Crank Bros.

I am in the process of purchasing a new bike, and I think I am going
clipless. I picked up some Pearl Izumi Bolder shoes, and I thinking about
grabbing some Crank Bros. Mallet pedals this week. Since I am new to the
clipless riding - a platform/clip hybrid seems like a good start. Does
anybody have any experience with these pedals? I would like to read some
cheers or jeers on the Crank Bros. Oh - BTW I am open to any other brand of
pedal you might recommend.

Thanks

J

Originally posted by J Switzer I am in the process of purchasing a ne
bike, and I think I am going clipless. I picked up some Pearl Izum
Bolder shoes, and I thinking about grabbing some Crank Bros. Malle
pedals this week. Since I am new to the clipless riding -
platform/clip hybrid seems like a good start. Does anybody have an
experience with these pedals? I would like to read some cheers o
jeers on the Crank Bros. Oh - BTW I am open to any other brand of peda
you might recommend

Thank



I've been abusing my "new" (two months?) Crank brother mallets for a fe
rides and have really appreciated their "mud proof" design up here i
the land of eternal wettness. They start a bit tight, but break-i
quickly and have worked flawlessly since that first ride. I love the
compared to the last pair of clip-in pedals I had (shimano). I figure
I'd run them with the larger of the two traction plates they come with
but have found the shorter of the two is more than plenty for most o
the time. You should enjoy them. Have fun

K


-

"J Switzer" wrote in message
...
I am in the process of purchasing a new bike, and I think I am going
clipless. I picked up some Pearl Izumi Bolder shoes, and I thinking about
grabbing some Crank Bros. Mallet pedals this week. Since I am new to the
clipless riding - a platform/clip hybrid seems like a good start. Does
anybody have any experience with these pedals? I would like to read some
cheers or jeers on the Crank Bros. Oh - BTW I am open to any other brand
of
pedal you might recommend.

Thanks

J

I run regular 'beaters, stainless steel, not the semi-platform-dealies.
While I think they are the best pedal available for XC riding, they're not
ideal for a beginner...you can't adjust the spring tension to "pull out" in
an emergency, the release angle is pretty steep, and clipping in has some
close tolerances as well. These aren't problems that an experienced
clipless rider minds, but rookies may not be best suited for 'beaters. I
say get a cheap, used pair of SPD compatibles (see what your LBS has in a
parts bin or hit up Ebay) and get used to them, then switch to 'beaters, the
best pedal on earth.

Why I love beaters - best mud shedding around, easy maintenance, simple,
smart. Less important - they look cool. Much less important - they're very
lightweight.

If you go all platform, I dig Ringle ZuZus. For what that's worth.

Chris

Chris wrote:



I run regular 'beaters, stainless steel, not the semi-platform-dealies.
While I think they are the best pedal available for XC riding, they're not
ideal for a beginner...you can't adjust the spring tension to "pull out" in
an emergency, the release angle is pretty steep, and clipping in has some
close tolerances as well. These aren't problems that an experienced
clipless rider minds, but rookies may not be best suited for 'beaters. I
say get a cheap, used pair of SPD compatibles (see what your LBS has in a
parts bin or hit up Ebay) and get used to them, then switch to 'beaters, the
best pedal on earth.


How can they be the best if they're not adjustable? One size does not fit all.

Greg

"G.T." wrote in message
om...



How can they be the best if they're not adjustable? One size does not fit
all.

Greg


Because nothing's perfect: I think the 'beaters are just closer than
everything else.

Chris

"Chris Phillipo" wrote in message
.. .
In article , getnews1
@dslextreme.com says...
Chris wrote:



I run regular 'beaters, stainless steel, not the
semi-platform-dealies.
While I think they are the best pedal available for XC riding, they're
not
ideal for a beginner...you can't adjust the spring tension to "pull
out" in
an emergency, the release angle is pretty steep, and clipping in has
some
close tolerances as well. These aren't problems that an experienced
clipless rider minds, but rookies may not be best suited for 'beaters.
I
say get a cheap, used pair of SPD compatibles (see what your LBS has
in a
parts bin or hit up Ebay) and get used to them, then switch to
'beaters, the
best pedal on earth.


