i've now had 3 Crank Brothers products. All 3 products have failed in less than 1 moths use.
I'm not hard on gear, but FFS...... This stuff's sh1te .
Well done. A concise, to the point review of their equipment, and company as a whole. Thanks for your input.
Next?
Teehee.
A conclusion I came to several years ago; for the record pedals and in particular (several) pumps.
i see they have a stem or two coming out this year. i like the look of their stuff, never had any though.
+1
the little silver pumps are awesome............i like em.
My acids are still going, probably done nearly 20000 miles with one rebuild kit and cost me £30, not bad.
Tree +1
Couple of pairs of eggbeaters on my bikes and still going well, oh and done over a 1000 miles so far this year on a second hand pair of Quattro's on the darkside and they too are all good,
I've the opposite with acids- bearings fine in the summer, can last as little as two weeks in the winter.
The mini tools are good
The rest is sh!te
I've used crank bros pedals for many years. I much prefer the feel of them to spd. They've been fine apart from some mallets I broke on a rock (to be fair I doubt any pedal would have survived the impact).
They were repaired under warranty by 2pure immediately.
I have nothing but praise for the pedals.
I do agree that the pumps I've used have been poor.
BURN THEM
Usually I'd think it's silly to tar an entire company's output with the same brush, but in this case I totally agree. After the debacle of four sets of pedals and various seatposts, I won't touch any of their stuff any more. Looks nice, performs like sh*t.
"iolo - Member
I've used crank bros pedals for many years. I much prefer the feel of them to spd. They've been fine apart from some mallets I broke on a rock (to be fair I doubt any pedal would have survived the impact).
They were repaired under warranty by 2pure immediately.
I have nothing but praise for the pedals."
My experience also.
The pedals I had were rubbish so I went back to Shimano. To counter that I've used one of their mini tools for years and it's been ace.
balls - their stuff is all kaka,
Candy pedals on both mountain bikes here - love 'em to bits. Rebuilable, greasable, nice action - Mallets in the spares box that just 'work'. A very nice multitool in the camelbak that works too. The problem is...?
I even had a pair of old Candys that lost their plastic end cap from one of the axles - hardly a product fault, but I couldn't find how to get another one so I got in touch with 2pure and within about 2 days, a little plastic bag with TWO end caps arrived FOC - absolutely top, top service.
My experience of Crank Bros so far...
Candy Pedals - Ace! Got them on 3 out of 4 of my bikes and love em. They seem to last a lot longer than you might expect considering no proper bearings and the promised requirement of a rebuild.
Mallet Pedals - Similar to above, they work very nicely. Don't use them any more as I found less need for the larger cage as I got used to using clipless pedals again, but very tough, loads of float (needed for my dodgy knees) and very nice kit.
Smarty Pedals - Absolute CACK! They fall apart after a few rides, hard to believe they're from the same company that make the Candy's and Mallets!
Mini Tool - A bit fashion over function in that it's a bit too small to get any real leverage on the allen keys, but hey, it's a mini tool! And as a Mini tool, it's great. Well built, nicely designed, all the tools you'll ever need out on the trail really (unless you've got some odd sized bolts somewhere). Good kit.
Have heard bad reports about their headsets though (but then why buy anything more expensive than an FSA at £25?), and I can't stand the look of their wheels personally.
+1 Eggbeaters are a really bad design imo.
oh great have just purchased some acid 1 pedal..tools are good tho
Pumps - shite
Pedals - shite
Multitools - OK
Wheels - fucj=k off I'm not paying that when there are far better options for less money.
Got eggbeaters across the fleet - love 'em. Yes, you do have to maintain them, but in return you get a light, easy to use pedal, that looks superb and clears mud no problem. I am saving up for the wheels - I must have a set.
From my experience:
Pumps - Shite
Speed levers - shite
Multi tools - OK
They don't do their own manufacturing AFAIK.
I had a set of their cranks - expensive and delicate. The BBs were/are fine.
Be interesting to know who makes what.
