2012 Crank Brothers 5050 Pedals - First Impressions
What is it: Crank Brothers' fresh 5050 platform pedal is completely new from the ground up, sharing next to nothing with the original version. Using a unique two piece design that employs different materials - aluminum for the platform's outer section and polycarbonate for the inner - these novel pedals are quite different from other options on the market. There are two versions available: a 428 gram, black and silver version that retails for $80 USD and spins on a combination of a bushings and cartridge bearings, and a black and red, 433 gram model that features a body with more cutouts to shed both weight and mud, as well as rotating on both needle and cartridge bearings. Both models come from Crank Brothers with a five year warranty.
The details: Crank Brothers' 5050 pedals are not an evolution of the original model, but rather a completely new design. The most obvious difference between the old and new models is the body, with the 2012 version being a hybrid that uses a polycarbonate inner section combined with a more traditional aluminum outer segment. The question is, why mix the two materials? Crank Brothers says that the polycarbonate is lighter than the aluminum that it replaces, while still being very resilient to abuse that it would see while attached to the crank arms of a downhill bike. Even if it is lighter, it would no doubt incur damage in short order if the entire pedal was made from polycarbonate, which is why the outer section, the part of the pedal that is likely to strike the ground, is still made from aluminum. Two torx bolts hold the two sections together, making them easy to replace if the worst does happen. Total pedal height for the new model is 5mm slimmer than the original version.
The new pedals are also drastically different internally, with both models using a forged scm435 chromoly spindle that Crank Brothers claims is 50% stronger thanks to a new shape that can better handle high loads. The new two piece body is also far better sealed against the elements than the original design which should greatly extend bearing life. Traction is provided by 10 set screw pins on each side, all being adjustable in height to allow you to fine tune the grip to your liking.
First impressions: Spending a few days on the new 5050 pedals clearly doesn't warrant a proper review - it's the long term impressions and reliability that count - but the new Crank Brothers platforms certainly do look promising. My Commencal demo bike was fitted with the less expensive, bushing and cartridge bearing equipped 5050 2 pedals, and unlike many other bushing based designs, they spun free and smooth despite being brand new. There are good arguments for both flat top pins (they tend to stand up better against rock strikes and are easier to replace) and the set screw pins that are fitted to the 5050's (the open top and sharper edges usually do provide more grip than most flat top studs), but I do prefer the latter. Traction was impressive, despite the height adjustable pins being set relatively low, and I never managed to slip a single pedal during my time on them. There is a slight amount of concave shaping to the pedal body that helps increase purchase, but this can be increased further by dialing out the pins along the body's leading and trailing edges while leaving the inner pins set low.
I did manage to ding them off a few rocks, thanks to some mis-timed pedaling, but they didn't look any worse for wear after my time on them. While the pedal body appears to be up to the task, I can't comment on their long term durability at this point. Looking at the new 5050 pedals, it is clear that Crank Brothers took the criticism of their original design and went back to the drawing board in an effort to build a more reliable platform pedal - stronger axles and better sealing should help answer the doubters. Stay tuned for more long term impressions down the road and look for out for Sam Hill, Aaron Gwin, Steve Peat and other riders using them on the World Cup circuit.
Check out the Crank Brothers website to see their entire lineup.
Crank Brothers' redesigned 5050 pedals are completely new for 2012 and feature a novel two piece aluminum and polycarbonate body. The higher end 5050 3 model shown above uses a combination of needle and cartridge bearings.
Crank Brothers 5050 pedal details:
- Entirely new design for 2012
- Two piece aluminum and polycarbonate platform
- Forged scm435 chromoly steel spindles
- Height adjustable set screw traction pins (10 per side)
- 5050 3 uses needle/cartridge bearings, weighs 433g and retails for $100 USD
- 5050 2 uses bushing/cartridge bearings, weighs 428g and retails for $80 USD.
- Both models have 5 year warranty.
- Available in July
Crank Brothers 5050 pedal details:
- Entirely new design for 2012
- Two piece aluminum and polycarbonate platform
- Forged scm435 chromoly steel spindles
- Height adjustable set screw traction pins (10 per side)
- 5050 3 uses needle/cartridge bearings, weighs 433g and retails for $100 USD
- 5050 2 uses bushing/cartridge bearings, weighs 428g and retails for $80 USD.
- Both models have 5 year warranty.
- Available in July
The details: Crank Brothers' 5050 pedals are not an evolution of the original model, but rather a completely new design. The most obvious difference between the old and new models is the body, with the 2012 version being a hybrid that uses a polycarbonate inner section combined with a more traditional aluminum outer segment. The question is, why mix the two materials? Crank Brothers says that the polycarbonate is lighter than the aluminum that it replaces, while still being very resilient to abuse that it would see while attached to the crank arms of a downhill bike. Even if it is lighter, it would no doubt incur damage in short order if the entire pedal was made from polycarbonate, which is why the outer section, the part of the pedal that is likely to strike the ground, is still made from aluminum. Two torx bolts hold the two sections together, making them easy to replace if the worst does happen. Total pedal height for the new model is 5mm slimmer than the original version.
