Crankbrothers Mallet DH Pedals - Review
Crankbrothers' Mallet DH pedals have been in existence since 2008, although they've gone through several revisions over the course of the last nine years. The wide platform and mud-shedding design have made them a popular option on the World Cup DH circuit, but they don't necessarily need to be mounted up to a downhill bike – they work just as well for general trail riding.
Available in red or black, a set of Mallet DH pedals weighs 479 grams, and will leave your wallet $169 USD lighter.
Crankbrothers Mallet DH Details
• Aluminum body, chromoly spindle
• Platform dimensions: 101 x 77mm
• 57mm q-factor
• Weight: 479 grams
• MSRP: $169 USD
• 5-year warranty
• www.crankbrothers.com
The leading edge of the pedals has a chamfer to help keep them from getting hung up on obstacles.
Eight removable pins are in place on each side, and there's plenty of room around the clip-in mechanism to prevent mud from building up.
Design Details
The Mallet DH's aluminum body has been changed slightly compared to the previous version, and it now has a chamfered leading edge to provide a little more clearance from rocks or other obstacles. In addition, deeper grooves have been machined into the platform to provide extra traction for those moments when you're trying to find the pedals again after unclipping.
The traction pad feature first seen on the Mallet E has also been carried over to the Mallet DH, which consists of a removable, rectangular piece of polyurethane that sits on each side of the clip-in mechanism. There are different pad heights available, allowing riders to customize their pedals to work perfectly with their shoe of choice.
The pedal spins on a forged chromoly axle that provides a 57mm q-factor, with an igus LL-glide bushing located on the inboard portion of the axle, and an Enduro cartridge bearing on the outboard portion. Crankbrothers also worked to improve the pedal's wet weather capabilities, and there's now a two-stage rubber seal that's designed to keep water from working its way to the internals.
Riders that frequently find themselves hiking in rocky terrain may find that the brass cleats wear quickly, but I didn't run into any issues.
Shoes with a flatter sole, like Shimano's AM9, work best with the Mallet's platform design.
Performance
Riders who are familiar with Crankbrothers' clip-in mechanism won't be surprised by how the Mallet DH functions. If you're making the switch from an SPD-style pedal, the feel of clipping in is slightly different – it's more 'mushy', for lack of a better term, compared to the crisp 'click' that accompanies stepping into an SPD pedal. There are 6-degrees of float compared to the 4-degrees found on Shimano pedals, and the release angle can be set at 15- or 20-degrees depending on the orientation of the cleats.
What do those numbers mean out on the trail? For me, the additional float makes it easier to forget that I'm clipped in, which is a good thing. With the Mallets I was able to twist my feet a little further while cornering or navigating a tricky section of trail, and it felt less like I was locked rigidly into one position. If anything, the Mallets feel like a nice set of flat pedals underfoot, with the added bonus that they keep your feet securely attached to the pedals in really rough sections of trail. The wide platform provides a nice perch for those half-clipped in moments, and while the jury's still out on whether or not those grooves in the body make a noticeable difference, I never had any trouble keeping my feet on the pedals, even in slimy, wet conditions.
For most of the test period I used a pair of Shimano AM9 shoes, which paired perfectly with the Mallet DH. I didn't need to remove any of the pedal's pins, or fuss around with the replaceable traction pads. It's worth noting that the Mallets work best with shoes that have a flatter, skate shoe style sole – that way there's as much contact as possible between the pedal platform and the shoe.
Durability
After eight months of use and abuse, the aluminum body has lost some of its luster (getting dragged over granite will do that), but all of the traction pins are still in place, although rock strikes have ground a couple of them down. Both pedals are spinning smoothly, and when I pulled them apart there wasn't any corrosion to be seen, with a judicious amount of factory grease still in place. Considering everything they've been through, these pedals have fared extremely well, and after a quick cleaning and greasing they're ready to go for another season of rock smashing.
Pinkbike's Take
 | They may be aimed at the downhill crowd, but the Mallet DH pedals are an excellent choice for anyone who frequently finds themselves in technical terrain. The ease of entry and exit, along with the durability, make them a highly recommended option. |
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Member since Feb 1, 2009
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Must have done about 5k km across all the pedals and never had any issues - really impressed.
Only very trivial problem I had was the plastic contact pads on the Mallet E coming loose over time from clipping in/out... really can’t complain!
Crack bros 2016
I no longer talk friends out of CB pedals, but I remember a lot of friends walking out on the trail in the early CB years. Glad to see they have stepped up and fixed their issues.
Anyone had any joy?
Hate the rock involved with running 3 spacers though+ it was gypo as f*ck.
These are my first set of clipless after using flats for about 10 years. My only issue at first was that I thought I'd set the release degree at 20 thinking it would feel more like the flats I was used to. After I toppled over about 6 times on my first ride, I turned the cleats around to lower the release degree from 20 to 15, now it's perfect.
Maybe you need one plastic shim... then just play with the pin length?
The bonus to the Times is that if you hit a rock on the bottom it doesn’t release you like the CBs because the top and bottom aren’t connected like on the CBs. Also, after only breaking 1 pedal in 18 years, and still being able to ride out on one side of that pedal, id say they are some of the best for durability out there. They do wear out eventually, but I am still running pedals over 10 years old on one bike. Cleats do wear fast like the CBs though.
Or you can always just run flats and call it good.
Why are the two cleats different?
One cleat has two small dots in the center between the bolt holes, and the other cleat does not. If you put the cleat with two dots on it on your right shoe, then both feet release outwards at a 15 degree angle and if you put the one with the two little dots on your left shoe, then both feet release outwards at about 20 degrees. First-time users should start with the 15 degree release angle.
How can I change the release angle?
For a 15 degree release angle (earlier release) on both feet, place the cleat with the two dots on the right shoe. For a 20 degree release angle (later release) on both feet, place the cleat with the two dots on the left shoe.
Assuming you always like to have the same release angle, the cleats are not interchangeable between sides. Thus, if you always get on/off the same side of your bike, you're always going to wear out the same one.