Pedals are junk.Made of the weakest metal and plastic and then fitted with the awful bushing and bearing idea.Utter junk
Very disappointed when I bought mallets a few years back. Have generally avoided since. All style and no durability ime
So far, it looks like they make great multi tools.
I've had one of their cobalt bb's for two years. Luckily it's got a five year warranty as the bearings are shot every 6 months, they replace them without quibble. That seems like a good deal but it's just a hassle in reality
I wouldn't buy their products again.
love my candys - might have had to give up riding if it wasn't for them...
this looks tasty though doesn't it?
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Eggies on one bike and candys on two. I an a complete CB pedal convert
2 pair of mallets still in use here one pair about 6 years old the other about 3.
not a fan of the stem but the iodine wheels are tasty
Lecht - maybe rather than going straight for the flame, why don't you be a little more subjective. FFS we've all had kit fail. I think CB stuff is nicely designed, works well and 2pure are pretty good to deal with re warranty issues.
What were the problems? Every - all - products have issues. Not one firm hasn't been up on this board. You should know better - I've seem your bike pics, don't tell me they don't get hammered and stuff breaks - boo hoo
Candys on my bike - not a patch on the time pedals they replaced, BUT - 2 pairs for a lot less than the cost of One pair of ATAC XS sways me somewhat. Don't like the less than positive click in
I wouldn't trust that stem unless it was made from Titanium.
Theres an article on CB in this months Dirt. I was left with the impression that the most important criteria was that it looked artistic rather than anything else.
so far the kit i have had from them has been fine. but we have seen quite a few pedals come back for warranty issues. 2 pure usually fix them. we dont see said issues with other brands. hummm
The mini tools are good
The rest is sh!te +1 🙂
I wouldn't trust that stem unless it was made from Titanium.
I wouldn't trust that stem unless I was on crack...
Seen too many eggbeaters come off their axles mid-ride to even entertain buying any Crank Bros gear.
pedals = sh!te, bearings crap and rails wear rendering the pedal totally useless. Expensive mistake.
cranks = even more sh!te, delaminated and bent under all 65 kg of me. Lasted about 30 hrs.
I wonder how much, or indeed where, the people without issues are actually riding the stuff.
In summary IT IS ALL UTTER UTTER TOSS
I like their logo.
Shame equipment reviews cannot be as fun to read as this tread?!
Didn't know they subbed out the manufacturing too that obscure ouitfit known as Wrank Bothers?
Always felt (IMHO) it gear was over designed / over styled...and the original product (the eggbeater) which I used for awhile quickly got scrambled. That said BITD nearly all the top-end / aftermarket kit was of this 'standard'...it does highlight how much progression has taken place in the stuff we use overall
I got a pair of the 50/50 X pedals and they looked really cool when i bought them, but after one weekend of hard riding in the lakes the exteriors were scratched to pieces and over the last 5 months the pedals have slowly started to get more and more wobbly, not a good sign, considering i've got some 5 year old spesh pedals and they still spin well, the pins have just worn down. They still look good though.
Although i have to agree that the multi tools are pretty good. the only niggle is the chain tool always moves around when using the other tools.
Mini tool & Mallets here with no issues
i heard they weren't really brothers.
All the stuff I've had from them has been crap. Haven't used their pedals but the only pedals I've seen actually fail on a ride were eggbeaters so that put me off.
I'm loving willsimmons post - mine break, yours don't so I am a gnarlier rider than you.
50-50's worst pedals I've ever had and went in the bin after two months. wellgo v8 copies have easily out performed them ever since at a third of the price
Got egg beaters on the commuter for the last year and they're fine. Had smartys on the HT for 3 years now and they're still fine and I've barely maintained them at all. Clearly I'm not hardcore enough to break my pedals.
Multitool is just a multitool no better or worse than my cheap one.
5 years and maybe 5000 miles on a set of Eggbeaters. No service strip down , just unscrewed the end cap and filled the space up with decent grease. Screw end cap down and it forces the grease into the axle.
