Crank Brothers Acid 1 and 3 Pedals Review
As an engineer, I have a certain admiration for an elegant mechanism. Some devices are Rube Goldberg affairs of hacks and patches. Sure, they may work, maybe even work well, but it is another thing altogether to design something that offers performance and elegance.
The "eggbeater" mechanism in the Crank Brothers pedal line is one of these elegant mechanisms. Simple, reliable, and foolproof.
The eggbeater wings never need to have their spring tension adjusted. There's so little surface area that mud and grime just falls right through and cannot jam the wings. And a straight pulling force (like when you are sprinting) forces the wings to grip the cleats more tightly, so you cannot have a full-power release that catapults you over the bars.
I use Eggbeaters on my road bike. For the mountain bike, I like to have a bit of a platform as well so I can still pedal without being clipped in. I also find the platform helps to guide the cleat to the clip mechanism which makes clipping back in on the fly a little easier. Accordingly, I use the Acid model which has a medium-sized platform on it. Acid 1s are the entry-level model, and Acid 3s use some titanium and carbon fiber to lose a little weight and pick up some bling factor.
Even the Acid 3s aren't ultra-light, especially when compared to the high-end Eggbeater 11s, but I'm willing to trade a little weight to get the platform.
These pedals work really, really well. Clip in and go.
My only real complaint is that the pedal shaft support mechanism isn't nearly as well designed as the cleat engagement mechanism. The pedal body is supported by a cartridge bearing in the outboard position and a needle bearing on the inboard. Neither is well sealed, so the pedals need frequent stripping and cleaning or the bearings will get trashed.
Furthermore, these pedals have a lot of float (15 or 20 degrees based on cleat position on the shoe) I like having the float, but if you prefer a more laterally-supported feel to your feet you might find the float unsettling.
Overall though, if given some routine maintenance, these are great pedals. Recommended.
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