Am I too hard on things?

I've been running the same pair of Time ATACs for 10 years (seriously).

used em on all of my mtn bikes (freeride and XC), and now i run em on my fixie. They've taken a serious beating and never had a problem. ever.

I liked the way the Egg Beaters looked, and that you could click in on 4 sides, but they just kept breaking down on me. The bearings, or lack there of(because the chromey set use bushings) didnt spin freely.

NOW! I used Time ATAC exclusively, I bought 4 pairs at the VeloSwap and 3 sets of cleats, (all for under $100)in Denver, 3 years ago and every pair is used and abused on different bikes and they hold up great. I got older Aluminum ones because they take a beating better than an egg ever could, and in fancy colors too.

The cleats, like the Egg Beater are brass, and will wear out if you walk on them too much, but depending on the shoes the recessed cleat on most mountain bike shoes protect the cleat from wearing so fast, but i have worn a pair down to almost nothing and they still engaged.

My favorite part is the loud audible "pop" when you click in or out, nice to know that you did actually engage before that sprint from the long stop light, when you are going to pass a car.

Oh and BTW to anyone thinking about switching to the new lighter XS versions, the old cleats still work with the style new pedals, score!

Frye Guy

i've been rocking a wellgo brand spd set married to a (clunky-looking) pair of mtb shoes for about a year on my fixed gear with no problems...in any case wellgo's are cheap.....

I used them without problems when I was running a fixed gear.

I've actually had similar issues in the past, and the best solution I've come up with is to stop skidding with clipless pedals. It simply puts too much stress on the springs of most pedals. I've worked mostly with Shimano and Crank Brothers stuff, so I can't speak for Time pedals, but I imagine most pedals will have the same issues. You might try the basic Egg Beaters. The stainless/cromoly sets are pretty inexpensive and tough, but they'll still probably break eventually. Most clipless pedals are designed to yield at a certain point so that if you go endo' all of a sudden your feet come loose, and skidding puts a lot of the same stress on the pedals.
You could also use a lower gear ratio. This will make it easier to overcome the forward momentum of the wheel and you won't have to use as much force, which is what is damaging the pedals. Of course, you'll have to spin a whole lot faster to get places, too.

I use Time ATACs Pedals on both my mountain bike and road bike. The cleat is a little smaller too so you don't tend to "grind" it into concrete or wood floors. I have a set of XEs on 3 of my bikes and they get beat to shit on my mountain bike. If a pedal can survive multiple impacts with rocks...nay, boulders, at a fair speed while bombing downhill I would certainly hope it would hold up to some skidding. I've also used the Aliums (which are about $50 less than the XEs) and they're damn tough too...I've never broken a Time ATAC style pedal...ever. I HAVE broken a set of CB Candys...CBs don't tend to last long with bigger guys...even the ones without a weight limit seems weak...

I sent a pair in that I trashed. They reserviced them and shipped them back for free.

I had the same problem with the candies, cracked the case and the insides started coming out. It wasn't pretty. I called them trying to find a case and they told me to put the whole set in the mail. In two weeks I had a sparkly new (looking) pair.

The best substitute for good manners is fast reflexes.