Mmmmm, needle bearings. Love them. They are only effective in taking load from one direction so they aren't used often but when they are its like butter. That is why I'm so excited to see Crank Brothers spec'ing them on the Eggbeater and Candy pedals as well as KCNC spec'ing some on their new bottom bracket. It'll be interesting to see how they are received and what the affect on product life cycle will be on bottom brackets.
The addition of these bearings to Cranks Brothers pedals should move them up to Shimano level smoothness. Having been through, Crank Bros., Shimano, and Time pedal systems I can say all three have flaws that prevent an outright winner to be named.
Time has the best progressive release tension with a super smooth feel. The bearing and bushing leave something to be desired. The Crank Brothers Eggbeater has the lightest platform, easiest engagement and by far the best looks. Their major flaw was the bushing-bearing setup that Time suffers from as well as some rocking due to tread height variations. The former has been fixed. The later has not. Shimano is bringing it home in the bearing quality and lack of energy lost to friction (which is not to be taken lightly) and has the highest quality manufacturing standards resulting in some top notch product.
No holy grail. And its better that way. We suffer small inconveniences and constantly strive forward in the name of the perfect design.
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