Crankbros 50/50XX Pedals Review
The 50/50 are Crankbros' flat pedals, with a unique feature of removable plates, which allow pin location to be easily customized. With the removable plates, pins can be accessed from the back. No matter how worn down the pins get, they can always be removed. The plates are made of a harder aluminum than the pedal body, which is smart, since they are located in the pedal area that gets the worst abuse.
There are two versions of the 50/50 pedal. The XX, which I am running, have sealed cartridge bearings and weigh 558g. The X type have ball bearings, and weigh in at 618g. Both come with a second plate and long pin set. Besides looking extremely slick, my 50/50XX are light and their long pins provide good grip. Since putting them on, I have not slipped a pedal, for which my shins are grateful. I have mine set up with 9 pins per side, with space for more if I see a need for them. Although two months is not a long-term durability test, my 50/50 bearings feel as smooth as the first ride, and have been problem free.
![photo]()
Rumor has it that the two plates on the pedals can separate. I did not experience a problem with this, and after two months of hard use in the racing and training circuit, the plates were still secure to the main body.
If you are looking for a great looking set of pedals that will keep your feet glued to your bike without weighing your ride down, the odds are you will dig the Crankbrothers 50/50. The 50/50X are available in sage/anthracite or silver/anthracite and retail for $90. The 50/50XX come in black/silver or red/black and retail for $130. Extra plates and pins are available in a variety of different colors.
![photo]()
Check out www.crankbrothers.com for more information.
-Kat Popma
Loeka Clothing
There are two versions of the 50/50 pedal. The XX, which I am running, have sealed cartridge bearings and weigh 558g. The X type have ball bearings, and weigh in at 618g. Both come with a second plate and long pin set. Besides looking extremely slick, my 50/50XX are light and their long pins provide good grip. Since putting them on, I have not slipped a pedal, for which my shins are grateful. I have mine set up with 9 pins per side, with space for more if I see a need for them. Although two months is not a long-term durability test, my 50/50 bearings feel as smooth as the first ride, and have been problem free.
Rumor has it that the two plates on the pedals can separate. I did not experience a problem with this, and after two months of hard use in the racing and training circuit, the plates were still secure to the main body.
If you are looking for a great looking set of pedals that will keep your feet glued to your bike without weighing your ride down, the odds are you will dig the Crankbrothers 50/50. The 50/50X are available in sage/anthracite or silver/anthracite and retail for $90. The 50/50XX come in black/silver or red/black and retail for $130. Extra plates and pins are available in a variety of different colors.
Check out www.crankbrothers.com for more information.
-Kat Popma
Loeka Clothing
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Crankbrothers = cheap products in fancy packaging...
www.pinkbike.com/photo/2739596
sorry crank bros..... EPIC FAIL
A lot of people keep saying to use loctite etc amd tp replace the pins before using the pedals, but be honest, why the hell should you pay all that money for something if you can't use it straight from the box?.
Surely they should already have these things done to them before you get them.
About two weeks from the date of this reply one of the pedals seized up and refused to spin; the inner bearing were shot.
He ordered the rebuild kit from the LBS which was about $20 (USD) but we were unable to get the damaged inner bearing out - it had fused itself into the body of the pedal!
He called Crank Brothers (which is about an hour North of us) and they said they would repair the pedal for free - he just needed to get the pedal to them. So he went up there yesterday and they got the damaged bearing out and basically rebuilt the pedal for him on the spot at no charge.
He said they were pretty cool people and he thinks that Brian Lopes was possibly in the house because he noticed a car out front with the plates "LOPES 55" on it.
The one thing that I am disappointed on is the outer dust cap. It's made of some sort of hard plastic(?). We had a heck of a time trying to get one of them off and managed to round out the hole. We got the cap off by drilling it out.
Anyway, overall I think it's a pretty good pedal. I like the ability to change the plates but that alone is not enough for me to switch out my old-school Sun Ringle "Zu-Zu" pedals that I've had since 1999.
They do what they say on the box, I have rode FUNN pedals before and for the price the bearings are rubbish, the 50/50's have sealed cartrige bearings and its a piece of piss to change them out (and to service them..if you groms know what tools are?)
In conclusion, LEARN HOW TO LOOK AFTER YOUR BIKE AND KIT!!
You are obviously a very smart fellow, please enlighten all our lives with your opinion which we will take as fact! (Bigtard..thats called sarcasm, I know you have no idea what that means but basically everyone you meet who you think agrees with you is really laughing at you, its not your fault...maybe genetics play a part?)
You seem to be a very angry person, you have proved yourself 'stupid" with your comments yet you alleged that I was the stupid one for buying 50/50 pedals.
