The Crank Brothers Mallet Trail is a brand new clip-in pedal that’s designed to suit a wide range of riding types. Featuring the iconic four-sided Eggbeater mechanism and a compact two-piece machined alloy body, the Mallet Trail straddles the gap between the Candy and Mallet E. According to Crank Brothers, this is now the most versatile pedal in its clip-in range. The Crank Brothers Mallet Trail is a brand new platform clip-in pedal that fills a gap in the current lineup. The Crank Brothers Mallet Trail pedals The very popular Crank Brothers Mallet DH pedals went on a diet, and the Mallet E pedals were born. The Mallet E pedals are designed to be the ultimate pedal for enduro racing and riding. Paired with the successful eggbeater clipless system along with updated bearings and seals from Crank Brothers, the Mallet E pedal is ready to go! Let’s see how they do on the trail. You can also alter the float (natural foot rotation while you ride) and release angle (the point at which the shoe disengages) by swapping around the cleats. The default cleats give a 6 degree float and a 15 degree exit angle, but you can increase that to 20 degrees for more wiggle room by swapping the left cleat to the right shoe and vice versa. You can also buy cleats that give zero float and/or a narrower 10 degree release angle, though it feels less likely that trail and enduro riders would want either of those things. Verdict

I’ve been riding the Mallet DH pedals for a couple years now. Before the Mallet E pedals were introduced, I rode the Mallet DH pedals on all of my bikes. Now that I have had the chance to ride these Mallet E pedals, I think they will be staying on my trail bike full time and don’t see why they wouldn’t make their way to the downhill bike as well. Pair the Mallet E with the right kind of shoes and spend a little time setting it up, and you’ll get an impressively secure and stable pedal for rowdier riding. Tech Specs: Crankbrothers Mallet E LS 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.Interchangeable traction pad to optimize cleat engagement and improve shoe and pedal body interface When initially setting up the pedal I noticed two things. Firstly, how reliant the Mallet E's are on their platform to ensure support for the shoe, and secondly that the traction pins of the Trail pedals tend to sit within the cleat channel of most shoes, meaning that you can't rely on them to stop your shoe from twisting as you move your weight around the bike. Cycle Centre Congleton Limited 2021. Cyclestore is a trading name of Cycle Centre Congleton Limited. All Rights Reserved Company No. 05107467 | VAT No: 593 733 507 The Crank Brothers Mallet Trail pedal takes the successful and well-proven recipe of the Mallet E and Mallet DH, and shrinks it down to an impressively svelte pedal that boasts a class-leading weight. 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.

While the Mallet DH uses a four-sided, sprung stirrup to hold its cleat, HT has a kind of Shimano/Crank Brothers hybrid mechanism. The function of the simple Eggbeater mechanism remains the same, with four-sided engagement from the stainless steel wings. The mechanism rotates independently of the platform, which can feel odd at first, but is easy enough to get used to. Combined with the two gaping holes in the pedal body, this rotatable mechanism means the Mallet dumps mud exceptionally well. Double seal system combines a double lip internal seal and a new external seal to keep water and debris from entering the pedal Traction grooves are machined into the body, and each side gets eight adjustable steel grub pins. The cromoly steel spindle is longer than other Crank Brothers pedals, which gives a wider 57mm Q-factor for a more stable stance on the bike. The increased clearance between bulky shoes and the crank arms also reduces the chance of jamming a foot when trying to unclip. The Mallet’s platform measures 91mm long x 78mm wide. Compared to the standard Mallet and Mallet E, the Mallet DH is bigger and burlier. It uses a huge two-piece alloy platform that measures 91mm long by 78mm wide, and that makes it heavier – 480g was the confirmed weight for our test pair of pedals (without cleats).The system does obviously involve more bearings and moving parts but DMR does offer full rebuild kits for all its pedals. So you can run its pedals for years and years. Which is to be commended in this age of ‘disposable’ parts. 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.

Anyone who’s used a set of Crank Brothers clip-in pedals before will be familiar with the ergonomics of its distinctive Eggbeater mechanism. Entry is smooth and fluid, with the spring providing a linear rate that means very little force is required to engage your cleats.Remember, the dotted cleat allows for a 15-degree release your right foot, and a 20-degree release on the left. Weight After five months of testing, I pulled everything apart to find the left pedal clean as a whistle. However, the right spindle did have some corrosion present, which appeared to have been caused by contamination. The new sealing is a vast improvement over older Crank Brothers pedals, but it still isn’t impermeable to wet weather riding and regular blasts from the hose. If you regularly ride in wet conditions, or you’re a bit liberal with high pressure water when you’re cleaning your bike, servicing is a must. If you neglect these pedals as we did though, there’s a greater chance of water getting past the seals where it can sit inside the pedal and cause corrosion. If you want to customize the feel of the Mallet Es, you have a number of options. To start with, choosing the long spindle (LS) version gives you a 5mm wider stance on each side, for a little more control. (You won’t want this if your setup is already at the limit of what’s comfortable for your knees.) The second generation Mallet DH builds upon the success of the original, with the Eggbeater mechanism delivering silky smooth engagement and unparalleled mud shedding. They aren’t cheap, and the light action won’t suit all tastes. Given the adjustability for dialling in the grip levels for the conditions, however, it’s easy to see why so many top-level riders depend on the Mallet DH. 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.

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. Inner bearing: igus LL-glide bearing has been exclusively formulated for crankbrothers. It performs in even the most adverse conditions out on the trails You can also adjust your release angle by the way you install the cleats on your shoes. If you put the cleat with the indented dot on your right shoe you will get a 15 degree release angle, whereas if the cleat with the dot goes on your left shoe providing a 20 degree release. Because of the problem of shoe/crank arm interference we mentioned above we recommend you go with 15 degrees if you are running these pedals with beefy shoes like Hellcats or Minnars. WeightNew for 2017 are the Mallet E Long Spindle pedals. The long spindle model features a 57mm q-factor, 5mm longer than the regular Mallet E, and is mounted to the same Mallet E body tested here. After riding the Mallet E pedal, I think I would enjoy that additional clearance and can’t wait to get my hands on the long spindle model.