Weaknesses: The peddles work for the first day and never worked after that. They did not get broken riding and when I called crankbrothers tech. support they could care less about what I was saying. Switch to shimano they work so much better!
Strengths: I liked this pedal due to the fact I could ride it without having to put my mtb shoes on all the time. it was easy to clip in. It lasted for almost 2 years. Easy on the knees when comparing to shimanos.
Weaknesses: The bearing on the left pedal went south about a year into it. It still rode good, but it didn't spin freely very well. it didn't affect my cycling whatsoever. I had read about this being an issue, but wanted to give these pedals a whirl anyway. non servicable. It did break finally and luckily i wasn't in too far and only had to hike it out about 3 miles. It sheared off like many other people have had happen. I was amazed by that. They don't grip to your shoe that great when unclipped, but i was still able to hit jumps un clipped and stick the landings. I beat these up and they held up for 2 years almost! Oh and they are slippery when wet! Oh and you can't tighten the clip.
Bottom Line:
for what i paid, i got 2 summers at northstar and downieville and my secret trails near p town just about every day out of them. I was happy with these pedals, just bummed that they finally gave in. I may even buy them again, but now i'm in shopping mode and i'm just seeing what else is out there. My buddy has some shimano 50/50s and i may go that route, we'll see. I like the floatness in the pedals on my knees. It doesn't bind them up like the shimanos do.
Similar Products Used: shimanos, oldschool voda/vovas whatever they are! 2 piece shimanos and 1 piecers. and these crank bros flats/clips.
Bike Setup: devinci jalapeno free ride which i love. i don't care if you can ride your hardtail faster than me!!
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
willtsmith_nwi
a Weekend Warrior
from Valparaiso, IN
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2010
Strengths: The concave platform design is #1 in it's class as gives you three points of contact on the shoe. It's easy to get in and out of these once you get used to them.
Weaknesses: They are dangerously unreliable. I lost count of the number of axles I snapped from XC riding. I was putting off switching because all my pedals were some variety of Egg Beaters. The final snapped axle directly resulted in a separated shoulder.
Besides dangerously crappy metallurgy, the seals on this and the Acid pedal are horrible. The rebuild kits don't even come with all the parts you need to completely reseal the pedal.
One set came with the wrong size allen key interface.
Bottom Line:
Crank Brothers will replace their low quality parts, but they can't replace my busted shoulder. Thank you for that Crank Brothers. It was my mistake to think that such clever designers would be teamed with such poor manufacturing and quality control.
By now the poor quality of Crank Brothers products draws is legendary on the boards. I will never by ANY Crank Brothers part again. They simply don't understand that a part failure in action is potentially dangerous to the health of the user.
Think twice before you buy a Crank Brothers product.
Submitted by
dirtdawg21892
a Weekend Warrior
from new england
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2009
Strengths: platform as well as clip, i stand up and crank hard on the platform and it works fine (as long as it's not wet)
Weaknesses: paint on platform scratched of by cleats on first ride
Bottom Line:
awesome pedal, just keeps going. even after my friend's sister backed over my bike, putting the pedal through the pavement they worked fine. the aluminum bash gaurds were smashed off both sides last season, and they dont have much paint on them, but they still work well. the springs have loosend, but after 2 years what do you want? (my times were toast after just one season) buy them if you want to be able to take your bike out without putting your cleats on for a spin down the road.
These are fantastic pedals. I have used these for almost five years now from the Sierra Nevadas, to New England and now down to Florida. They were a great pedal to start using and continue to suit all conditions. More than just their performance, Crank Brothers deserves huge credit for customer service. The only problem I have had was that I actually broke the metal 'egg beater', way past the warranty period. One call to Crank Brothers and they said send the pedals in. They not only fixed the part, but did the full 'spa' treatment on both pedals and replaced the spindles...all for free. Needless to say, I am Crank Brothers fan and will stick with them for the long haul.
Similar Products Used: Haven't needed to use anything else
Bike Setup: 2004 Iron Horse Warrior Elite. Pedals on original Blaze crankset
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Wozzich
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2009
Strengths: Good solid platform, looks the business.
Weaknesses: After about two months of daily riding to work they started to click and creak, even after a rebuld. Also had a few inital clipping in issues.
Bottom Line:
I got these with the idea of having a platform so if I need to ride to the shops for milk and bread I don't have to put my shoes on. But I think they're designed for big hits and hard riding not big mileage.
Similar Products Used: Time Atac for about 8 years, ended up a bit creaky.
