Crankbrothers Mallet Enduro Pedals, unisex, Mallet Enduro

Product Information

I opted to ride in the size 42 Mallets because the sizing is a little generous compared to the likes of Shimano and Specialized, where I ride in a size 43, so I would suggest trying on before buying, to ensure you get the sizing right. Neat detailing on the Velcro strap (and net detailing throughout) help contribute to the high-quality finish of these shoes, but also the relatively high price. Andy Lloyd / Immediate Media The problem with the 2 mm traction pad is that it lets the cleat preload the underside of the pedal mechanism too much. This seems to be the reason for the more vague sensation, especially when getting clipped in. It should be noted that this issue lessens as the cleats bed in, but if you want a distinctive in-and-out feeling then I don't believe the Mallet Trail will be able to offer that. This issue was also worse in some shoes than others, most notably the Northwaves.

The easy-to-tighten speed lace closure system coupled with the narrow foot/toe box; heavy padding around the ankle, tongue, and heel; and velcro strap over top is the recipe for a snug fit. Crankbrothers doesn’t make women’s specific shoes, so I had to convert my size to men’s 7.5, which computes to the correct women’s size, and I am of the opinion they fit true to size. Style-wise, these remind me of simple skate shoe: well padded and comfortable immediately. I also found that if you pull the lace tight, the top cross-over of laces can put more pressure on the top of your foot than others, though with a bit of pedalling, this tension equalises itself down the foot. This pedal has long been the daily downhill pedal for a number or our testers. We think it works just as well on an eight inch downhill bike as on a six inch enduro bike. The platform gives the Mallet 3 an advantage for the more gravity-oriented branches of mountain biking, but it isn't overly cumbersome or heavy for grinding uphill. ValueDouble seal system combines a double lip internal seal and a new external seal to keep water and debris from entering the pedal 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. Perforations and mesh panels on the upper are designed to keep your feet cool. Russell Burton / Our Media The angled toe and heel treads are directional and spaced out for better mud clearance to help with walking up or down hill. If you haven’t gelled with the Eggbeater mechanism in the past, your experience is likely to be much the same with the Crank Brothers Mallet Trail pedals.

Arguably the hardest of the shoes to get right has to be its flat pedal offering, the Stamp. While the Stamp’s upper more or less mirrors that used on the Mallet and Mallet E’s, the outsole is, as you’d expect, entirely different. On damp days in the hills, the Mallets do a reasonable job of shrugging off puddle splashes and the odd, light rain shower, but your feet will still get a soaking eventually. Thankfully, the Mallets don’t take too long to dry, which is a real plus. The clip mechanism is Crankbrothers’ free-spinning eggbeater design, which takes a bit of getting used to if coming from SPD-style pedals, but they allow you to clip in from multiple angles as well as directly downwards. The more open mechanism is great at shedding mud too.

Crankbrothers Mallet Speedlace specifications and details

The upper is constructed largely from a single piece of material, reducing potential areas of weakness at the seams. The toe box has a number of ventilation perforations, while there are closed-mesh panels on the inside and outside of the foot. Thanks to the offset and narrower upper of the Mallets, I still had more clearance from the shoe to the crank with the cleats in this position, meaning clipping out was never affected no matter the crank angle – a problem some shoes can suffer from when paired with Crankbrothers pedals. They offer the effortless entry and release that Crank Brothers is well known for, and incredible mud-shedding capabilities that few clip-in pedals can match. There’s excellent adjustability for customising their fit, and while outright grip isn’t as good as their bigger siblings, the platform is still usefully broad. There are more cleat options with the Crankbrothers pedals, and the standard cleats offer more float. The Mallet Trails are a decent pedal, but I think that they're always going to suffer in comparison to their bigger and burlier siblings. The problem is that they don't offer support through the platform, and are more reliant on the traction pads. This means that if you're riding anything that includes a lot of rider input, you're going to want to have the 2 mm traction pads. However, the trade-off is a more vague sensation of getting clipped in and out of the pedal, without completely delivering on the feel you were hoping for in the first place.

In basic terms, it wants to simplify setup as much as possible. That means no more experimentation or guess work when adding/removing spacers under your cleats (no matter whether you’re on Shimano SPDs, Crankbrothers pedals or any other pedal system) and limited effort when it comes to pedal adjustments too. The biggest problem with release from the Mallet 3 is the shoes you are likely to wear with these pedals, which can be so wide in the forefoot that they hit the crank arm at certain angles, preventing a full release. Once your cleats and the edges of the shoe break-in this will become less of a problem. Beware that with a new pair of Mallet 3s, new cleats, and a fresh pair of Five Ten Hellcats, you might find yourself falling over in front of your buddies. There are three different models available, named after the pedals that best reflect their intentions: Mallet, Mallet E and the Stamp I suffered a number of false starts when testing this pedal, under the illusion I could simply fit them, bolt the cleats on and ride off into the sunset with the instructions gaily fluttering to the ground in their wake. Concave pedal platform for secure foothold. Like it's DH equivalent you get that flat pedal feel whilst running cliplessWhile it offers a lot of friction, it’s also slow to rebound, and Crankbrothers says this offers better pin absorption and vibration dampening.