Crank Brothers - Mallet One - Review
Words: Alasdair MacLennan, Pics: Ian MacLennan
Having long been a fan of clips, I have run Crank Brothers for several years after struggling with Shimano's for downhill use due to their lack of float. When looking at downhill clipless pedals it's only fair to mention the old red Shimano DX (PDM636) pedals which popped onto the scene in '96. Where the only option previously had been tiny, XC orientated pedals that were a nightmare to get back into on a rough track, here were bright, wide platform pedals aimed at gravity riders. Things changed overnight. Now you could get the best of both worlds.
![photo]()
If you're unfamiliar with the world of clipless pedals then a bit of background is probably in order. SPD's may be the generic name but it actually stands for Shimano Pedalling Dynamics and is therefore a fiercely guarded trademark. SPD's and their copies use cleats which release equally in both directions and have tension adjustment on the pedal to set the amount of effort you need before the pedal disengages. Float however, which is a measure of how far your foot moves before releasing, is fixed. Move now to Crank Brothers (and Time too) which use sprung parallel bars and asymmetric cleats. Spring tension isn't adjustable on these but, by swapping cleats over from one side to the other, you can alter the release angle from 15deg to 20deg. The design of these pedals means that you can move your foot about a lot more on the pedal before being released which can feel more natural as a result than with SPD's where your feet are more rigidly fixed in place. Neither is the wrong way of doing things; as with anything, different riders will each prefer a different feel. I for one just can't get on with the Shimano's for downhill as they just feel too tight yet I prefer them for XC because of that same feature.
![photo]()
Crank Brothers initially stepped into the clipless pedal market a number of years ago now with their ultra minimalist Egg Beaters. Lightweight and simple whilst being impossible to clog with mud, they instantly found fans. Following on from them, the Mallet downhill pedal was introduced, aimed squarely at other platform based pedals and, in particular the Shimano DX. Initially the Mallet C was the only option, closely followed by the lighter, Magnesium bodied, Mallet M. The downside to these is that they weren't the most maintenance free of pedals. Whereas Shimano's will generally carry on for a long time before needing a service (one old pair of 747's we have must have done over 5000 miles without being touched), the original Mallets needed frequent bearing and bush replacements. Also, with Magnesium being softer, the pedal body was also susceptible to wear, both from shoes and from the central spindle that the sprung wings rotate on eating into the material. None of these were major as they would still work but, you really did need to keep on top of maintenance, especially as the sealing occasionally seemed to be beaten by the inclement British (read very wet) weather.
![photo]()
Thankfully, the new 1/2/3 pedals are now fully bushed rather than the bush/bearing arrangement used previously and, so far, they seem a lot better than the C/M predecessors in this regard. Where the originals would generally feel quite loose and rough within a matter of just a few months use, eight months on, these still feel in pretty good shape. I'd hesitate to say perfect but considering what they go through, their condition is certainly acceptable.
![photo]()
Feel is of course subjective. Some riders prefer the very sharp and defined, low movement Shimano's whilst others prefer the Crank Brothers with more opportunity to move your foot on the pedal without becoming unclipped. Also, thanks to the way the central wings spin around in the pedal cage, when you do need to unclip momentarily, they're possibly the easiest of all the pedals to get clipped back in to. Compared to other designs, the rotating steel wings which look at first to be pretty vulnerable, allow you to clip in by not only moving your foot forwards (pretty normal) but backwards and just stamping down from the top. And, should you be a rider who prefers to keep their options open, there are grub screws which can be used to provide additional grip for those occasions where you want (or have to) ride a section unclipped. As said, upon first glance, the steel wings look vulnerable to damage but they seem pretty resistant as I have yet to catastrophically break one and in over three years of constant use, only one has actually been replaced at a low cost.