I would suggest you got a better paying job then you wouldn't be so concerned about $100 here or there.
Don't bother repying as I have better things to do that read your diatribe, Actually congratulations as I see YOUR reading level has improved as you managed to read what I wrote, or did someone have to help you with the big words?
I really hope that last comment there wasn't directed at me also. In no way shape or form am I a weekend warrior, and I'm not originally from Alberta. Some people may be, but lets think about mountain biking for a second "Mr. I live in Whistler". The true spirit of mountain biking is that you feel free whilst doing it, no matter how big/ or small you go, how often you ride, or why you ride. Get off your pedestal bro, where is the easy going B.C. attitude I know and love. You need to CHILL THE f*ck OUT. As for you robbie7127 you dug yourself a hole on this one bud, I agree with his Alberta biking comment whole heartily. -Go ride.
I offered my opinion that IF you look after your kit there SHOULD be no problems, I out of habbit threadlock all parts that have the potential to work loose, I assumed this was a biking community standard? The 50/50's come out of the box needing the pins and plates attached, so there really isn't any more work to threadlock all the bits.
As for the Alberta biking community coment, I really don't know what you mean I have lived here for just over a year and have found the Alberta riders to be some of the most dedicated and friendly I have met (and yes I have rode all over Europe)
on my shova i have 18 Long Pins per site! I donno what problems you have with these pedals, i dont have them!
and i like the 5050xx!
cheers
I'm very happy with my DMR V12's - I have 3 pair - at 432g they're light and the pins are very grippy + they sell Pimp My Pedal kits with 4 colors of pins and pedal end caps. Dope.
not my favortie pedal ever no i ride the axiom road gaps they are amazing pedal 1 year strong and still in prime shape + its a one peice pedal.
Wow, talk about low expectations. Kinda like "I had a bike, sickest bike ever, but it broke after one lap". I got an old Norco Kokanee you might want to pay me top dollar for.
I've had DMR's for 4 years, 3 bikes, well over 100 laps in the Whistler bike park. $65...
wow, what a silly concept...
my speedplay pedals NEVER have come apart and i never used loctite on them... what brilliance must that be! it's cause they're not retardedly screwed together... one piece platform pedals are superior in EVERY way
i run these for trials with all the pins in.. still they do slip in the wet.. why i dont know..
i crashed threw my crank in a marmer floor.. kinked behind a stair.
still almost no play in them not bend or what ever.. good peddals !!
to all you wankers > ALL peddals LOOSE pins..! ! (one time or another)
also over priced.
i got the blackspire big slims and those have been great
I don't use them simply because I don't like platform pedals, I use Time Z's. I have had them for three years now, beat the piss out of them yet they continue to roll as smooth as butter. We have sold some bikes that came with those Crank Bros. All of them have seen the plates come off. They really need to fix the design or just take it off the market. Being able to switch the colors around is all fine and dandy but when you're product is constantly falling apart, it's time to go back to the drawing board. Many people talk about having to mess with them before they go into use. huh? really now, that shouldn't be the protocol - pedals should work RIGHT, right out of the box. Suspension forks and brakes, sure, that's a product you'd want to make adjustments to before using, not pedals --- specially not platform. Install and Go!! Not, install, mess with, hope they don't fall apart, repair, replace...
Here is a simple guideline to gain maximum awesomeness for you 50's experience:
Step 1: Pull pedals out of nifty box;
Step 2: Decide which holes, how many pins and how much thread engagement you would like to be used for pin placement;
Step 3: Grab allen key, Green Loctite expanding compound;
Break: Sip beverage, grab a bag of Cheetos, change song on stereo;
Step 4: Apply compound to set screws and thread into pedal body;
Step 5: Apply compound to pedal plates edges and slide into pedal body;
Step 6: Apply more compound to plate retaining fasteners and thread in;
Break: Again sip on beverage, stuff face with cheesy goodness, rock out to Rise Against;
Step 7: Make sure all fasteners are snug, let pedals sit overnight allowing for Loctite compound to expand and cure;
Step 8: Throw the stylish, grippy, efin awesome pedals on your crank arms, and step back and admire the style you just blasted your rig with;
Step 9: Ride the piss out of those pedals for many seasons;
Disclaimer: 50/50 pedals are not indestructible, nor are you, nor is any other pedal, they may break, seize, and tolerances in bearings will grow with wear and tear. If you don't like it, go buy some budget friendly Welgo pedals or something.