80kgs and xc use only mind. Must be utter rubbish.
ive 3 sets of eggies 5 sets of candies 2 sets of quattros pair of mallets and pair of 5050xx no probs with any ive snapped cage on one eggie but prob would have snapped any pedal. All the haters send your pedals and spares to me foc if you want 🙂
Have used a pair of Crank Bros Mallet 2s on my downhill bike for 2 years and not had to change the bearings. They have been utterly battered in Scotland over that time including lot's of Fort William and whilst showing wear and tear they are still fine. I do take the trouble to service them ie re-grease them once in a while so maybe that helps. The cleats however are totally rubbish and I still don't understand why they make them from brass instead of steel for durability.
On the plus side they have super customer back up and try to be innovative.
Still I wouldn't buy another pair as shimano pedals just last forever with zero maintenance.
I'm loving willsimmons post - mine break, yours don't so I am a gnarlier rider than you.
That wasn't the sentiment. After my experiences, and having worked in a store where we seemed to be sending 'W@nk Brothers' finest off for repair/inspection on a weekly basis, I just find it hard to believe that it lasts for anyone!
I've had two pairs of Mallets, the first ate it's own bearings within a year and the second are still going strong after five years with no maintenance whatsoever and nigh on a couple of thousand miles of use.
Took Crank Bros a while to sort out their bearings IMHO.
eggbeaters = bad
Headsets = good
Been running eggbeaters for aboot 6 years with no probs at all. Always the stainless ones, current pair 2 years old and still perfect.
Only pedal failures i've seen have both been Shimano. I had a pair of XTR ones fall apart mid ride after clipping a rock. By the rationale of many on here that makes Shimano sh*t too!!!
might I suggest that all the folks that break light weight crank bros stuff are in fact bat fastards who should stick with ugly stuff for lardy arses. 😉
anyone got anything on the cobalt isis BB
im still running the hell out a set of isis Raceface Turbines and about to fit a cobalt....
seemed to be the best i could get since SKF stopped producing their isis number
opinions?
I'm none the wiser as to what the three products that failed were. How about telling us?
The one pair of Smarty's I had were crap- only lasted a few weeks on a commuter in the winter, had no problems with Acids, and love Candy's.
Bent a hex key on my multitool.
I have a set of candy 2Ti pedals and they have been fine with no problems at all.
However I have had two headsets on of which last an one, a set of wheels which lasted two days, two pumps, and four joplins one of which went down once and never came back up.
There stuff does look nice though, and I have friends that have never had a problem with there stuff. I think that basically they are hit and miss.
I ****ing love their pedals!!! If any of you are getting shot of your egg beaters then chuck 'em this way 🙂 You do need a good squirt of grease every few rides, so in this sense they're sort of like Fox or Pace forks, but I think they works just loverly thank you.
I've posted this picture before, but as CB don't appear to have any intention of modifying their product to make it fit for use, it's worth posting again.
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100kg rider doing nothing more extreme than a couple of runs down the Cannock red downhill route (one 18" drop off).
With the current trend of people claiming compensation for anything they can, I'm surprised that CB are still selling a product that will inevitably, one day, cause a serious injury. I'm just lucky that both mine broke at low speed.
Not a fan of the headsets. They are a pain to fit (even with a headset press), and then went rusty.
At least 2pure seem good on the service & warrantee side.
I've used the cobalt steel BB's and all i can say is that it's agood job they come with a 5 yr warranty.
1st one failed after 6 months, sencond one same again, 3rd one flogged on ebay & bounght an SKF.
I,m too big(14st) for pedals and the rest of their tat but the multi tool is fab
my pump is ace and still works like new after seven or so years
my experience of crank bros so far:
candys - good, like them but the plastics a bit soft - put a few big gauges in them on rocks already after about 12rides
acids - dog sh!t bearings, fell apart after one ride 😯
multi tool - no problems (probably cos it ain't got bearings/seals/anything that an incompetent labourer in a far east sweat shop can mess up in it)
If your Crank Bros products have failed within a month, take them back to the shop and complain. If they are not fit for purpose then they should to give you a refund. Remember things come with a 12 month guarantee so us it. If it was a washing machine you wouldn't just dump it after a month and not complain. Why should bike bits be any different.
Their Egg beaters are MINT. Ive had mine now for 3 years and wont go back to SPD's. The mud clearance is great.
