Crankbrothers Mallet DH Race Pedal

Product Information

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. Increased float: 6° of side-to-side rotational play. The float of the pedal allows for the rider to shift positions on the bike, while keeping their feet clipped into the pedal. This allows for improved rider control and bike handling

Wil and the clip-in crew have spent the last few months trying to work out which are the best platform clip-in pedals. For this group test, they took eight of the latest platform clip-in pedals to see what each brand has to offer. Each pedal has been tested under various riders with a variety of shoes and in a range of conditions, to determine four category winners: Best Feel, Most Durable, Best In Mud, and Best All Round. There is no adjustable tension on the spring mechanism on any pedals by Crankbrothers. The only adjustable feature is the height of the traction pins, which can be dialed up taller for more grip or screwed in lower for less grip. This changes the feel of the pedal when clipping in and out. The DH has eight pins per side. 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. The ability to set the release angle of the cleats to either 15° to 20° means you can be really active on the pedal whilst still remaining attached to the bike. The concave pedal body gives a flat pedal feel with the assurance that you are connected to the bike.

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.

While the Mallet DH uses a four-sided, sprung stirrup to hold its cleat, HT has a kind of Shimano/Crank Brothers hybrid mechanism.

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.) 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.

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. Some testers have pulled their hair out adjusting their cleat shims, pin height and pedal sleeves to work just right with their particular shoe, and there’s no doubt that if you’re coming from the ‘bolt and go’ world of xc clipless pedals, you’ll need to give setup more time than you’re used to. 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 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. The Mallet E pedal has the same large concave pedal body feel that everyone loves about the Mallet DH. With the new interchangeable traction pad, cleat shims, and traction pins, you really can dial in how much the pedal grips to your shoe. All throughout this test, I rode with the Giro Chamber shoes and they felt right at home with the traction pad shims that come mounted with the pedals out of the box. The Mallet pedals have always been known for the amount of float they provide, but the Mallet E provided plenty of grip without sacrificing the ability to get unclipped easily.

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. Caged clipless pedals are going through something of a resurgence in both downhill and enduro racing. Top of the heap, over the last few years, has been Crank Brothers’ Mallet DH, used by most of the World Cup field and countless privateer racers. But competition is hotting up, with Shimano developing a third-generation DX model and HT introducing this new X1. 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). 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 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.

Inner bearing: igus LL-glide bearinghas been exclusively formulated for crankbrothers. It performs in even the most adverse conditions out on the trails

Details

bin\mallet train-topics --input tutorial.mallet --num-topics 20 --output-state topic-state.gz --output-topic-keys tutorial_keys.txt --output-doc-topics tutorial_compostion.txt Double seal systemcombines a double lip internal seal and a new external seal to keep water and debris from entering the pedal 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