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crankbrothers
- more than just pedals Words and photos Cam McRae |
I appreciate fine design when it is coupled with durability and quality - a winning combination in our industry. While I'm no leg shaver, I do keep tabs on what is happening in the XC world - partially because my wife and her gaggle of spd-wearing friends all race. One of the products I had heard a lot about is the eggbeater pedal made by the folks at crankbrothers. I knew nothing about the company at that point but a little research lead me to believe that if I was to go back to my roots I would more than likely clip into a pair of their elegant, simple pedals. The word on the street was that they work well and clear mud exceptionally. I also appreciated the levels of trim available: the eggbeater is available in 5 different models to satisfy the miser, the wealthy weight weenie, and everyone in between. When I saw that they were making a clip-in platform for gravity types my interest was immediately piqued. I have been riding to the trails from home more often lately and occasionally I dust off my old SPDs for the ride up. Any racer will tell you it's faster going down clipped in as well. We have some time to wait yet before the US$100/CDN$144 Mallet C is available to try but I have been able to test a selection of other excellent products from the Bros.
The Eggbeater based Mallet C pedal. 270 grams per side. The pedal is designed so you can ride ride without
cleats if you choose. The wings of the Eggbeater flatten when you place a cleatless shoe on them.
My Dakine hydration pack tends to be very full. I like to have the right tool for the job and I end up carrying a lot of stuff. I have never been able to find a multi tool that allowed me to leave enough individual tools at home to make it worthwhile
| The Multi 17 from crankbrothers does a great job of replacing all the bits. Aside from the usual slot, phillips, and Allen key tools the 17 has an 8 and 9mm wrench, a good chain tool, a torx head for your rotors as well as an 8mm Allen and a good spoke wrench that fits 4 guages of spoke. It all fits together nicely and is held in place with a rubber sheath. I have been very happy with this tool. It is made of aluminum, Stainless steel and high tensile steel and weighs just 168 grams. Other tools I have used with a similar configuration have all come loose but this has been solid. There are the beginnings of some rust from being left in my soggy pack but otherwise it's pristine. Prepare to lay down US$22/CDN$25 for the multi 17. |
 Let's count shall we? 1 - 7. Allen Keys (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8) 8. Philips 9. Slot 10. Chain tool 11. Torx 12. 8mm wrench 13. 10mm wrench 14 - 17. #1-4 spoke wrenches. The multi 17 has a lifetime warranty. |
While a floor pump isn't an essential piece of gear, it sure makes life easier when you are changing tires at home or adjusting your pressure to suit the riding conditions. I have been putting up with a mediochre Silca pump for about 5 years now. The gauge is hard to read, it pumps extremely low volume and you have to pull the head apart to switch between presta and schraeder. Clearly it was made for roadies because it must take 150 strokes to fill up a 26 x 2.7 Maxxis tire.
Those days ended when our new easy force pump arrived. It has an inverted design (just like Dorados or Shivers) as well as a nice wide base. On the top of the handle you'll notice an elegant red dial. I thought this switch between high pressure and high volume would be a gimick but the thing works like gangbusters, as my mum would say. If you have it on the HV setting you could fill the Hindenburg in a matter of minutes. If you are a racer you can fine tune your pressure once you get close to your goal by switching to the HP setting. The amount of effort used, and air delivered are dramatically reduced with a turn of the red knob. About the only thing I could envision that could improve this pump would be a top mounted gauge but the inverted design makes this impractical. The easy force Pump will set you back US$60/CDN$91.
The key to the Easy force pump is the High Pressure/High Volume
switch.
Both the Presta and the Schraeder head are ready at all times.
I have had terrible luck with small hand pumps. Back in the day I wielded frame-mounted Zéfal HPs but since that time I have broken in the neighbourhood of a dozen mini pumps. The original one came from Mountain Equipment Co-op and every time I broke one I would march in there, return the broken one and choose a different victim. Usually some plastic part would break and I would be left in the woods airless.
The power pump alloy is made of aluminum and the design lacks a flimsy plunger that can bend or break. The thing seems very tough thus far. It comes with a plastic sheath that covers the head when the pump is not in use - great for those of us who ride in nasty weather. The head is ready for both Presta and Schraeder at all times, which is perfect for me because I often have one of each on my bike. I prefer Presta (better air transfer, easier to pump and release air) but it's tough to find DH tubes or 24s in presta. With the Power Pump you just choose your valve and then twist the head so the gauge is facing up and you are off and pumping. This little beauty also features the high pressure/high volume switch and it's just as effective on the smaller pump. It's fast, easy to use and thus far it seems very durable. The pressure gauge would be more useful for roadies but it's not a bad guide for us low pressure slugs either. This is what you will find in my bag from now on. The power pump alloy retails for US$30/CDN$45.
This isn't only the best mini pump I have used - it is the only good one I have tried. A pressure gauge, a protective condom, er sheath, dual heads, a pressure gauge, all aluminum construction and a HP/HV switch make this the pump de résistance.
| I'm not sure who these pedals are aimed at. They have a small platform that would give more shoe contact than the basic Eggbeater design but they are still nice and light. I suppose they would fit in with the emerging 'all mountain' bike category. The Candy SL weighs the same as the entry level Eggbeater (294grams) despite the 'fiber composite' platform. The Candy SL will set you back $140 in the Land of the Free and a pair of hunny spots north of 49. You can get it in blue (as shown left) and dark grey. If 294 grams is too much for you then the Candy Ti is the pedal for you. Thanks to a titanium spindle the Ti comes in at just 252 grams a pair. In the U.S. these will retail for US$240 and in the neighbourhood of $340 up here in Canada. If you aren't partial to the red option pictured at left you can also pick them up in good old black. The good news is that you should see crankbrothers gear trickling into Canadian bike shops this fall now that Norco is distributing their products - as well as Big Country Equipment. That is very good news - every product I have seen from them thus far has been excellent. |
 
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