I suspect a lot of peeps on here are cleaning their bikes, sprying the Egg beaters with GT85* and then leaving it. Now, if this is so, no wonder they are falling apart. The GT85* will slowly dissolve the grease and thats where problems start. If you regually maintain them then no problems.
*or similar approved product 🙂
Got a set of 5050s second hand and I think they're great.
Yes, they're heavy but given they're on my DH bike it doesn't particularly matter. The stock pins are about as grippy as V8s (therefore much better than V8 copies which are nowhere near as grippy), but if you spend about £4 on a set of 12mm grub screws from a fittings shop and put them in every hole they're the grippiest and best-fitting pedals I've ever used. They're also really easy to look after and rebuilding is easy compared to other pedals I've used.
If you look after them properly they're cracking pedals!
(no experience with any of their eggbeaters, I don't like clipping in)
If we play fair, then Lappiere = Sh!te, Campagnolo = Sh!te, Mavic = sh!te, Shimano = Sh!te, Cove = sh!te, SRAM = sh!te, Specialized = sh!te, Giant = sh!te, Orange = sh!te, Hope = sh!te, Ambrosio = sh!te, Thompson = sh!te, Easton = sh!te, DMR = sh!te, Time = sh!te and Speedplay = sh!te. As I've had failures on them all.
I ride eggbeaters and I've yet to have them fail (and going by my track record they will at some stage) the pedals have been serviced once a year and on average I do about 8000-10000 miles a year.
Probably tempting fate, but here goes:
One pair of Eggbeater SLs for seven years, zero problems, still going strong.
Two pairs of SLs through four cyclocross seasons, zero problems, only got rid as the bikes they were on got sold.
Two pairs of 4Tis for the last cyclocross season, stripped them down afterwards and the grease was still pristine inside.
Add to that that they work perfectly every time and never clog up, and you've got one very happy customer here.
In fairness though 4 seasons of cyclocross must equate to less than 100 hrs use if we're talking racing only (and a lot of it). The mud clearance, and ease of clipping in, is great for cross though.
A thread about Crank Bros always brings up some strong opinions and a lot of bad experiences. There is no smoke without fire. The Crank Bros stuff to my mind doesn't seem to be designed with longevity in mind, some good ideas but for a lot of people their stuff just don't seem to last.
Just to add my two pennence worth I sent my pedals off for warranty inspection and 2Pure replaced everything except the pedal body. The problem was though that in the months that I'd had them I'd worn the rails so they were totally unusable despite the warranty work. My foot would just come out at inopportune moments. I'd had 3 sets of cleats as well as they just wore so quick, even the 'premium' ones which barely made a difference.
I also had a bit of a battle with getting my money back on the cranks as 2Pure just wanted to replace them (I'd bought them direct from 2Pure). Having had them bend without warning I was not keen to have another pair. All was resolved eventually but I wouldn't say the customer service is a flawless as everyone says to add some balance
Fair point Will, but as you know, 100hrs of use on a cross bike = 100hrs of some serious abuse. Particularly under a less-than-smooth sod like me!
I've seen broken Eggbeaters so I'm aware that not everyone has had good experiences with them, but they've been faultless for me.
The seven-year-old pair have been used and abused on the MTB, winter road bike, and the missus' road bike, all without issue.
100hrs of use on a cross bike = 100hrs of intended use!
I have Candy's on 3 (Ti2, SL, C) of my bikes and egg betters on the other and they are great unlike most i dont pull out of them to easy and they dont have to be so tight that you can't move you foot around. The brearing/bushes are a bit naff but as long as you keep them greased they are fine. I have rode mine all winter/summer/winter and had no problem what so ever and they dont get cloged the same as SPD's. They are just a great design.
I have had some smarty's and they are [i][b]crap[/b][/i] so if any one is going to try some CB pedals stay away from them.
Muilty tool is great, never leave home on my bike without it...
The pump with the metal handal has survived 2 or maybe 3 winters, so that cant be to bad and it has outlasted my track pump.
Don't cyclocross riders get off and carry their bikes over the bumpy bits though ? 😛