Bike Setup: Ghost 5000SE hardtail running slicks one the daily ride and various off road tyres.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
brontotx
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2009
Strengths: Platform (sorta if you don't mind the hump from the egg beaters) in addition to clipless
Weaknesses: WEAK! I've broken three axles in two years. I am a 280 lb clyde and put down a lot of power, so perhaps I am at the edge of the design limit, although there is no published weight limit for these pedals. CB customer service is great and replace the axles quickly at no charge, but I am fortunate to not have gored my ankle on the stubs. Plus, I had to walk out about a mile and a half the last time an axle broke.
Bottom Line:
Since CB just rebuilt mine, I'm selling them on e-bay as I don't trust them to not break again. Going to try some Times.
Submitted by
jSatch
a Weekend Warrior
from SandyEggo, SoCal
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2009
Strengths: Easy in-out clip
Large, stable surface
Customer Service
Weaknesses: Heavy
Needs pins
Bottom Line:
This is a compromise product, and as such appeals to a large audience. Very good as a clip-in pedal, but probably too heavy for XC purists. Eggbeaters for them, possibly Candys.
Unclipped I didn't find this reassuring on small jumps or rough fast terrain where you'd want to be unclipped - too much slippage compared to flats. I think this may have been addressed in the newer models (1-3) that have pins, like good flats have. I hope so as it is the only weak point for me of this pedal. For my riding (trail/AM) this pedal is far superior to Candys or the old school spd/platforms I had before. I just can't see using it for FR or DH riders unless the slippage is addressed.
They are heavy, which is less an issue to me than how tough these things are.
As for customer service- couldn't be happier. One of the butterfly clips kept binding, eventually getting stuck. I thought I'd try the rebuild kit. Turns out the rebuild is for the bearings, but does nothing for the butterfly issue. So the rebuild did nothing. Second, as I had the kit, I thought I'd rebuild the the good pedal. Couldn't get the plastic cap off and stripped it. Tried drilling it out (resist the urge) but couldn't get all the plastic remains off the threads, so tried drilling the threads (could always glue a cap on), but still couldn't get to the axle lock nut.
Sent it to CB. They replaced the axle the butterfly rides on and somehow finished rebuilding my other pedal. They feel better than when they were new.
Had the pedals back on the bike in about a week.
Charge for fixing my screw-ups: Zero.
I'd rate the pedals as 5 if not for the slippage when riding unclipped as it can be hazardous to your health- but this may be a moot point on the newer models with pins. Haven't tried them. So a point deduction on the 'overall' scoreboard for the C model.
I'd rate the customer service as exceptional. Something to think about when you drop 100+ dineros on pedals.
This pedal is a compromise, but probably the best on the market to date for trails/AM riding.
Similar Products Used: Candys, old red Shimano spd/platform, Flats
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Heckler with wheels, brakes and other cool stuff
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Marcus
a Cross Country Rider
from San Antonio
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2009
Strengths: Four sided entry is very nice. GOOD platform. Very nice looking pdeal.
Weaknesses: I have owned two pairs of these and on both pairs the coil spring broke within 6 months. Luckily performance has an excellent return policy. They replaced them at no cost.
Bottom Line:
I really like this pedal design but remain miffed at the idea that they only last a few months before the spring brakes..I will give them another tru, if no next time I will go with a Shimano pedel.
Submitted by
asanathema
a Cross Country Rider
from frostburg, md usa
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2009
Strengths: crankbro's cleats. large platform. easy entry. cleats or no cleats. price.
Weaknesses: paint durability, moderately easy to scuff off.
Bottom Line:
I like these. A lot. I use a custom set of cycling shoes, and I didn't like the small platform of the SLs, especially when commuting in other shoes. the mallet c's a reasonably priced, have a great platform and clip in much easier. the paint does scuff, and unpracticed clip in attempts can chew up the body's metal. crushing this into rocks on a daily basis would tear them apart, that being said, they've survived a 20 foot slide down asphalt (avoiding a car) with only moderate damage. the traction plates have yet to be replaced and work. they shed mud and snow with ease. moderate abuse they can handle. for true DH i'd probably consider upgrading (if you like clipless) or just go with the 50/50s which i'm considering)
3 value, if you can scuff off the paint just clipping in, in the house it's a little for it's retail price. 4 overall, you've got a wide platform and clipless. it's not pedaling for you but why would you want that? the could be a bit more robust for their weight as compared to the SLs.
