I suck at getting in and out of SPD's. At interbike Shaums told me to try the Times but then I've heard other people recommend the Crank Bros pedals. Anyone have any experiances or preference?
Crank Bros Mallet C or Time Z pedals?
- Thread starter trialsmasta
- Start date
Heel out boy,heel out! I run the Mallets and love them but it a preference thing like saddles.Quick question,do you practice unclippin'?Just practice track standing in your yard and before you fall over unclip.Your self-preservation gene's will kick in if you hit the ground many times 
Heheh yeah my right leg comes out and I lean to the leftGravityFreakTJ said:Heel out boy,heel out! I run the Mallets and love them but it a preference thing like saddles.Quick question,do you practice unclippin'?Just practice track standing in your yard and before you fall over unclip.Your self-preservation gene's will kick in if you hit the ground many times
. I'll give it a shot.
I don't think my mallets are easier to get into than the 545s that I replaced. The 545 with the "float" is really easy, and the cleat sinks into the mechamism really easy. The mallet doesn't work the same way, the mechamism is realtively small compared to the pedal, and your foot doesn't always naturally find the "center" of it as easily as with the SPDs.
Unclipping could be said to be "easier", but there's also less spring tension than is possible with SPDs, this could be good or bad.
The mallet Cs are somewhat higher-profile than the shimanos. The pedal isn't too thick, but the mechanism is (the eggbeater part), when you clip into an SPD that 30 degrees of vertical float is taken up and the mechanism is laying "flat". The Mallet mechanism is going to be the same height no matter what.
The mallet Cs are very good pedals, lighter than what I was using before, a real cool simple design, but I can easily see that they are not some "vastly superior" product. On top of what I already said, you don't get adjustable spring tension. Don't get me wrong, I like them, they are not some "perfect product" IMO though.
And if you have trouble with SPDs (545s, 646s?), I have to wonder if any clipless pedal would really satisfy you.
CrankBros does have a pretty good warrenty. It's 2 years, and they rarely ask questions. I bent my legeaters last weekend in flagstaff, and they are sending me new spindles and a rebuild kit, no questions.
I haven't used the mallets nearly as much as my eggbeaters, but unintentional unclipping is REAL with the eggbeaters. The same design that I love for it's simplicity and function is what's to blame. If you catch the pedal on a rock, it can "compress" the two little bars, and basically "open" the side of the pedal that your cleats are clipped into. This has caused me to go down a couple times, it's not a huge worry to me, but it is real.
Lastly, let me say again that I like the CB stuff. The simplicity of design and function is really neat. The eggbeaters are simply way lighter than anything else, and they function very well. That's the draw for me. I got the mallets because I get them disctounted as an employee, and I needed new DH pedals. If 545s lasted forever, I'd probably go with them, but the cages do bend, and other parts wear out. The mallets are good pedals and based on my experience on em I definitely don't hate them, I like them, but they do have some drawbacks.
Unclipping could be said to be "easier", but there's also less spring tension than is possible with SPDs, this could be good or bad.
The mallet Cs are somewhat higher-profile than the shimanos. The pedal isn't too thick, but the mechanism is (the eggbeater part), when you clip into an SPD that 30 degrees of vertical float is taken up and the mechanism is laying "flat". The Mallet mechanism is going to be the same height no matter what.
The mallet Cs are very good pedals, lighter than what I was using before, a real cool simple design, but I can easily see that they are not some "vastly superior" product. On top of what I already said, you don't get adjustable spring tension. Don't get me wrong, I like them, they are not some "perfect product" IMO though.
And if you have trouble with SPDs (545s, 646s?), I have to wonder if any clipless pedal would really satisfy you.
CrankBros does have a pretty good warrenty. It's 2 years, and they rarely ask questions. I bent my legeaters last weekend in flagstaff, and they are sending me new spindles and a rebuild kit, no questions.
I haven't used the mallets nearly as much as my eggbeaters, but unintentional unclipping is REAL with the eggbeaters. The same design that I love for it's simplicity and function is what's to blame. If you catch the pedal on a rock, it can "compress" the two little bars, and basically "open" the side of the pedal that your cleats are clipped into. This has caused me to go down a couple times, it's not a huge worry to me, but it is real.
Lastly, let me say again that I like the CB stuff. The simplicity of design and function is really neat. The eggbeaters are simply way lighter than anything else, and they function very well. That's the draw for me. I got the mallets because I get them disctounted as an employee, and I needed new DH pedals. If 545s lasted forever, I'd probably go with them, but the cages do bend, and other parts wear out. The mallets are good pedals and based on my experience on em I definitely don't hate them, I like them, but they do have some drawbacks.