How can they be the best if they're not adjustable? One size does not
fit all.

Greg



There's no need to have adjustable spring tension when you have 100%
free float. It's only $himano pedals that have you engaging the
mechanism from the first degree of movement.

Similar to Times? If so, then I wouldn't consider it "100% free float".

Greg

"J Switzer" wrote in message ...
I am in the process of purchasing a new bike, and I think I am going
clipless. I picked up some Pearl Izumi Bolder shoes, and I thinking about
grabbing some Crank Bros. Mallet pedals this week. Since I am new to the
clipless riding - a platform/clip hybrid seems like a good start. Does
anybody have any experience with these pedals? I would like to read some
cheers or jeers on the Crank Bros. Oh - BTW I am open to any other brand of
pedal you might recommend.

Picked up the Mallets last summer. What I really like is that I can
jump on the bike and ride a new, never-seen section not-clipped-in, so
I can bail ASAP, if required. Or so that I can ride the 'hood in
whatever shoes I got going.

My PD-545s were OK in that regard as well, but they had no float, and
they got crapped up too easily. In addition, they were heavy. Nice
when you rebound the pedal cage off of rocks, but sucky when you're
going uphill.

While I was leery of the lack of adjustment inherent in the design, I
found they loosened up pretty well after a few rides, and have
maintained a decent tension. Luck? Maybe, but I sure like them
better than the fiddly Shimano stuff.

I have not tried any other type of clipless, so I do not know how
these compare to Speedplay or other clipless types.

HTH,
--
Jonesy

There's no need to have adjustable spring tension when you have
100%
free float. It's only $himano pedals that have you engaging the
mechanism from the first degree of movement.

Similar to Times? If so, then I wouldn't consider it "100% free
float".

Greg

I would say a closer pedal to "100% free float" would be Speedplay...
but eggbeaters do have a good bit of float before spring tension kicks
in, similar to Time. With most Shimano pedals, the spring tension
begins on the cleat in the first degree of angular cleat movement.
The idea behind Time and Eggbeater pedals is you get 6 deg. of float
with no tension on the cleat, then you get progressive tension that
ramps up as angular rotation increases. Thus, you always have a
comfortable amount of tension keeping your foot from releasing with no
need for manual spring adjustment. Time calls this Auto Tension
Adjustment Concept.

-John Morgan

I am in the process of purchasing a new bike, and I think I am going
clipless. I picked up some Pearl Izumi Bolder shoes, and I thinking
about
grabbing some Crank Bros. Mallet pedals this week. Since I am new to
the
clipless riding - a platform/clip hybrid seems like a good start.
Does
anybody have any experience with these pedals? I would like to read
some
cheers or jeers on the Crank Bros. Oh - BTW I am open to any other
brand of
pedal you might recommend.

My first clipless pedal was the Time ATAC Alium. I had been riding
mountain bikes for about 3 months prior to going to clipless, and I
had no problems with these pedals. In fact, after I got used to
riding with them I could never go back to regular platform pedals.
When the eggbeaters came out a couple years ago, I decided to give
them a try. I immediately was hooked on them. They work very similar
to Time pedals, but they have a lighter action to them. They are
easier to get into and out of due to lighter spring tension and the
4-sided engagement...not to mention the pedal itself weighs half as
much.

You shouldn't have any problems going with the eggbeater as your first
pedal if you are comfortable on your bike. Just give yourself ample
time to adjust to riding clipless before trying any difficult trails.
Here is the FAQ if you want some helpful information... just skip all
the confusing technical sections...

http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/mtb/CliplessFAQ.txt

-John Morgan

Thanks for the imput - John, great FAQ very imformative.
J