NEW BIKE DAY! Felt Cafe 3

Routinely we at the shop are asked: "what do you ride?"  Well, we spend a lot of time talking about the bikes we race, but sometimes I want to ride something other than my race bike.  My wife recently approached me about getting something we can ride the neighborhood together on.  Something we can either hook up a trailer or toss on a baby seat to tote our kiddo with us.  Something she can commute on and lock up.  Her Lynskey Cooper just doesn't fit the bill there.

Enter the Felt Cafe 3.  First and foremost, the color was right.  My wife fell for the Robin Egg Blue immediately.  And let's be honest: color really matters.  People don't always want to admit that, but it's true.

The Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub is excellent for the city since it's very low maintenance, concealed from the elements, and simple to use.

I also went with the Cafe 3, but mine came in a color called Putty.  I like a toned-down colorway much of the time, so it works for me.  I considered a Navy Cafe 8, but since I'll be adding a Topeak Babysitter II rack, it made no sense to get a bike that came with a stock rack.

After considering a lot of options, the Cafe 3 screamed to us.  Being made of aluminum the bike is actually pretty light.  Customers are used to seeing steel bikes that are 30 years old that look like this and weigh 40-50 lbs.  30 lbs for the Cafe 3 makes a remarkable difference.

We had a short list of requirements mentioned before: comfortable, easy to maintain, reliable, simple, and someone with plenty of utility.

On Test: Crank Brothers Egg Beater 11 Titanium Pedals

After spending a few years riding Egg Beaters I decided to give SPD's a try.  I had to return a couple pairs of Egg Beaters after breaking them, so I thought a change was in order.  Sure, Egg Beater pedals are light, and they shed mud incredibly well, but if they break in a race neither of those things matter.

When changing to SPD, I saw no reason to start mid-level and went straight to XTR.  They offered a secure engagement like nothing I had used before.  The audible click was almost as positive as the actual snap I could feel when clipping in.

A couple of years down the road, I felt the urge to get something lighter.  No, the XTR isn't a pig, but there are many lighter options out there.  With The Lumberjack 100 looming, I decided to go big and try out some Egg Beater 11 Ti pedals.

Since the pedals had been redesigned, my hope is that the few issues I had with the previous generation pedals had been remedied.  At a claimed 174g per pair (176g according to my scale) the new pedals are a full 130g lighter than my M-980 XTR pedals.  Yeah, they are close to half the weight of the XTR.  That's no small amount, by the way.

Out of the box, the fit and finish are top-notch.  The blingtastic nature of the Egg Beater 11 fit well with the theme of my Niner Air9 RDO which is built to be super light, and perfectly race-ready.

Mounting them was uneventful, as it should be.  Bad news would ensue if your $425 pedals don't thread in nicely.  Setting up cleats is a process for myself, I set up cleats for others frequently, but on my own shoes can be a challenge.  Once happy with the position, I started logging some miles.

To date I have about 600 miles on these pedals, almost entirely off-road.  The pedals haven't been subjected to too much mud, though they've seen a little water.  The pedals have seen a lot of dust, though, with the dry conditions we've seen this year.  600 miles in and they spin perfectly, adjustment is as it should be.

A true test of these pedals comes next weekend at The Lumberjack.  Until then I plan to log a few more short and sweet workouts to keep my legs fresh and my mind on the pedals.  Once Lumberjack is done these pedals will see cyclocross duty.

Much more to come....