There are more cleat options with the Crankbrothers pedals, and the standard cleats offer more float. 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. Crankbrothers took its time (four years in all) to bring these shoes to market and assured us they’d properly been through the wringer when it came to testing. While some of this took place in the lab, to at least get the rubber compounds right, much of it was down to real-world testing. 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. Value Once criticism of the laces’ runner is that to release its grip on the lace requires the thinner edge rather than the wider to be squeezed, which I didn’t find as intuitive.

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. 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. My size 42 test samples weighed 1,140g with cleats fitted. Crankbrothers Mallet BOA shoe performance I have a history with Crankbrothers and it goes like this: I don’t historically like, want or need egg beaters in my mountain bike repertoire. To say I have a bias against the original, no frills, eggbeater platform would be an understatement of epic proportions. I don’t enjoy the tiny, almost non-existent pedal surface underfoot. Nor do I often ride in, or need to “shed mud,” because PSA: riding through mud destroys the mostly clay trails here in Colorado (you’re welcome IMBA). 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.Steep banks were scrambled up and down, while we carried our bikes on our shoulders to see how much our heels slipped in the heel box and our feet slipped in the mud. We even sprayed them with a hose to see how water-resistant they are, then timed how long they take to dry out. Other shoes we tested: Sole stiffness is high, though there’s a little extra flex towards the toes, and the end of the toe is curved upwards to aid walking. There’s an EVA foam insert in the midsole to provide comfort when walking, or if you bail while riding. 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.

While this may make the Mallets a little less efficient when pedalling, it’s nice to have the option and adjustment on offer, but it’s also a little puzzling as to why the brand thinks this isn’t required on the Mallet E shoe. We’d certainly like to see it on both clipless offerings.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. 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. The Mallets and Mallet Es feature Crankbrothers’ ‘MATCH Outsole’, which uses its MC1 rubber compound (mid-friction, fast rebound). They also feature a ramped cleat box to make clipping in and out easier, radial tread pattern to help reduce friction when clipping in or out, as well as enough stiffness through the shank to deliver good power transfer. Perforations and mesh panels on the upper are designed to keep your feet cool. Russell Burton / Our Media

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 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. The Speedlace runs far down the shoe to ensure tension is controlled over a large portion of the foot. Potentially the most important part of the shoe is the rubber compound used on the MATCH Outsole. The MC2 rubber blend that Crankbrothers settled on is said to be very close in terms of grip to that of market leaders Five Ten, but far more durable.

Jesse221 the pins are the real reason I’d consider switching. With the right shoes, like the 5 10s you don’t miss the pins when clipped, but you’d be more secure unclipped with the CBs with the pins. Switching to my 5-10s have reduced my desire to get the CBs because they grip the Time platforms so much better when clipped in, I feel like I get all the grip I need. My old Giros/ Sidis/ Pearl Izumis/ SixOnes, not so much. But you’d have to set the pins real low to not get hung up clipping out with certain grippy shoes, so I’m not sure how much they’d help in the end. As such, the best mountain bike shoes have to satisfy a wide range of requirements to reach the top of our table. In this group test, we pitted 12 pairs of clipless shoes from leading brands against each other during several months of sloppy winter testing. 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. 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

Double seal system combines a double lip internal seal and a new external seal to keep water and debris from entering the pedal Just like with all Crankbrothers pedals, there is no adjustable tension to the clipping mechanism on this pedal. However, as we mentioned above, the feel of the pedal can be adjusted with the height of the traction pins. The Mallet 3 has 6 pins per side on each pedal, while the Mallet DH Race has 8 pins per side, giving you an even greater range of grip adjustability. We find that 8 pins per side isn't necessary, and we get plenty of grip with the Mallet 3's 6 pins.By increasing or decreasing this interface, it gives more or less stability to the pedal platform. The Mallet E features six adjustable pins that can be inserted to different heights or eradicated for less aggressive traction. For enhanced efficiency, Crankbrothers also sell a 0-degree float cleat. All this adds up to a fair bit of 'adjustability' for a Crankbrothers pedal, but the Xpedo GFX(that also has adjustable release tension) takes the win for this category. Weight Additionally, the Velcro strap could push the lace’s runner onto the top of my feet, which was annoying, so I only put the end of the lace into the pouch. The Crankbrothers Mallet are undoubtedly some of the most popular clipless pedals among mountain bikers, with countless downhill and enduro pros relying on the Californian brand. The Mallets also convinced the jury of our 2022 group test, outperforming the competition and coming out on top. Can they make it two in a row? While this may hold true for most clipless pedals, the Mallets need a little more tuning, otherwise they either refuse to work or, possibly worse, don’t work at their best with the rider unaware they aren’t getting the most from their expensive investment. These new shoes are named after some of Crankbrothers’ key pedal models and are designed to reflect the intentions of them perfectly. For those not completely au fait with its pedal range, the Mallet is designed for downhill riding and racing, the Mallet E is designed for trail riding and enduro racing, while the Stamp is Crank’s flat-pedal offering.