CrankbrothersMallet MTB Bike Pedal

I got these pedals for Christmas 2015. I wanted to ride them for a few months for giving a review. I come from riding flats on my mountain bikes and heard from everybody that clipless was the way to go. I had to give it a try, but I have watched my buddy "stop and plop" fall on his clipless often enough that I was a bit reluctant. I paired these pedal with Five Ten Impact VXI Clipless shoes. The combination of the shoes and pedals are very versatile. I wanted a pedal I could ride both clipped in, and as a flat for those sketchy technical sections where I often like to put a leg out.It took me only a couple a rides to get used to clipping in, but a bit longer to get comfortable clipping out. It's easy to unclip, so long as you anticipate when that need will arise. The problem for a new clip rider like me is sometimes if forgot, and plopped over. That's what elbow pads are for :) I have probably fallen a dozen times due to my feet being clipped in when I came to a stop, and I forgot, and leaned the wrong way. All of those incident were at low speed while coming to a stop, not while riding. I have now been riding them for 2.5 months and rarely have that problem. My recent success has been a combination of anticipating when I need to unclip, and getting my muscle memory up to snuff.I like riding these as flats when I hit the rough rocky technical sections where my bike might stop suddenly necessitating a quick foot drop (both uphill and down). At first, I had the pins so low that the center spring was so high that my shoes wouldn't touch the pins. You can ride like this, but it doesn't inspire confidence because the center clip does roll, and although I rarely slipped, it felt like I could at all times. Next, I raised the pins to be taller than the center spring. They rode great as flats, but it was hard to clip in, and really hard to twist out because the pins dug into my shoes too much. I finally hit the sweet spot. I lowered the pins to be just below the center spring in terms of height. Perfect, I can clip in and out at will and ride them like flats when I felt it was necessary.I really do love being clipped in when I am climbing smooth trails or fire roads. It makes a big difference. I have tried regular flats a couple times since, and miss the clippless efficiency. I love being able to switch on the fly to ride these pedals like flats when it gets a bit rough. With the pins adjusted right, they grip very well. I cant emphasize enough how important it is to get the correct shoes if you plan to ride them both clipless and flats. The Five Ten VXI is an amazing combo with these pedals.People who are used to SPD clipless should know there is no tension adjustment on these pedals. You can set the cleats to disengage at either 15 or 20 degrees, that's it. With the pins at the right height, 15 is fine. My local trails are very rocky and technical, otherwise I wouldn't sound like such a sissy about getting my feet out. On the smooth stuff, I have no worries at all.If you are looking for a versatile pedal to use as both clipless and a flat, this has to be one of the best on the market. They are still my everyday pedals. Ride on...

This is my 4th set of crankbrothers mallet pedals. I really like this pedal because it is well made and lasts a long time. They are a bit heavy when compared to smaller ones like the egg beaters but the extra pedal surface and ability to use these pedals with normal shoes make them appealing to me. Ive been using clip in shoes for over 15 years and love them but I occasionally forget to pack my bike shoes before I go on a mountain bike ride so its nice to know that I can still ride my bike with normal shoes safely and comfortably. I typically get over 5000 miles off a set of these pedals and I ride aggressively in wet muddy conditions in the pacific northwest. They can also be rebuilt if you order the rebuild kit.

I made the mistake of using these as they were set up, out of the box. Cost me a broken arm on my first trail ride. Once I watched a video on YouTube about how to set these up, I made the change suggested in the video and these pedals have been fantastic ever since. Initially, I was having trouble releasing from the pedals when I was just trying to stop. That issue has been corrected and now I'm really impressed with how easy the entry is, and release is good too. I hated the thought of replacing my old pedals because they had been perfect for many years and are no longer made. These Mallet's are just as good and less complicated. Entry is easier because there is basically 4 points of entry now compared to two with my previous pedals. I can click into these pretty easy even in rough terrain like roots & rocks. I didn't like them at first, but they've won me over. They've taken a few good rock shots too, and still keep working. I would recommend these to anybody that wants a click-in pedal. I was debating between flat pedals and click-in. This is a happy medium. I also have a set of good platform pedals but I just can't get used to those. My feet come off nearly every time I catch air which freaks me out, so click-in are best for me. My only complaint about these pedals is I feel they're pretty over priced. The profit margin in these has to be about 80% or more of the retail price. And charging more for one color or another is absolutely ludicrous. One color doesn't cost more than another when you're anodizing. I'm not a fashion slug, I want performance first and foremost.I have these mounted on a 2017 Yeti SB6 with SRAM XO carbon cranks for reference. I ride mostly big mountain rides in the Colorado Rockies.

I've had this for a month now, but will check back in the future for an update. This is my first set of CBs product, so it's still a learning curve coming from a Shimano SPD clipless set up. One thing to keep in mind is this experience has been with the 5.10 Hellcat'sWhat I like:- Great looking pedal, the aesthetics are amazing.- Easy to mount on your bike (not compatible with a pedal wrench btw, you need I think an 8mm Allen wrenches.- Adjustable pins are a great touch, but I have a feeling they'll wear over time and be difficult to remove- Gives a great surface area for climbingWhat I don't like (Take these with a grain of salt as I said earlier, I'm still breaking them in):- Even when clipped in, my foot has what feels like a fair bit amount of lateral play- Cleats get scratched up extremely easily, and I'm fairly certain I'll have to replace them within a year. My SPD set up lasted over 18 months and show only slight deterioration.- Difficult to clip in at times because of the rotating egg beater / mounting point. Even more difficult when trying to clip back in when on rough downhill terrain.- When the pins are pushed out too much, it's almost impossible to mount my 5.10 Hellcat's Could be an issue with the compatibility with the shoes design

I've been using these pedals for the last couple of months and can't fault them. It took some time to get comfortable using clipless pedals coming from flat pedals but I don't think I could go back. The pedals are well built and still look new even after a number of crashes. Would definitely recommend them

Had to return for exchange due to very stiff mech and rough bearings after a few weeks use.Hopefully replacements will fair better.Already running a set on another bike with no problems so maybe a dodgy set.

Swapped from Shimano to Crank brothers and overall a good change. Foot hold is great, release v easy, just lacks the snap you get with the shimano SPDs which you get use to after a couple of rides.

Nothing to dislike. These are the boss.

A great platform SPD pedal, easy access and reassuring