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Anyone try the new Mallet DHs' yet.

SCARY

Not long enough
I did my 2nd set of shuttle runs yesterday since my accident almost a year ago.I had to unclip a couple times cuz I'm so stiff and have lost some micro balancing features my body used to have .
It took forever to get clipped back in on my right side and my foot didnt feel real confident on the shimano Dxs.
I thought the mallets might feel better in an unclippled situation,or the wet until I could get back in.I think I would only run them on race weekend due to their reputation.
I get race Gwin,here in a couple weeks and I don't want to be more than a full minute behind him.
 

Carraig042

me 1st
Apr 5, 2011
732
353
East Tennessee
I hear they are a lot better than the old ones. Supposedly they did not break a single one during testing and through last season. I dont run clipped in so I cant really say to much other than what I hear.

-Brett
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
I just bought two brand new pairs of the current Mallets off the site for the $60 price Crank Brothers is unloading them at. The new wings are worlds better than the old one. I'm trying to play with the pin placement to see if they really increase grip unclipped without hindering engagement, but not too many rides where I'm hanging it out just yet. The Mallet DH's run the same way other than width really, so I assume my statements to be relevant.

I don't think ANY DH clipless pedal actually grips your shoe at all as much as it just gives you a place to keep your foot until it clips in, but time may tell. I'm of the opinion that you'd have to run the pins at an absurd height to even consider them "grippy".
 

SCARY

Not long enough
I just bought two brand new pairs of the current Mallets off the site for the $60 price Crank Brothers is unloading them at. The new wings are worlds better than the old one. I'm trying to play with the pin placement to see if they really increase grip unclipped without hindering engagement, but not too many rides where I'm hanging it out just yet. The Mallet DH's run the same way other than width really, so I assume my statements to be relevant.
I don't think ANY DH clipless pedal actually grips your shoe at all as much as it just gives you a place to keep your foot until it clips in, but time may tell. I'm of the opinion that you'd have to run the pins at an absurd height to even consider them "grippy".
What site?CBs site they're 140 for the new ones and 90 for last years
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Bottom right hand corner of the home page. "Upgrade me now". I sent in two sets of the originial Mallets and bought two new sets of the 2012's.

I was FRIGGIN ECSTATIC to find they changed the allen head from a 5mm to a 6mm.

http://www.crankbrothers.com/rt_ticket_add.php

You can also buy their wheelsets and other pedal styles besides the Mallet 3's.

wheel & pedal upgrade offers//

last name: This field is required. pedal upgrade offer
Upgrade ANY of your clipless pedals to a crankbrothers
eggbeater 3, candy 3 or mallet 3 for only $60. That's
half off the retail price of $120!

wheel upgrade offer
Upgrade ANY wheelset to a crankbrothers cobalt 3,
iodine 3, or opium 3 for only $600. All level 3
wheelsets retail for $950, so you're saving $350!

You can also upgrade to a cobalt 11 carbon wheelset for only $1500, a $700 savings off the $2200 retail price!
 

JustMtnB44

Monkey
Sep 13, 2006
840
113
Pittsburgh, PA
I have a broken pair of the original Mallet pedals, but they did last for about 6 years before failing. Can I send those in? If so, good deal.

Edit: I also remembered I have a pair of original Candy pedals where one of the wings is broken. Hmm, maybe two new sets of pedals are needed?
 
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mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
That pedal upgrade deal does not apply to the new Mallet DH, only the 2nd gen "UFO style" Mallet.

If the new "DH" version has the reliability improvements they claim, it'll definitely be a serious winner, imo.
 
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canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,188
19,155
Canaderp
So if I send in my pedals, what set will I get back? The version that is half plastic?

I have a set of Mallets, whose spring keeps digging into the body of the pedal and forces the wings to stay open :(
 

dylan s

Chimp
Jan 16, 2010
63
0
My pair of mallet DH arrived at the shop today. Yet to mount them to a bike but initial thoughts were that the body looks beefy as hell and should take some serious abuse. But then you see this little skinny axel in the middle.... With 5 year warranty crank brothers must be pretty confident in them. Only time will tell
 
May 30, 2011
82
0
Louisville, KY
I've got two full days of runs on my Mallet DH and they are much improved over the most recent Mallet version they replaced. The biggest difference to me was the spacing on the new axles. You can get unclipped now without your shoes hitting the crank arm in certain positions. I wear the 5.10 Ravens and they are pretty wide. The new spring feels a little better and consistent compared to last years model. I've already smashed them through lots of rocks riding at Windrock and they are still rock solid.
 

dropmachine

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
2,922
10
Your face.
2 thoughts.

Crank Brothers has never really made a good product. So why bother?

Second, there are too many other better, cheaper products out there to be bothered with sketchy but pretty stuff.
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
Why anyone would continue to give CB products a shot is beyond me. I could never figure out how they can't design proper DH products when their offices are at the bottom of some of the best, gnarly shuttle trails in California.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,188
19,155
Canaderp
Perhaps I am out of the norm here, but other than the spring digging into the pedal body, my Mallets have performed pretty well (considering their bad rep).