Flats Are Best!!
HIJACK What do pros ride? Flats right??
Mallets are alright, but not great. I've bent a few spindles, and broken one, and I've only ridden the stupid things since July. The 1st set of cleats completely wore out in exactly 2 months, now I'm on the 2nd set and they're doing okay.
As for durability, they're crap. The engagement/release is the best I've used. If you don't mind the "issues" then go for it.
I would not buy them again though.
As for durability, they're crap. The engagement/release is the best I've used. If you don't mind the "issues" then go for it.
I would not buy them again though.
Mallets.
The cleats wear because they are made of brass. This is so that it is the cleat that wares, and not the egg beater tension bars.
I have been riding them since the ste anne world cup, on the east coast, without a single problem. Yes, I love them and will NEVER go back to crappy shimanos. Hello 3 pairs of pedals in 3 weeks.
I have been riding them since the ste anne world cup, on the east coast, without a single problem. Yes, I love them and will NEVER go back to crappy shimanos. Hello 3 pairs of pedals in 3 weeks.
I predict that in about 2 or 3 years, these pedals will either be totally discontinued, or much better. They need a much thicker spindle, the ones they use now are much thinner than say a Shimano pedal, and a steel cleat or at least a harder metal like bronze would be a huge improvement over the cheese cleats they have now.
Granted, I beat the **** out of my pedals doing a lot of big stuff, but I also have a pair of 8-year old 636's that I've beat FAR worse and those spindles are still mint.
Granted, I beat the **** out of my pedals doing a lot of big stuff, but I also have a pair of 8-year old 636's that I've beat FAR worse and those spindles are still mint.
I have great luck with the Time Z's.
I rode the same pair of pedals all year long with great performance and no problems. I hit them numerous times, and they held up for me.
The only reason that I picked them over the mallets is because they are a smaller, more narrow pedal, and I figured that I would hit them less.
I am getting another pair for next year.
I rode the same pair of pedals all year long with great performance and no problems. I hit them numerous times, and they held up for me.
The only reason that I picked them over the mallets is because they are a smaller, more narrow pedal, and I figured that I would hit them less.
I am getting another pair for next year.
I used Shimano for ten years. I decided to try something new.
I got to try out some Mallets for about a month. If you downhill
or free ride a lot of rocky stuff the Mallets may not be a good choice.
Reason:I found that if you hit the bottom of the pedal, it causes the pedal to release when you need it most.
I finally decided on the Time Z control. They really are an awesome pedal.
It seems to me that the float is just right and they are super easy getting in and out of. Time makes a few different models of the DH pedal and I suggest getting the top o' the line. I have the nice ones and the cheap ones. I prefer
the nice ones.
I got to try out some Mallets for about a month. If you downhill
or free ride a lot of rocky stuff the Mallets may not be a good choice.
Reason:I found that if you hit the bottom of the pedal, it causes the pedal to release when you need it most.
I finally decided on the Time Z control. They really are an awesome pedal.
It seems to me that the float is just right and they are super easy getting in and out of. Time makes a few different models of the DH pedal and I suggest getting the top o' the line. I have the nice ones and the cheap ones. I prefer
the nice ones.
My vote is for the Time's. I have used mine for almost two years now with no problems. One of the platform sections of the pedal broke when I landed in a rock garden. The force was bad enough that I had a sore ankel for a couple of days(I stayed clipped in though). This did not effect the pedal in any way except making it lighter I will definatley buy another set of these pedals.
I will definatley buy another set of these pedals.
I've used the Time Z pedal all last season and the Mallets all this season.
The Mallets have the Time Zs beat in all departments.
The Mallets have an actual concave design in addition to the traction plates actually hold your foot well, even when not clipped in. Where as the Time Z's have the virtually opposite design which caused me to slip a pedal many times as I fought to get back into my pedals.
Secondly the biggest problem that I had with Times was that if I wanted to kick the rear end of my bike out such as to throw a tabletop or to place a rear wheel....my foot would slip out of the pedals, which you can imagine is a problem when your in the air trying to throw a tabletop. I guess movement along the plane of the two tension bars would allow the cleat to pop out. Although Mallets visually have the same design..I've never had a problem in a situation like this.
The Mallets have the Time Zs beat in all departments.
The Mallets have an actual concave design in addition to the traction plates actually hold your foot well, even when not clipped in. Where as the Time Z's have the virtually opposite design which caused me to slip a pedal many times as I fought to get back into my pedals.
Secondly the biggest problem that I had with Times was that if I wanted to kick the rear end of my bike out such as to throw a tabletop or to place a rear wheel....my foot would slip out of the pedals, which you can imagine is a problem when your in the air trying to throw a tabletop. I guess movement along the plane of the two tension bars would allow the cleat to pop out. Although Mallets visually have the same design..I've never had a problem in a situation like this.