The new pedals are also drastically different internally, with both models using a forged scm435 chromoly spindle that Crank Brothers claims is 50% stronger thanks to a new shape that can better handle high loads. The new two piece body is also far better sealed against the elements than the original design which should greatly extend bearing life. Traction is provided by 10 set screw pins on each side, all being adjustable in height to allow you to fine tune the grip to your liking.
The pedal's polycarbonate inner section is mated to the aluminum outer portion with sturdy torx bolts (left) that are hidden from damage within the pedal body.
The new 5050 pedals (right) are 5mm slimmer than the original design (left).
First impressions: Spending a few days on the new 5050 pedals clearly doesn't warrant a proper review - it's the long term impressions and reliability that count - but the new Crank Brothers platforms certainly do look promising. My Commencal demo bike was fitted with the less expensive, bushing and cartridge bearing equipped 5050 2 pedals, and unlike many other bushing based designs, they spun free and smooth despite being brand new. There are good arguments for both flat top pins (they tend to stand up better against rock strikes and are easier to replace) and the set screw pins that are fitted to the 5050's (the open top and sharper edges usually do provide more grip than most flat top studs), but I do prefer the latter. Traction was impressive, despite the height adjustable pins being set relatively low, and I never managed to slip a single pedal during my time on them. There is a slight amount of concave shaping to the pedal body that helps increase purchase, but this can be increased further by dialing out the pins along the body's leading and trailing edges while leaving the inner pins set low.
I did manage to ding them off a few rocks, thanks to some mis-timed pedaling, but they didn't look any worse for wear after my time on them. While the pedal body appears to be up to the task, I can't comment on their long term durability at this point. Looking at the new 5050 pedals, it is clear that Crank Brothers took the criticism of their original design and went back to the drawing board in an effort to build a more reliable platform pedal - stronger axles and better sealing should help answer the doubters. Stay tuned for more long term impressions down the road and look for out for Sam Hill, Aaron Gwin, Steve Peat and other riders using them on the World Cup circuit.
There are a lot of cool FJ's out there, but the Crank Brothers truck is pretty rad.
Check out the Crank Brothers website to see their entire lineup.
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179 Comments
They are good, reliable if you maintain them (like you should any bike product), grippy, have bloody good customer service (you can take any CB product to the door of their HQ and get it fixed there and then) and now have a warranty that is about 3x longer than anyone else not to mention the warranty covers a fair amount more too.
They are also innovative too, which is key in the progression of mountain biking and its products.
They listened to you all (maybe taken a while) about the old 5050, they have made a brand new pedal from the ground up...give them a chance!
I like the looks of their products but too many issues in the past to pay that much cash.
I think you, along with 80% of the world, have been doing it wrong. Things like applying loctite can go a long way.
As for the pins, yes pins that screw from the other end are very useful and clever if pins get damaged, but what happens if they get bent or flattened? you cant get them out, no difference.
For those that have had problems with CB pedal bearings. Did you ever even just grease the damn pedals? There is nothing wrong with the bearings used in CB pedals, they are super super smooth, and as it says in this article, the plastic bushings on the cheaper models and some egg beaters, are the smoothest plastic bearings out of all the manufacturers! I have had my 5050xx pedals for coming on a year and a half, I have never replaced the bearings, only ever greased them all up. It is only in the last month that I have felt a need for new bearings.
As for price, to be fair, you are going to be paying upwards of £60 to get a real decent set of pedals, CB 5050s are at the lower end of that price range, with straitlines and others being in excess of £170 (they may well be better sealed and lighter, but this illustrates that your comparisons are not valid)
I have seen these for real, and can assure you, they are really mint in real life, not so much in a photo. When I first saw them I disliked them, but now they are actually quite cool, and VERY different from anything that anyone else makes.
Their quality control isn't always the best, but how can you compare their quality control with that of Shimano, CB are a small brand in comparison.
For those who want to go for made in Taiwan/China pedals: buy Wellgo, they make 90% of pedals for most companies anyways, why pay double?
Wellgo pedals are found as OE on many bikes on the market, and also as the factory behind many "brand name" pedals on the market
I've never had any issues on the dozens of Wellgo pedals I have used with Shimano, Race Face, Truvativ, Sugino, etc. cranksets I have used for BMX, DH, DJ and FR over many years??
I am currently running two pairs of Wellgo MG-1 pedals on Shimano SLX HT2 cranks, have done for 2 years and no problems with either the pedal or the crank arm threads...
Plastic pedals... meh...