![photo]()
The cleats themselves are perhaps the only real let down with these pedals now compared to Shimano. Where SPD based pedals all use steel cleats which seem to last forever, Crank Brothers among others use brass. This means that they wear, and quite quickly at that if you ride predominantly in the wet and mud. At £19 a pair, they're not exactly cheap either although if you're racing and riding regularly (i.e. every weekend and then some), you should need no more than two or three pairs over the course of 12 months. On the flip side to that, the 24 month warranty means that any issues which crop up should be quickly sorted as 2pure (the UK distributors) have been very efficient in the past when anything has needed done.
![photo]()
And finally, what's the difference between the three Mallet pedals which are on offer? The Mallet 1 tested here is the entry level version although, at £85, you would be hard pushed to describe them as the cheap option. Steel wings, Cr-Mo axle, an aluminum body, and a claimed weight of 540g. Next up are the 2 & 3. Gone is the magnesium bodied version; these all use aluminum. However, contrasting to the Mallet 1, the 2 & 3 have a body which is far more heavily reduced by the machining and so a claimed 68g is saved by that alone. For that, the Mallet 2 is £115. And then there is the top dog, the Mallet 3. The difference here to save further weight is the addition of 6al/4v titanium wings. And just how much do you save for your £95 increase? 32 claimed grams. I think it's fair to say that, unless you have a complete aversion to either black or green pedals, the Mallet 1 is definitely the pick of the bunch as the important ingredients are all there, the only difference between it and the more expensive versions are the two degrees of weight savings.
Prices
£85 or $110 USD – Mallet One (Black or Sage)
£115 or $140 USD – Mallet Two (Red or Silver)
£220 or $250 USD – Mallet Three (Gold)
£19 or $22 USD – Cleats
www.crankbrothers.com
www.2pure.co.uk
Having long been a fan of clips, I have run Crank Brothers for several years after struggling with Shimano's for downhill use due to their lack of float. When looking at downhill clipless pedals it's only fair to mention the old red Shimano DX (PDM636) pedals which popped onto the scene in '96. Where the only option previously had been tiny, XC orientated pedals that were a nightmare to get back into on a rough track, here were bright, wide platform pedals aimed at gravity riders. Things changed overnight. Now you could get the best of both worlds.
Mallet 1
If you're unfamiliar with the world of clipless pedals then a bit of background is probably in order. SPD's may be the generic name but it actually stands for Shimano Pedalling Dynamics and is therefore a fiercely guarded trademark. SPD's and their copies use cleats which release equally in both directions and have tension adjustment on the pedal to set the amount of effort you need before the pedal disengages. Float however, which is a measure of how far your foot moves before releasing, is fixed. Move now to Crank Brothers (and Time too) which use sprung parallel bars and asymmetric cleats. Spring tension isn't adjustable on these but, by swapping cleats over from one side to the other, you can alter the release angle from 15deg to 20deg. The design of these pedals means that you can move your foot about a lot more on the pedal before being released which can feel more natural as a result than with SPD's where your feet are more rigidly fixed in place. Neither is the wrong way of doing things; as with anything, different riders will each prefer a different feel. I for one just can't get on with the Shimano's for downhill as they just feel too tight yet I prefer them for XC because of that same feature.
All that's in the box
Crank Brothers initially stepped into the clipless pedal market a number of years ago now with their ultra minimalist Egg Beaters. Lightweight and simple whilst being impossible to clog with mud, they instantly found fans. Following on from them, the Mallet downhill pedal was introduced, aimed squarely at other platform based pedals and, in particular the Shimano DX. Initially the Mallet C was the only option, closely followed by the lighter, Magnesium bodied, Mallet M. The downside to these is that they weren't the most maintenance free of pedals. Whereas Shimano's will generally carry on for a long time before needing a service (one old pair of 747's we have must have done over 5000 miles without being touched), the original Mallets needed frequent bearing and bush replacements. Also, with Magnesium being softer, the pedal body was also susceptible to wear, both from shoes and from the central spindle that the sprung wings rotate on eating into the material. None of these were major as they would still work but, you really did need to keep on top of maintenance, especially as the sealing occasionally seemed to be beaten by the inclement British (read very wet) weather.