It's more loose.Grimey said:
With grinded cleats the release angle is less than the standard 15 degree release angle so it's easier to get out.
I really like my Mallets, but can't compare them to Time.
The only other clipless pedal I've had (and didn't like) are the Shimano 646's.
I have the Mallet M's and they took a HARD hit a Mammoth and it didn't brake. Makes me wonder what people do to get them to "just brake off" riding down the trail. I love mine!!!mobius said:
I've may have talked to you or at least packaged your RA and shipped it. I handle customer service, warranty, orders and shipping as a part of my internship. If you have any questions or want to place a warranty, you can e-mail me at customerservice@crankbrothers.com. Say you are on RM and I'll try to expedite your warranty. About the cleat wear issue, the Quattro cleat is made of a harder bass compound so it should last longer and they are compatible with any SPD shoe. Give them a try.Jm_ said:
Steve Peat, Cedric Gracia, and Kyle Straight are 3 names that come to mind who ride the mallets.ioscope said:
This is what you call "I know somebody who" internet justification.dhtahoe said:
For example if you bought product x, and its competition is product y,
then you cannot just say how great product X is, you have to bash product Y. And since you have not tried product Y, well, you have to say "I know somebody who...etc..."
Very common procedure in e-biking.
For example, I own and love let's say a 888. So if it is being compared to a Dorado, then I will say, "Well, I know somebody whose Dorado shattered into a thousand pieces leaving him with scrotal lacerations and he almost died from blood loss.
Also, how about the guy above who basically said that Times suck, because he can't do tabletops in them. Well, in that case, mine suck because I can't do back flip tailwhips to manuals with mine. Stupid pedals.
E-biking 101.
I've ridden both and can say they are both good. I use the Times cause I have atacs on my other bikes so I only need to buy one kind of cleat. I do think that the mallets are better unclipped and they do seem to wear faster. I can vouch for the good Crank Bros CS. They hook us up.
As for the tendancy of some people to crack the time body, I have 2 seasons on mine with no problems. Recently at a Mt Hood race, there was a rocky chute with outcroppings. I tagged my pedal on every run and even dragged some good size rocks down the hill on occasion. No crackage.
As for the tendancy of some people to crack the time body, I have 2 seasons on mine with no problems. Recently at a Mt Hood race, there was a rocky chute with outcroppings. I tagged my pedal on every run and even dragged some good size rocks down the hill on occasion. No crackage.
Like the guy the other day that owned a VP-Free trying to give someone "solid advice" on what kind of hub/axle works on an 05 V-10. I have a 05 V-10 and when I called him on his "soild advice" he called me childish. I guess these days second hand is better than first hand info WITH PROPER WORDING.
See now this is a great post. Gave the hi's and low's of both from FIRST HAND use. Not my buddy had a friend that was the friend of the team mechanic for ***** **** and he said.buildyourown said:
All mountain bike pedals suck because they won't fit on my bunny bike.
Mallets and times are basically the same design. They have a very similar feel. The thing I noticed most about differences is that the times have a little more float before release. This sucked when I was wearing an ankle brace recently because I couldn't twist my foot. My left knee pad got some use instead. You also can move your feet laterally (not twisting) so that you can stand +/- about an inch towards the inside or outside of the pedal. Crank bros keep you in the same place pretty much. This movement comes in handy when laying out the flat as sh!t table tops I am such a commanding master of. Seriously, I freakin rule and my pedals don't release. Actually, they did once..........once. I just called it a one footed table top and left it at that. See? They make you into a badass.
Some french guy I know (yeah he exists) had a complaint about what someone above mentioned in that the bars on the times kind of poke into your feet. It sounded like his shoes weren't contacting the platform so if you've got shoes without a lot of side tread, that might hurt. Screaming "Sacre Bleu!!!" at the top of your lungs helps. I get contact with my cheapo shoes though.
With any pedal/shoe interface they're are going to be differences. My shoes felt like torture tring to get into mallets because of the concave shape. It felt like I needed fallen arches in my feet to ride. Shaving my shoe soles would fix this though.
Just do what most people do. Borrow a pair of each, and try them out. And then ruthlessly condemn whatever brand you don't buy with absolute vengence.
Have you ever heard of Onza? We live in a better era no matter what pedals we buy these days.
