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Crank Bros. Candy SL pedals review
Crank Brothers’ products have, for years, been at the forefront of the pedal market. Their mountain bike pedals, all based on the revolutionary ‘egg beater’ design, represent one of the most effortless entry / exit systems available. The Candy SL, one of Crank Brothers’ entries into the ‘all mountain’ (ie. heavier than cross country but lighter than full on downhill pedals) are a sound upgrade for most riders’ bikes.
For this review, the Crank Bros. Candy SL pedals were connected to a Shimano XT crankset which, in turn, was mounted on my trusty Giant Rainier. I picked up the grey version; they’re available in blue as well.
First impressions
Crank Bros. has a reputation for putting out finely tuned, well thought out products. Their pedals, by many accounts, are marvels in industrial design and you can tell the company is proud of their product based on the way they present it to the consumer.
When you pick up your new pedals you’ll notice one thing straight off the top: the packaging is unlike almost anything else on the market (save, maybe, for the SRAM X.0 rear derailleur). What, you ask, does the product packaging have to do with the way the product performs? Well, in actuality, very little but it does show that Crank Bros. has confidence in its product and spends time on the smallest of details.
The packing box includes your pedals, a set of cleats (Crank Brothers pedals do not use Shimano-style SPD cleats), spacers, a grease fitting, and some screws (for the cleats).
The Candy SL differentiates itself from the rest of the Candy line by its spindle. The SL uses a stainless steel spindle and is in the middle of the price range for this lineup. The cheaper option is the Candy C (chromoly) and the more expensive option is the Candy Ti (titanium). You save about 15 grams with the Candy SL (294 grams) over the Candy C (308 grams) and gain about 40 grams over the Candy Ti (254 grams).
Mounting the pedals is a breeze. Grease up the pedal threads and thread them onto your cranks (the pedal with the ’stripe’ is the non-drive side pedal). Installation of the cleats is easy as pie. Cleat placement / positioning will influence the amount of float your pedals provide; make sure you read the instructions and select the option that best suits your riding style. I mounted the cleats on my shoes using the more ‘forgiving’ float setting, allowing me to move my foot around on the pedal a little more than the aggressive setting.
Performance
Almost everyone has at least one I-crashed-because-I-could-not-unclip story. I have my own (and I’ll keep them to myself thank you very much). Prior to the Candy SLs I ran some cheap Shimano clip pedals that, basically, cemented your feet to your bike so my rides usually featured moments like this: Don’t like that steep rolldown and want to walk around? Tough; Want to unclip and walk up that especially technical climb? Tough. And so it went until I decided to make a change.
Once I made it out of the garage and onto the street for the initial ‘clip in-clip out’ test I was impressed. Clipping in is relatively easy, although it does take a couple of rides to get the hang of it. Unlike the Egg Beater pedal, which features true four sided entry, the Candys have only two spots for your cleat to engage the pedal (because of the small platform that surrounds the egg beater). Clipping out was the real revelation for me; disengaging from the pedals was silky smooth and really easy: very little pressure on the outside of your knees, very little resistance on your ankle, and a sure quick release.
On the trail the pedal performs very well. Mud collection is a non-issue and the pedal engages and disengages well in all conditions.
The only problem I ever had while pedalling was when I tried to unclip while powering uphill. My bet is that it’s just an awkward position with too much pressure being applied to the pedal. On multiple occasions, I fell over when I couldn’t get my first foot (my left) out of the pedal; to be fair, I had similar problems with my old Shimano SPDs, so it’s probably a rider ’style’ thing.
I had no problems with my shoes releasing prematurely from the pedal while descending although, if you are used to moving your feet around on the pedals, you might experience some initial miscues until you become used to the way the Candys engage and disengage.
Update (5 May 2006): Having a bunch more time on these pedals, the only other performance-related issue relates to steep and rocky climbs. If you ever smack the bottom of your pedal on a firm surface (like a rock), the egg beater mechanism has a tendency to release. And, since it usually happens at the bottom of your pedal stroke, you’ll have to make a quick adjustment to clip back in. Again, not a big deal, but it has happened to me a number of times over the past few months.
Durability
The Candy SLs used in this review have been on the bike for about 8 months. The composite body of the pedal remains in good shape. The pedals internals are holding up reasonably well although they do seem to be approaching replacement stage a little sooner than I’d hoped and expected. You can get rebuild kits at your local shop, through Crank Bros., or at an online retailer.
Update (19 April 2006): The bearings on this set of Candy SLs are finally toast. Keep in mind that I was effectively out of action for six months out of the past year and the pedals didn’t see any trail time over that period. Still, when a rebuild kit is only twenty bucks, you’re getting pretty good value out of your bearings, even if they last half the time mine did (ie. six months).
Pricing
The Candy SLs have an MSRP of $119 (usd) or $180 (cad), which is a good deal cheaper than similar pedals offered by Shimano or Time. Regardless, they’re still a little pricey, especially if you’re willing to take on an additional 15 grams to save $30 or so dollars (by going with the Candy C).
Wild card
I ran these pedals on an ‘all mountain’ bike (a Giant AC1) for a single ride; during this ride I found that the spindles weren’t quite up to what we ride on a regular basis out here in British Columbia. On the first drop on the trail — a five or six foot kick off a rock — one of the spindles bent. It wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t ride back to the car, but I wouldn’t recommend these pedals for ‘light freeride’ where drops above three feet are common. If you’re looking for a clip-based pedal that’s more suited for this type of riding, be sure to check out the Crank Bros. Mallet.
Crank Bros. has attached a 2 year warranty to their products which is above the industry-standard one year. Customer support, when contacted, was prompt, friendly, and encouraging. They helped me out and even sent a brief follow up message after the fact.
Summary
The Crank Brothers Candy SL is an excellent choice for a pedal upgrade. They shed mud extremely well, introduce very little strain to your knees and ankles, and are easy to enter and exit.
I’m not sure if the SL is worth it as an upgrade over the Candy C — if you have these pedals, look into upgrading your spindles only. And if you’re willing to take a small weight penalty (15 grams for the pair), you can pick up the Candy Cs for a bit less (about $30) than the SLs.
As an upgrade from other pedals, particularly pedals that don’t do well in adverse conditions, the Candy SLs are well worth the cash. Although the pedals are rated for all mountain use, I’d recommend using them only for cross country and / or trail riding where there are no significant drops or jumps involved. If you’re looking for something that involves this type of riding, you should consider Crank Bros.’ Mallet platform pedal.
Update (6 December 2005)
A couple of other sources recently published reviews of the Candy SL. Check out this entry to find out who wrote the reviews and how to find them.
Manufacturer website: www.crankbros.com
MSRP: $119 (usd) | $180 (cad)
| Category | Rating (?) |
|---|---|
| First impressions | 9 / 10 |
| Performance | 37 / 40 |
| Durability | 14 / 20 |
| Pricing | 15 / 20 |
| Wild card | 8 / 10 |
| Overall | 83 / 100 |
1. Posted by Other reviews for the Crank Bros Candy SL pedal » The Biking Hub | 2:27 pm, 14 December 2005
[…] I posted a review of the Crank Bros. Candy SL back in May and continue to run these pedals on my cross country bike. And for those of you who demand a quality customer service experience from manufacturers, Crank Bros has an excellent service department and I have nothing but positive things to say on that end. […]