Crank Brothers Mallet Enduro 11 Pedals: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

Amazing as it is there are only a few choices out there as far as clipless pedal brands to choose from. Most of which work great but it comes down to the feel and ease of use. Our friend Nicholas shares his experience with the Crank Brothers Mallet Enduro 11 pedals. Check it out! 

Overview

Like most riders, I have been on a quest to dial in each of the touchpoints on my bike. In the case of pedals while I enjoy flats, when really bombing down the trail I love the feeling of security that my feet are set exactly where I want them and not going anywhere. This is where the Crank Brothers Mallet Enduro 11 pedals comes in. I have tried out various types of pedals including the Shimano XC and Trail pedals, and the Crank Brothers Egg Beater, Candy, and finally settled on the Mallet E. I found with the Mallet Enduro platform I got the secure footing I was looking for while still offering a platform to pedal if I failed to clip in. This also offered the added bonus if I ever wanted to just hop on the bike for a casual pedal, I didn’t need special shoes, a common issue with most clipless pedals.

So after settling on the Mallet Enduro it came down to picking build level. For my current bike that falls into the “dream build” category these pedals were on the top of my parts list. Having 3 years on the pedal family as a whole, and a month in on this premium version I wanted to offer my impressions overall.

Setup

Cleats – Cleat position is always a personal choice but a couple of things to keep in mind when you set these up; if coming from Shimano, there is a slight difference on where your cleat will need to be for the same position on the pedal and you may require the included shims to get the correct stack height for your shoe. Also, take special note of the instructions as the shoe you place the cleat with a dot on it controls the amount of float you allow in the pedals.

Pedals – They are pedals, they install just as easily as all other pedals, just remember to grease the threads so after you plow through the gnar you can still get them out when you want to change it up!

On The Trail

The clip mechanism is relatively easy to clip in to and out of while the cage and pins offer that extra assurance your foot doesn’t move around in the chunkiest of sections, even being resistant to popping a foot loose on a pedal strike. Despite that, the ability to tear your feet free in a moment of panic is still present and I have rarely struggled to get off the bike when I needed to. The addition of the large cage also means when you do get a foot loose (either dabbing or popping off) even if you can’t fluidly clip back in, you have ample platform to put your foot down and still be able to pedal or navigate a feature without your foot easily bumping off (unlike the Shimano competitor.)

Aesthetics

Looking online these Crank Brothers pedals can look very flashy or even gaudy, but in person I found the black and gold to offer a more muted impression from a distance just giving a flash of color. This means on most bikes you will hardly notice them unless you are looking for them. If you are a fan of Cane Creek suspension you will get the added bonus that this ties in perfectly with the fork/shock colorways.

Final Thoughts

These pedals deliver as promised. Quality of build and durability have been on point so far. The only major negative is the price, so if you are looking for the same functionality and don’t mind the hit to weight go for the Mallet-E 7, but if you want to add that extra bling to your bike, you will not be disappointed.