What other options are there for clipless pedals that offer a full platform with a couple spikes/studs?
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
I've got two full days of runs on my Mallet DH and they are much improved over the most recent Mallet version they replaced. The biggest difference to me was the spacing on the new axles. You can get unclipped now without your shoes hitting the crank arm in certain positions. I wear the 5.10 Ravens and they are pretty wide. The new spring feels a little better and consistent compared to last years model. I've already smashed them through lots of rocks riding at Windrock and they are still rock solid.
Which bike/rider are you? Remind me to check them out next time we're there.

I tried doing some goofing off in the driveway yesterday on the Mallet 3's yesterday in a pair of sneakers. My foot shot right off the side, so I gotta spin the pins up in height to see if they grip. I'm thinking I can jack up the outside pins and leave the inside ones low. But yeah, just like any other clipless with platform, no TRUE flat soled grip to be had, just a perch for your foot til you clip back in.

Shimano's are a plastic set of nubs, so no advantage there. I've not ridden the DH Shimano's in years, but would love to try them again to see if they can truly handle PEANUT BUTTER again. But I've got DH, trail bike and road bike all with Crank Brothers on them and don't think I'll go through that much dough to convert back just yet.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,188
19,155
Canaderp
So I upgraded a set of my old broken Mallets for the newest ones.

I have been using them for about a week and everything was going well, until I noticed after a ride today that the inner bearing and seal on one of the pedals is popping out?

What the heck?

IMG400.jpg
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
I've only ever ran into a problem of snapping the axle on two pairs over a 5 year period, but both had never once been taken apart and re-greased. I hucked to flat once and it was ugly, but all my fault!
 

sbabuser

Turbo Monkey
Dec 22, 2004
1,114
55
Golden, CO
2 thoughts.

Crank Brothers has never really made a good product. So why bother?

Second, there are too many other better, cheaper products out there to be bothered with sketchy but pretty stuff.
And I never understand why CB haters insist on posting useless anecdotal drivel in every CB thread. The world is full of mysteries... :D
 

dropmachine

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
2,922
10
Your face.
Posting up a warning about Crank Brothers parts to curious riders is the same as warning your buddy about that chick at the bar with the prominent adams apple.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,188
19,155
Canaderp
I've only ever ran into a problem of snapping the axle on two pairs over a 5 year period, but both had never once been taken apart and re-greased. I hucked to flat once and it was ugly, but all my fault!
I'm with you here. Although this one pedal acting up after just a week is a bit of a pain in the asshole, my other two sets of pedals from Crank Brothers have performed well. Not once did I ever bother to take them apart and service them and they withstood multiple encounters with rocks of the East coast variety.

Can't comment on their other products as I don't own any. Though a bunch of my riding friends have Crank Brothers multi tools and they seem to be pretty decent.

By the way, you can send in your old pedals and get these newest ones for $70. The ones that are half plastic are a $60 trade-in.
 
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dilzy

Monkey
Sep 7, 2008
567
1
I've only ever ran into a problem of snapping the axle on two pairs over a 5 year period, but both had never once been taken apart and re-greased. I hucked to flat once and it was ugly, but all my fault!
Snapping the axle on a peddle no matter what you do is unacceptable. Your legs should be broken splinters before an axle snaps. At the most it should bend, not break.
 

Trekrules

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2007
1,226
148
CB stuff are like a cat in a bag product for it's overpriced quality,i had own a pair of candy,5050(the worst pedals ever made) and a cobalt wheelset that sucked i had major play on the rear wheel in a short period of time,even the QR skewers from the wheels where major crap.
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Snapping the axle on a peddle no matter what you do is unacceptable. Your legs should be broken splinters before an axle snaps. At the most it should bend, not break.
Brother, here is what happened. They were a 3 year old set of the ORIGINAL magnesium bodied pedals. I had literally never swapped out a bearing or greased crap. They were so dry and seized I just shot a little Tri-Flow into them to keep them bearable. Was limping them along to buy a new set.

If you know anything about dry bearings and stress risers on axles, you understand I was living on borrowed time. Coolest part is I finished the run and the pedal was still attached to my shoe at the end.
 

Mr Nug

Monkey
Aug 26, 2007
138
1
UK
Snapping the axle on a peddle no matter what you do is unacceptable. Your legs should be broken splinters before an axle snaps. At the most it should bend, not break.
I totally agree. I don't know if I've seen anyone break a crank arm in the last 5 years. A pedal breakage at the wrong time could be a disaster.

I had a pair of CB Acid 2s which I used on my hardtail for about a year - commuting 20 odd miles most days with the occasional XC ride. I used to shortcut through a car park en route and was stood up pedalling over the speed bumps (gnar!) and one of the pedals axles snapped off. That crash hurt like hell!
 

dropmachine

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
2,922
10
Your face.
I was at a local shop, and they took a set of Cobalt wheels out of the box. The freehub body fell off.

My 5050s had the body slide off.

My Mallets had more play than LeBron James.

Local rider I know had the body of his Mallets fly off. In the air. In Whistler. On Crabapple Hits. At full speed.


I could go on, but I probably don't have to.