Similar Products Used: db peak wellgo stock pedals (wide platform) crankbro's candy sl's (clipless)
Bike Setup: Demo Epic Expert (starting to customize)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
kerbouchaud
a Weekend Warrior
from Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2009
Strengths: Easy to clip in, super easy to clip out, and can be ridden unclipped
Weaknesses: I've heard the weight is an issue, but at 200lbs I can shave the extra weight just by going to the bathroom.
Bottom Line:
Great pedal for anyone that wants to ride clipped. You can unclip without thinking about it, and if you need to get going on a sketchy section after a dab you don't have to worry about clipping in, you just start pedaling and clip in when the terrain permits. I was just reviewing some video of me having a "yard sale" and I noticed that I was unlipping mid air and I don't even remember doing it. Conversly I have seen a lot of guys wearing SPD's upside down with their bike on top of them still trying to get unclipped.
With the possible exception of Time ATAC's there is no better clipless pedal out there.
Similar Products Used: Shimano spd's Azonic platforms, Crank Bros' Candy
Bike Setup: Trek Fuel Ex-8
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
wes m.
a Cross Country Rider
from bay area
Date Reviewed: December 31, 2008
Strengths: easy to clip in, dont need your mtb shoes for short trips, comfortable, tough so far, reasonably priced
Weaknesses: heavy and ugly, two things I dont care much about
Bottom Line:
I bought these pedals and two weeks later the spring jumped out of the eggbeater which led to the eggbeater getting stuck in the open position. I got them replaced no questions asked. The new pair is perfect.
As you can tell from my bike setup, I'm not a downhiller. I got these pedals so I could ride around campus without my mtb shoes or put my mtb shoes on and hit some single track. They are perfect for that purpose.
Similar Products Used: plats, speedplay, toe clipped pedals
Bike Setup: rigid steel ss 29er
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
AzArmyPA
a Weekend Warrior
from Chandler, Az
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2008
Strengths: awesome pedal with platform. I will put these pedals on a rock or stump and drive with them many times.
Weaknesses: Early on couldn't clip out fast enough, lots of scars. Took my dremel grinding wheel to my Look MTB side shoe cleats. Awesome adjustment and no problems ever since. I suggest doing it to clear. Great for downhill as well, drops, etc....
Bottom Line:
Best pedal by far. Cross country the candy or egg beater is fine but down hill or all mountain I like the platform. Never any problems after the cleat fix......do it....
Similar Products Used: MTB Shimano, Performance knockoff shimanos, egg beater, and candy SE.
Bike Setup: 3 bikes, Fisher Rig 29r SS, FSR FS Stumpjumper pro 29r, Santa Cruz Heckler 26r.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Metanoia
a Downhiller
from Philippines
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2008
Strengths: Wide platform, virtually will not pack with mud, FLOAT for bum knees is a big plus!!!
Weaknesses: Couldn't get a consistent clip in/clip out
Bottom Line:
Switched back to SPDs because I couldn't get a consistent clip in/out on my left foot; but this might be due to my body's "geometry" more than anything else but I did ask some people and they did notice that they don't have a consistent clip in / clip out. A joy to use in muddy trails because they don't gunk up because of the pedal's design.
Bike Setup: Intense Uzzi VPX large
Marz 66rc2x 2007
Fox DHX Air 5.0
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Submitted by
pgkris
a Weekend Warrior
from Littleton, CO
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2008
Strengths: Simple design, durable, versatile, very easy entry and exit
Weaknesses: bit heavy but it's worth it
Bottom Line:
I started with Crank Bros Candy 5 years ago in Chicago, then I moved to Colorado and considering the terrain I quickly decided that I would need something with platform so I can ride unclipped on scatchy sections and bought those. I've been riding them for over 3 years without a single problem, even though I've beaten them big time over the rock on multiple occasions. I strongly recommend them. I haven't ridden Shimano pedals ever, but they look too complicated for me. Cheers!
Naked1 and I had grand plans to do some more filming up on the AMA when on the very first drop my left mallet c broke at the axle! It was pretty stylish because I threw some steez Read More »
#1 - I was wondering if it is possible to remove the eggbeaters from Mallet Cs. Just for jaunts to the skills park or any other time I just want to ride flats. Something tells me t Read More »
I was thinking about the Mallet for my commuter bike b/c I rock C-bros, better than swapping clipless for platform all the time
but I can't find any good profile pics of the Mal Read More »
Time for new pedals...again.... done with SPD's Haven't used either of the above, anyone on here have time with either or both....feedback appreciated. Read More »
Hi gys,
been thinking about buying a pair of these, are these good pedals??
[img]http://www.cycleway.net/forum/UploadFile/2010-5/20105246404219078.jpg[/img]
I´d like to hav Read More »