Step 1: Pull pedals out of nifty box
Step 2: take pictures and put up Ebay ad
Step 3: Hope some sucker buys them
Step 4: Take the money you get and buy 2 sets of Wellgo MG-1's and live happily ever after for the next 3 or 4 seasons.
i got a pair an they work great great grip ,but i didnt pay 150$ for them
got them on ebay and paid 50$ ,im satified whit the result the give
errr ahh, you wonder why you got them for $50??????
this makes no sense? you are saying they have great grip, but you had to replace the stock pins with set screws from a bolt supplier first (at your cost, after buying the pedals), as the stock pins had no grip?
if they designed the pedals properly in the first place, you would not being travelling to bolt suppliers to "remedy" this huge design flaw
easily the best pedals I have used are Syncros' Mental Alloy pedals...lighter than DMR V-12s and insanely tough / grippy
after 2.5 YEARS of riding (all over the UK in mud and rain, Whistler, North Shore in Vancouver, dirt jumping, etc.) I just had to rebuild them with new "o" ring seals and some grease on the inner DU bushing as they had started squeaking a little when pedalling, the cartridge bearing and needle roller bearing were still 100% smooth and still greased with original blue marine factory grease
50/50 = wing wong
The stock chrome plated studs provide no grip, true. You can buy a tacky pin kit(most pedal sets come with them though, the black set screws...) with the crank brothers logo on the baggy, or, go to a separate vendor "a bolt supplier" and purchase set screws for a mere fraction of of the cost. I paid $4.10 for a box of 100 set screws. The set from Crank Brothers happens to be $22. All in all there isn't much traveling involved and it isn't really a hassle for a bit of style on your ride.
You think there is a design flaw, well that's your opinion. I think they are awesome, I have ridden them for two seasons now,(mud, snow, rain, Williams lake, Kamloops, Invermere, Whistler....so on and so forth the list goes forever) not one problem. Cheers! Hope you enjoy those Syncros stomps, I hear they are pretty stellar.
crank bro's seriously u failed stick to clips...either that or go and make a one peice pedal
When they were brand new I didn't locktight the plates and I lost all my screws in one 5 min run down the mountian. They should get rid of the stupid interchangeable plates and try and make a reliable pedal instead of making them look pretty.
They are noisey, slippery even with all the pegs in and not worth the $120.00 that i paid for them. I wouldn't suggest these pedals to anyone.
If you want a real set of pedals I would suggest Easton Flatboys or Straightline pedals. The Eastons are a bit soft in the axel department but feel amazing compared to the 50/50's..
got them on ebay and paid 50$ ,im satified whit the result the give
doesn't weight your bike down? ya, maybe when i take them off cause they suck such hard balls...
and i personally think they have next to no grip (the 50/50x that is) and $90 is way overpriced for non sealed bearing pedals
heavy too, 558g and 618g
personally, i'd rather have mg-1's with ti axle.
Heres mine:
www.dropmachine.com/Reviews/crank-brother-50-50-xx-a348.html
These pedals are just not worth the money.
1)lightweight riders
2)people who are just street riding/dj ing/urban assault
3)people who like "the look" all fancy shcmancy
4)all the wannabe mountain bikers. ie. has the killerest ride,but doesn't even know how to ride.
i have had 3 pairs of the XX pedels over the last 2 years,and they are shitty pedals for the price.at the price they charge for them,there should be no problems.shouldn't have to locktight em. i have been riding for over 20 years and this is the first pedel that has ever needed to be locktighted.
also their headsets suck!
I OWN these pedals, they suck. It is not a five minute job to re-do all the loctite and change out the bolts. It is a tedious, time-consuming (read: wasting) task that should not have to be done to a pedal unless it's encountered an immovable object or is old. But I had to do this on brand new pedals?! No thanks.
Geez people, I got these as a gift. I was very happy when I got them, but now I'm over it. You do not have to defend these pedals as if you owe them something. Just come to the same realization that I did: These pedals are a scam, they suck, and there are many dozens of other models available that are cheaper and perform better.
He also mentioned that his pins fell out - and it did after the first time out! He used the other pins that came with the pedal and used red loctite and they've never came off ... yet...
My other riding buddy, the one I mention above, just bought a pair of 661 shoes and this weekend will be the first real ride with the new shoes and rebuilt pedals so we'll see how that goes.
Does anyone know how well this pedal grips in really wet and muddy conditions?
neto116@hotmail.com
OVERALL: C+
Im not sure how 50-50XX work. But the guys at Crankbrothers told me that 50-50XX Can be rebuilt by replacing catridge. But tht option is not available in 50-50X. That really sux! They just look good what i believe now ( X i mean) dont know about XX.
LESS WEIGHT LESS MONEY
:X
Lmao this is going to go on forever
x