Mallets and times are basically the same design. They have a very similar feel. The thing I noticed most about differences is that the times have a little more float before release. This sucked when I was wearing an ankle brace recently because I couldn't twist my foot. My left knee pad got some use instead. You also can move your feet laterally (not twisting) so that you can stand +/- about an inch towards the inside or outside of the pedal. Crank bros keep you in the same place pretty much. This movement comes in handy when laying out the flat as sh!t table tops I am such a commanding master of. Seriously, I freakin rule and my pedals don't release. Actually, they did once..........once. I just called it a one footed table top and left it at that. See? They make you into a badass.
Some french guy I know (yeah he exists) had a complaint about what someone above mentioned in that the bars on the times kind of poke into your feet. It sounded like his shoes weren't contacting the platform so if you've got shoes without a lot of side tread, that might hurt. Screaming "Sacre Bleu!!!" at the top of your lungs helps. I get contact with my cheapo shoes though.
With any pedal/shoe interface they're are going to be differences. My shoes felt like torture tring to get into mallets because of the concave shape. It felt like I needed fallen arches in my feet to ride. Shaving my shoe soles would fix this though.
Just do what most people do. Borrow a pair of each, and try them out. And then ruthlessly condemn whatever brand you don't buy with absolute vengence.
Have you ever heard of Onza? We live in a better era no matter what pedals we buy these days.
Borrow someone elses and try them both. Thread over... thanks Kidwoo
kidwoo said:
Ha! No doubt. "Anyone got an elastomer for my pedal?" Ha!
This thread kills me, 6 months ago I raised some of the issues with Mallets I've seen and it was total blasphemy, now others are seeing it too. bending spindles, mysterious unclipping when tagging rocks, trouble clipping in from the rolling body, high rate of cleat wear. I still think they are a good design with potential, but I'll wait until more of the bugs are worked out.
I'm still using Shimanos, but that's temporary until I can get some Time's.
My main reason is float, my 545's don't give me enough wiggle room, & unclip me at inconvenient time.
Hey while we're all here, anybody know if you can buy spindles for time z pedals? I couldn't find them in BTI's catalog and I've got a bent one. Yes they bend.
Zark, you're ahead of your time (oohh pun!!).
Zark, you're ahead of your time (oohh pun!!).
I've seen too many Mallets blown up to consider riding them (exploded bearings mainly). Also, my housemate complains of unclipping when he doesn't to. The reliablity is the issue for me though.
I've been runing the Time Z's since they first came out, and have had no problems with the pedals; only burned through some cleats. NEVER had unwanted releases unless the cleats were extremely worn out, which is the user's fault. I've got thousands of XC miles on them, and ridden/raced plenty of DH on the same pedals.
Time's beat the Mallets hands down for reliablity/strength.
I've been runing the Time Z's since they first came out, and have had no problems with the pedals; only burned through some cleats. NEVER had unwanted releases unless the cleats were extremely worn out, which is the user's fault. I've got thousands of XC miles on them, and ridden/raced plenty of DH on the same pedals.
Time's beat the Mallets hands down for reliablity/strength.
No foolin? Say hi to Christinafor me, she hooked us up really good on those after Cedric had me ride his at Ste Anne. Love them.Carbon Fetish said:
I completely and unequivocally (sp?) disagree. I have seen literally DOZENS of broken indeividual time pedals here. One guy i know went through about 4 pairs before he gave up, went to crank bros stuff and hasn't looked back.Matt D said:
I have never once accidentally clipped out as i did over an dover in shimanos, and i ride in probably the most pointy rock strwen area on earth, Quebec.
This argument is getting a little bit ridiculous. "Times are more reliable." "No, Crank Bros are more reliable." "Stop looking at me, swan." Honestly, if you see 4-5 broken pedals, congrats, there are only 100,000 other pairs you have yet to see. Both have their issues and this is geting nowhere. I know personal experience is best but that's all it is, personal experience.
For my money, I like Shimanos. I have always liked their pedals and have never really felt comfortable on anything else. After having used MX-30, 636, 545, 747 and 959, I have never had a major issue and I love the way they feel.
For my money, I like Shimanos. I have always liked their pedals and have never really felt comfortable on anything else. After having used MX-30, 636, 545, 747 and 959, I have never had a major issue and I love the way they feel.
My rocks are pointier (is that a word?...most pointiest......)Transcend said:
Did your fella ever replace the spindles?
Pointier i think is the word! I believe he got it swapped out, ya. Even after the spindle destruction he is happy as a clam with the pedals.kidwoo said:
Transcend said:Pontier i think is the word! I believe he got it swapped out, ya. Even after the spindle destruction he is happy as a clam with the pedals.
I meant the guy who you said destroyed a bunch of Times and then started using Crank Bros. He did replace the spindles in the Times at some point? So they are available?
Pontier is a title isn't it? I'm trying to find "more pointy". I think I have to leave the i in the first part.