Old v. New
Thankfully, the new 1/2/3 pedals are now fully bushed rather than the bush/bearing arrangement used previously and, so far, they seem a lot better than the C/M predecessors in this regard. Where the originals would generally feel quite loose and rough within a matter of just a few months use, eight months on, these still feel in pretty good shape. I'd hesitate to say perfect but considering what they go through, their condition is certainly acceptable.
In Action
Feel is of course subjective. Some riders prefer the very sharp and defined, low movement Shimano's whilst others prefer the Crank Brothers with more opportunity to move your foot on the pedal without becoming unclipped. Also, thanks to the way the central wings spin around in the pedal cage, when you do need to unclip momentarily, they're possibly the easiest of all the pedals to get clipped back in to. Compared to other designs, the rotating steel wings which look at first to be pretty vulnerable, allow you to clip in by not only moving your foot forwards (pretty normal) but backwards and just stamping down from the top. And, should you be a rider who prefers to keep their options open, there are grub screws which can be used to provide additional grip for those occasions where you want (or have to) ride a section unclipped. As said, upon first glance, the steel wings look vulnerable to damage but they seem pretty resistant as I have yet to catastrophically break one and in over three years of constant use, only one has actually been replaced at a low cost.
Battle scarred but still working well part one
The cleats themselves are perhaps the only real let down with these pedals now compared to Shimano. Where SPD based pedals all use steel cleats which seem to last forever, Crank Brothers among others use brass. This means that they wear, and quite quickly at that if you ride predominantly in the wet and mud. At £19 a pair, they're not exactly cheap either although if you're racing and riding regularly (i.e. every weekend and then some), you should need no more than two or three pairs over the course of 12 months. On the flip side to that, the 24 month warranty means that any issues which crop up should be quickly sorted as 2pure (the UK distributors) have been very efficient in the past when anything has needed done.
Battle scarred but still working well part two
And finally, what's the difference between the three Mallet pedals which are on offer? The Mallet 1 tested here is the entry level version although, at £85, you would be hard pushed to describe them as the cheap option. Steel wings, Cr-Mo axle, an aluminum body, and a claimed weight of 540g. Next up are the 2 & 3. Gone is the magnesium bodied version; these all use aluminum. However, contrasting to the Mallet 1, the 2 & 3 have a body which is far more heavily reduced by the machining and so a claimed 68g is saved by that alone. For that, the Mallet 2 is £115. And then there is the top dog, the Mallet 3. The difference here to save further weight is the addition of 6al/4v titanium wings. And just how much do you save for your £95 increase? 32 claimed grams. I think it's fair to say that, unless you have a complete aversion to either black or green pedals, the Mallet 1 is definitely the pick of the bunch as the important ingredients are all there, the only difference between it and the more expensive versions are the two degrees of weight savings.
£85 or $110 USD – Mallet One (Black or Sage)
£115 or $140 USD – Mallet Two (Red or Silver)
£220 or $250 USD – Mallet Three (Gold)
£19 or $22 USD – Cleats
www.crankbrothers.com
www.2pure.co.uk
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Oh and the times don't have replaceable pins or bash plates and have next to no mud shedding in between the clip mechanism.
I think that about covers how similar they are.
www.sicbikes.com.au/contents/media/time-z-pedal-05.jpg
Uncajohn: The majority of products in this world are to all intents and purposes, slight copies of their competitors. Shimano's system has been copied many times over and Time's design is now similar to that of the Crank Brothers. Does that make them direct copies? No. The Mallet's as an example are vastly different to the Time offering. I've used the Time's too so I am placed to comment. They are more difficult to clip into than the Mallet's because the spring bars don't sit proud enough. The bodies are also fragile. Comparing the damage to the mallet photo's above, my Time's and those of many others failed to stand up to the abuse thrown at them on a downhill course. They do both share the same deficiencies of soft brass cleats but, in my eyes as a rider, racer and tester, the Mallet's win hands down. As has also been pointed out, despite the design of the bars, the Time's also clog quite readily in thick mud, something that the Mallet's seem more able to cope with.
