spindles by anyone.

[cmh]

The problem with Titanium is that depending on quality it will be stronger or weaker then steel. I'd bet that the CB Ti spindle is high quality (but such expensive!) when the cheap ones are weak. I'd stick to steel.

No. Got a degree in mechanical engineering and was into bikes when I went to school so was particularly interested in the materials aspect. Titanium is _not_ stronger than steel - it may have a higher specific strength, which is to say its strength relative to its weight, but there is no grade of titanium that is stronger than any decent grade of steel.

Looking at specific strength, there are grades of aluminum that are stronger than steel - relative to their weight - but you wouldn't make pedal spindles out of it.

Even with the highest quality aircraft grade titanium I would _NOT_ run Ti spindles if I were over 180lbs or so - the diameter of the pedal spindles is just far too small, and the penalty for a spindle failure is too damn painful.