A well made plastic product far out performs a badly made metal one. I dont know much about flats (i run Time clipless), but I know a fair amount about materials and plastics can be very good if made right. CB might be known for bad bearings and falling to bits, but the chances of materials snapping is slim, they wont be that stupid as no doubt they'd land in court if it did happen and nobody in their right mind would risk that.
So, if we talk about Carbon fibre, as a finished product, it is a plastic composite material. The resin is the "plastic" the cloth is made from microscopically thin carbon threads, wound into yarn which is woven into a cloth, when combined they are known as a carbon fiber reinforced polymer/plastic. The clue is in the name.
Now pending on what type of cloth you use, the thickness of the weave or cloth, and the layers, or the direction of the layers, or what quality resin or material resin you use, or if its pre-preg cloth or normal cloth with the resin added after, or the method in which it is manufactured (example using an autoclave), it can be made to be super strong or be entirely pointless in its used application.
However there is no getting away from carbon fiber reinforced plastic is a plastic. Plastic is not a bad material, and although I am not a great fan of these pedals (they look ugly, and they arent even carbon so why are we arguing this?) there is no doubt in my mind that they should be strong enough. Plastics are far more flexible in their design so you can tailor their strengths and weaknesses better than a metal. Also mentioning flexing, these will flex slightly under massive load (think rock strike) and will most likely return to their previous shape than crack, so will be no doubt safe to use. At the end of the day it looks a well designed if unattractive product, and I doubt CB would bring a potentially dangerous product to the market.
Awaiting the neg props from the metal brigade!
If someone believes that this pedal is more practical and better looking than a Straitline platform or a Spank spike, he must be divorced.
Just about any meatal pedal with 10 pins is going to hold your feet pretty good. Add to that the sticky rubber shoes, and I don't see that pedals are a big deal to figure out. Not sure about the mixture of poly and metal either. Wonder how long it is before they go back to the drawing board. I liked the originals better. Sorry for the hate, lol...
In general their system has only one plus over Shimano and it is mud shedding, but I would never trade that off for Shimano's amazing emergency clip out possibilities. CB system is the worst from what I tried (Shimano, Time) when it comes to clip out, it's not intuitive at all. Mallets have good platform, but I think Shimano DX SPD is not far behind.
After over five years I switched to low profile flats + 5.10 even for XC - and I'm nowhere close to look back
Not to mention I dont feel like I have any problems to more on a steeper uphill. I just start unclipped and clip when I get up to speed.
For what I normally ride I use my flats but if I am going to race an XC track or just go on a long ride I will put the Times on.
Great why don't you take your authoritative sources over to the XC racers or road bikers and let them know how stupid they are.
Argue all you want but you lose in theory to the laws of physics and in practice to the results of racers. If you want to go 0 for 3 keep arguing.
And z-man I was saying exactly the same things to James Wilson trying to argue with his crusade against SPD and ended up as a converted one. No way, SPDs are so much better in XC, I can´t imagine riding it the other way. I looked at people riding HT on flat pedals, thnking WTF?! What a stupid hipster poser. Now I'm a very happy one of them! SPDs had let me pedal in chaotic way, flats taught me "qualitative" pedalling (many trainers say that flats improve pedalling stroke technique), I do uphills I haven't done before. 5.10 should pay James Wilson some interest from sales.
It's an own preference, as long as you are not at least in national top10, looking for the edge to win. There are no wins or losses, no matter what you do on, no matter what kind of bike. Lots lots of Placebo included...
Actually, it does. The more expensive pedal is slightly heavier because it uses a combination of needle and cartridge bearings compared to the less expensive model's bushing and bearing system. The 5050 3 does use a slightly lighter body that helps to offset some of that weight difference... it would be even heavier than the less expensive model if it didn't have the cutouts [/common sense]
I don't think that pedals are something that everyone can claim 1 type suck while 1 type are great... Everyone's feet are different and like gloves some will be a better fit for you than others, it's preference.
How many of the people that think they're garbage never tightened the plates after purchasing them..?
As for them being expensive, they cost me $40 CAD at my LBS, doesn't sound expensive to me. If I have 1 complaint about the original 50/50's, it would be that they hold onto mud too easily and don't shed it enough...
Sealed Bearings
Replaceable Pins
Pedal Spindle Thread: 9/16"
Spindle: CroMoly
Material: Magnesium
Weight: 378.0 g
well the mallets/acids/egg beaters are excellent pedals but the bearings dont last long if you ride in a lot of mud and rain i commute on candys daily and they last abouta year before disintegrating, shimano ones last much longer theyre just not as nice
ive ridden mallets for years as my dh pedals but after the 3rd set of bearings ive got bored and gone to superstar nanos, which cost 1/3rd of teh price of 50/50s and so far have lasted to very well in the mud
Looks like a bone stock FJ with stickers all over it. sooooooo rad man......
Now this is a vehicle:
www.west-4x4.demon.co.uk/gallery/image11l.jpg