Crankbrothers Mallet E Pedals - Review

In between the Mallet E's aluminum body and the chromoly spindle is an Enduro cartridge bearing and an Igus bushing that was developed specifically for Crankbrothers. A new double lip internal seal system is in place to keep water and other contaminants at bay, and there's another external seal to add further weatherproofing. The Mallet E pedals have 6 degrees of float, and the supplied brass cleats can be set at either a 15° or 20° release angle. 5 year warranty. Weight: 425 grams. MSRP: $165 USD.



On the Trail

For riders accustomed to the feel of Shimano's SPD pedals, there's a distinct difference in how the Mallet E pedals feel underfoot. Where Shimano's clipless pedals have a crisp 'click' upon entry and exit, the Mallet's are a little less distinct, especially when clipping out. They also have six degrees of float compared to Shimano's four, which may not seem like much, but it's instantly noticeable. It's a matter of personal preference, but I came to appreciate the extra float – the additional freedom of movement makes using the Mallets feel more like riding with flat pedals, allowing for more possible foot positions, which can be helpful when extra body language is required to wiggle through a tricky section of trail. The platform width felt spot on, providing plenty of real estate for placing my feet during those half clipped in / half clipped out situations. The design of the clip-in mechanism is also well suited to muddy conditions, and I never had any trouble getting in or out even when the ground was covered with a few inches of greasy slime.

There's no way to adjust the release tension of the Mallets, but their design means it's virtually impossible to release upwards, and I never experienced any unwanted releases during my time on them. The actual angle at which the cleats disengage can be adjusted between 15° or 20° depending on how the brass cleats are oriented, and after trying both options, 15° ended up being my preferred setting. In the 20° setting it felt like it took too much motion to escape, and tipping over while still clipped in is pretty high up on my list of things I'd rather avoid.


Durability

I've been aboard the Mallet E pedals for nearly five months now, and during that time they've been through rain, snow, mud, dust, and pretty much every other possible trail condition. The aluminum bodies have their fair share of scrapes and scratches from being bashed into rocks and roots, but that comes with the territory, and somehow all of the pins have survived. There is a very slight amount of vertical play, but it's not noticeable on the bike, and both pedals are still spinning very smoothly, although when I pulled them apart I did find that one spindle had developed a fair bit of corrosion. The other spindle was corrosion free, but I'd recommend that riders in wet climates check and re-grease the internals more often than I did. It's a quick procedure, and can be performed with the pedals still on the bike.

When asked about this issue, Jason Schiers, Crankbrothers' head of research and development, said, "In the creation of these new pedals we took into account varying conditions, from the wet and mud to pressure washing. The result of these different demands was the proprietary self lubricating Igus ll-glide bearing. It proved to continue to work regardless of any environmental changes that were introduced. The new double seal greatly reduces environmental contamination, but we designed the new bearing system to work flawlessly even without it."



Pinkbike's Take

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