Home > Reviews

Hands on with the new Crank Brothers Mallet DH/Race

7 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Hands on with the new Crank Brothers Mallet DH/Race

Way back when, the original Crank Brothers Mallet was the first large platform clipless pedal I ever bought. To me, it was a radical departure from the small XC type pedals I had been used to, and it certainly didn’t hurt that it was on closeout to make way for the new models which had the addition of traction pins (I worked at a bike shop after all).  That pedal is still kicking, though admittedly it hasn’t seen as much use as some of my XC pedals. Eventually, Crank Brothers sort of merged the Mallet and the Acid together to form a new AM/DH pedal that was somewhere between the two. Downhillers found themselves missing the wider platform of the original Mallets, which was the motivation for the all new Mallet DH/Race.

Getting back to the original shape and width of the first Mallets, the new Mallet DHs supposedly have a host of new features that will improve durability and provide the sure footed-ness needed to pin that next line. Get the breakdown of the new Mallets next.

Hands on with the new Crank Brothers Mallet DH/Race

Overall dimensions and profiles are nearly identical to the originals – though there is clearly a lot more machining to cut down on weight. Also, while the first and second generation Mallets had replaceable steel plates on the front of each face of the pedal, the Mallet DH forgoes these in favor of traction set screws only.

Hands on with the new Crank Brothers Mallet DH/Race

On the Bikerumor scale, Mallet DHs run 235g per pedal, or 470g per set – 9g less than claimed.

Hands on with the new Crank Brothers Mallet DH/Race

All of this is great, but it seems what everyone really wants to know about durability. In our disassembled view above you can see all of the pieces of the new pedal including the redesigned spindle.  The spring is also stronger, which should save you in the instance of standing a pedal on a rock mid run. In addition to an improved design, with the development of the new Mallet came a string of new test procedures that will carry over into all lines of pedals. Standard pedal tests included:

  • body drop test
  • spindle deflection test
  • spindle impact test
  • spindle hardness test
  • spring fatigue test

The new tests that were developed are:

  • outer bearing load test
  • outer bearing impact test
  • seal cyclic test
  • revised cleat wear test

Between the testing and the new design, the Mallet DH/Race pedals were raced a full season under some of the biggest down hill pros around, with zero failures. You and I aren’t pros though (at least I’m not), so we plan on testing these without a World Cup mechanic following us along.

Hands on with the new Crank Brothers Mallet DH/Race

Hands on with the new Crank Brothers Mallet DH/Race

In addition to the improved mud clearance and wider q-factor, Crank Brothers did some work on the inside of the pedal to keep them spinning smoothly. That grease covered blue circle in the first photo is the new seal which is responsible for the better sealing of the new pedal, keeping crud out of the needle bearing shown below. The pedal runs on an inboard needle bearing due to their increased radial load capacity with a cartridge bearing out board.

Overall, the new Mallet DH/Race seems like a better pedal through and through compared to my originals. How does that translate into real world durability? Stay tuned to find out.

 

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

7 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Steve Martin's Grampa Baby
Steve Martin's Grampa Baby
11 years ago

Looks promising. Nice review!

RJ
RJ
11 years ago

I’ve been running a set for a little over a month and they are much improved over the previous mallet version. No complaints so far.

Emily
Emily
11 years ago

Great. Might get them when my Wellgo spds from I believe 2002(yes eleven years ago) crap out.

Seraph
Seraph
11 years ago

5 easy steps to a lightweight pedal:

1.) Disassemble pedal
2.) remove clip assembly
3.) reassemble pedal
4.) ???
5.) Profit!

Biam Exicon
Biam Exicon
11 years ago

It would be more comforting if BMX racers did the testing. Does CB recommend these pedals for pro level BMX racing?

Slow Joe Crow
Slow Joe Crow
11 years ago

This is good to know since Crank Brothers no longer stocks rebuild kits for my 2 pairs of OG Mallet Cs. OTOH most of the fleet has bee running Candy C pedals lately.

Surly Shawn
Surly Shawn
11 years ago

Awesome. I need another pair for my Moonie. Hopefully they have a them in blue. I love CB!!

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.