Crankbrothers Mallet Trail - the facts
- Integrated traction pads for improved shoe contact
- 2 adjustable pins per side for better grip
- High-quality bearings with double seal
- Extended axle for more freedom of movement, 57 mm Q-factor
- Flattened corners against rock contact
- Weight: 355 grammes
- Price: 179,99 Euro
Actually, the selection of Mountain bike pedals Crankbrothers' range has never been small. Four different models with the classic whisk click system have already been available in the US company's range. All of which were also available in different quality levels. But the Americans probably thought: something is still missing. And because niches are apparently there to be filled, there is now model number five in the MTB pedal range of the accessory manufacturer. According to Crankbrothers, it has been specially developed for trail and gravel use. Accordingly, it is intended to bridge the gap between the lightweight Candy pedals and the Mallet-E pedal for enduro MTB use.
Mallet Trail with slightly enlarged pedal cage
Like all MTB pedals from Crankbrothers, the new Mallet Trail also features the tried-and-tested click system, which resembles a whisk. It allows access from four sides and offers slightly better self-cleaning than the equally widespread Shimano SPD system.
Compared to the Candy pedals, the footprint of the Mallet Trail has been slightly enlarged. In addition, two pins at the front are designed to improve grip and stability in off-road terrain. The new pedal has thus gained about 35 grams compared to the equally expensive Candy 7. However, the 355 gram Cranbrothers Mallet Trail are still a long way from a Mallet E weighing 419 grams per pair.
One of the reasons for the larger cage is that they wanted to achieve a sufficiently secure stance and acceptable power transfer even with a slightly softer and more runner-friendly sole. If you have to get out of the saddle and push off-road, a softer sole is much better than classic, stiff racing shoes.
New Crankbrothers pedals: wider axle, high-quality bearings
In order to offer sufficient heel clearance even with wider rear triangles, the Crankbrothers Mallet Trail opted for a 57 millimetre wide axle. For comparison: the Candys are slightly narrower with 52 millimetre axles, but can also be upgraded to the wider axle.
As with the other two pedals, the Americans also use Enduro bearings on the outside of the Mallet Trail and Igus bushings on the crank side. High-quality double seals are intended to extend the service life of the bearings.
The so-called traction pads are used on both sides of the axles. These are small plastic plates 1 or 2 millimetres thick that can be used to fine-tune the distance between the sole of the shoe and the pedal body. They are simply pushed onto the pedal body. If the sole wears over time, the contact can be re-established using the thicker plates.
Ride test: Off-road with the Crankbrothers Mallet Trail
Anyone who appreciates the smooth and soft click-in behaviour of Crankbrothers pedals will also get on well with the Mallet Trail straight away. The feet easily find their way into the spindle and click into the pedal with little pressure. The exit is still more of a slide out than a defined click out - so far, so familiar. The new Mallet Trail also comes with cleats with a 15° or 20° step-out angle and 6° float as standard. So far, we have always ridden best with a 15° exit angle. With a larger angle, you have to twist your foot a lot to disengage from the pedal. In addition, depending on the crank position and shoe size, your feet can sometimes get caught on the crank.
Wide axle, more freedom of movement
However, the slightly wider axles offer an advantage here: even with shoe size 46 and cleats mounted relatively far back, we had no problem getting off the bike. If you rotate your heels slightly inwards when pedalling, you will also be pleased with the greater distance to the rear stays. Even with a slightly wider frame, we were able to pedal without our shoes rubbing against the frame.
Especially with slightly stiffer shoes, such as the Fizik Gravita Tensor, the small platform of the Mallet Trail is still easy to manage. With special gravel models, which generally have an even stiffer sole, the power transfer should be even better. However, the pedal reaches its limits with shoes with a softer sole, such as the Crankbrothers Mallet Boa. Here you can clearly feel how the shoe bends over the small pedal body when pedalling out of the saddle.
Even if the height of the two pins can be adjusted. They don't have much effect on the trail. Even with shoes with softer soles, you hardly come into contact with them, which actually makes them superfluous. However, other pedals with a similar approach, such as the Time Speciale 8 or the HT T1, also have this problem.
New: Crankbrothers Mallet Trail pedals: The new ultimate for trail bikers and gravel riders?
Mountain bikers who prefer stiff soles will also get on well with the Candy. They will also save a few grams of weight. You will also rarely miss the wider axle on the gravel bike. Overhanging rear triangles are more of a problem on modern trail and enduro bikes. And Crankbrothers also has the significantly larger Mallet E in its range for them. In technical terrain, this offers by far the fatter footprint, pins that also reach the sole and therefore more grip and safety. The Crankbrothers Mallet Trail certainly fills its niche on the market, but it doesn't invent a new category that we've been waiting for.
Stefan Frey
Editor