Smeckma: Bad technique is all in the rider, not the pedal. Just because they use clips, Minnaar and Peaty don't have bad technique. I enjoy riding flats and I enjoy riding clips. If you learn to ride with clips and can't hop etc without them then yes, you should go out and practice those things with flats as it will help you no end. However, if you like using clips or feel you ride better with them then that is up to the individual concerned. At the end of the day, this is a review of the pedals, not whether clips or flats are better.
Bigburd: The pins are there as occasionally you will end up with your foot unclipped through a section and it's good to be able to keep a little grip there should that happen. If you've got your technique sorted then it's rarely an issue as you can get back in quickly but they are a nice addition to have should the need arise.
BTW, does anybody want my pair of Mallets (they're in mint condition)?
Your review was for one pedal - not a group test (otherwise I'm sure you'd have mentioned all the other ones).
I have ran the old mallets for about 3 years now, and previous to that Shimano (even the original DX SPDs of 1993!), so I was interested to see what these had to offer. Wow - you really gave them a pasting judging by the scratches - I proper test review.
Wrt to technique: Good riders learn to ride both. I think saying that SPDs encourage bad technique is ignorant. Refusing to ride SPDs is more about bad technique in my opinion and why some racers will never reach the top. That said, I do like to banter about SPDs/ Flats - its like going back to the school playground!
Keep up the good work.
Smeckma: you cannot honestly say it creates bad technique? as riders on flats tend to develop lazy habbits such as cornering with one foot off pedal. secondly, you cannot just flat out say they are useless, as posted many times before many DH'ers prefer clipless as it gives the rider more control, confidence and in my opinion BETTER riding habbits. so to be so ignorant just because you never took the time to learn about/how to ride with SPD's does not give you a right to bad-mouth them in any way. i have riden with both and switch between both SPD's and flats. but for the mallet's design which is DH, its safe to say most riders who take the time to understand them and learn to ride with SPD's preffered them.
Uncajohn: the mallet series pedal is not a copy of shimano's design, the mallet's are a completely different pedal on their own. the brand is rider's preference really. different companies designs offer differences, although sometimes minor are still changes so to say they are all the same is ignorant.
As long as they can get in and out of course.
PS. I mean "pedal flip" as in when you bunny-hop and then kick your pedals to set them into motion.
Stay away from drugs kids.
Need any other tips or lessens in common sense? I'm here for ya.
Next on smeckma's list of retarded anecdotes: how using V-brakes will help you go faster.
www.pinkbike.com/photo/4115713
Would you have SPD fitted on this one?
Crank Bros service has to be outstanding mainly because of the shear volume of pedals that go wrong. Talk about products not being fit for their intended purpose...
Hmm, ok! They are NOT a direct copy of the TIME pedals (i never mentioned Shimano's SPDs), if that pleases you.
Yes, they do have differences...
But
Yep, they do share some similarity
And
My main concern was that the comparison was made along SPDs & mallets, like there are no other pedal systems out there.
Who can argue with the fact that the TIME pedals were there way before mallets, that last longer, perform if not better, the same and are way cheaper (with the cash you're.. investing upon a pair of mallets you'll get 3 pairs of TIMEs!)& of course they do offer a perfectly wide amount of float.
Of course everyone's opinion is based upon his/hers own experiences. So all i have to say is that i keep noting lots of mallets & eggbeaters been totally destroyed here, locally while our TIMES keep on going through.. time.
That's all.
Now if anyone is so emotionally attached upon those mallets, in such a way that he (or she) cannot accept that there are ALSO other good performing products out there, see TIME pedals,then there's nothing more to say (sorry write).
UncaJohn
Also,
if you're used to flat pedals,then i can see no reason why to start all over again & fight your way into SPDs, mallet or Times. Just practice & sharpen your technique.
The same goes for the SPD-Mallet-Time-ers. You're more comfortable with your pedals (me too!), then just go on with those.
Pay respect to the other discipline!
and how about that so desired lasting factor? I've knocked my TIMES (Z please) too many times, too hard on rocks and they still work perfectly well.
On the other hand i've seen too many eggbeaters & malets becoming... parts when they just touch those nice shiny marble rocks of our trails!
Yep, here you're right, you may feel like you're clippind-in faster when you've cemented your pedals with mud (all malleteers claim so) and i won't argue with you because i just don't race.
But,
I just have to say (again) that my experience (and i am ridding trails since 1990) the TIMES (Atac, Z etc) seem to last & last. On the other hand those newcommers (crank bros) seem to fail & fail.
So,
in order to keep this short, this is what i calim:
-TIMES were there before Mallets
-TIMES just .. refuse to fail when knocked upon rocks
-TIMES are cheap to buy
and
-Even the cheap models of the already cheap TIMES are performing so well that makes you wonder....
All the above, are of cource my personal opinion, formed by what i see....
All these have nothing to do with how you've evaluated these pedals, just that you mentioned only Shimano's & forgot all about TIMES.
UncaJohn
Great respect to those who manage with flats. This is difficult!
can you just change the cleats and go?
Or am I not that lucky?
you're right of cource... the mechanisms have their differences, but.
-The article just failed to mention a good product that is available for a long time before those mallets.
-Yes, these mallets in the images seem rather.. rock machined, but if you compare them to my TIMES (platforms) which have been running for 8 years though our rocky trails (i live in Greece), you'll see that even the cheap version of TIMES stand perfectly as a oponent.
And
-I've seen too many mallets been totally destroyed into our trails. And fast enough (even from the first ride). The problem seems to occur when the springs that hold the shoe bracket hit upon a rock.
On the other hand the round proile of the TIME pedals springs and the fact that they're quite protected helps them last.
Last.
Of cource i am not claiming that these products (mallets) are for the bin, i just say that the wrighter owed to mention that there are some pretty decent products out there, offering the same advantages.
I'll try to share a photo with you of my pedals... it will be interesting. It's just that i may forget all about that when i'm back home...
The time pedal may be heavy but damn good! The two mechanics at work have had their Time pedals for 8 years without doing any heavy overhaul to them. My mallets lasted a month before I was at them with the tools and grease.
Might have to look at theese TIME pedals, because i've been looking at buying mallets for a while but the price keeps putting me off.
Extremedhracer: What's with the language, may I ask? You say you cannot bomb into a DH section totally out of control, but who does? I still remember how difficult it was to keep my balance on rough terrain as I started riding my bike, back in the time, but all of this is down to practice. I cannot see how I can do my endos, rocking, zap-taps and stuff like that me being attached onto SPDs (sometimes I need to pull one of my feet out to regain my balance or simply to recover from a hard-line). I don't mind being criticized for what I am saying, but please do show the same care and respect I am showing to you now next time and contribute to the debate more with concepts and ideas.
Gritstone: I am not slating, but just expressing my opinion and ideas.
z-man: it makes sense for professional riders to use SPDs as they're already dialled and this is done with purpose; that is, to win a race.
edd-stevens-95: you are so accurate and well spoken I can hardly see how I could contribute or extend myself into what you have already said.
slipnot93dh: precisely, because of this, you should not rely on them. If you're not dialled, best thing to do is to gain some skill and then move on when the time is due. Riding on SPDs encourage bad technique in that it will discourage you to move out your comfort zone.
Cloverleaf: I could not agree more with you.
Brazucasim: if, like you're saying, riding SPDs or flats is all down to how comfortable you feel with each kind, why is it I am making you sick? On another note, you are assuming I've never tested those, but I've got a pair of mallets in my toolbox: it is just that I don't use them.