Crankbrothers Stamp 7 Pedals - Small vs Large: Product Review

There are a lot of good flat pedals out there from brands like Deity, DMR, Crankbrothers, and Raceface. If you are looking to ride a little bit more like Sam Hill in 2019, getting a new set of flat pedals just might be the ticket! We've been a fan of the latest flat pedal from Crankbrothers, the Stamp, and we love seeing Danny MacAskill ride them, but wanted to set the record straight on why they offer two different pedal sizes. That's something fairly unique for a set of pedals. So here we go! We are going to have one of our product experts, Max Morgan, ride the two pedals and lay out the similarities and differences between the Crankbrothers Stamp 7 Small and Crankbrothers Stamp 7 Large pedals! 

Get a side by side look at the two different size pedal platforms. Large on the left, small on the right

Crankbrothers Stamp 7 Small Specifications

It's interesting to note that Crankbrothers actually recommends the size small pedals for riders with a size 5-10 shoe. 

• Minimal profile 11mm-13mm thick 
• 100mm x 100mm slightly concave platform
• 10 adjustable pins per side for grip
• Forged 6061-T6 aluminum body material
• Forged scm 435 chromoly steel spindle material
• Igus LL-glide inner and outer bearings
• Stamp small recommended for shoe sizes: 5-10 (us) // 37-43 (eu)
• 5 year warranty
• Weight: 345g per pair

Crankbrothers Stamp 7 Large Specifications

Crankbrothers says the size large Stamp pedals are best for riders wearing a size 10-15 shoe.

• Minimal profile 11mm-13mm thick 
• 114mm x 111mm slightly concave platform
• 10 adjustable pins per side for grip
• Forged 6061-T6 aluminum body material
• Forged scm 435 chromoly steel spindle material
• Igus LL-glide inner and outer bearings
• Stamp large recommended for shoe sizes: 10-15 (us) // 43-49 (eu)
• 5 year warranty
• Weight: 375g per pair

Bike Setup

I wanted to get out and test the Stamp pedals in a couple of different riding situations. First I mounted the Stamp 7 small pedals on my Specialized P3 hardtail and took off for the skatepark. I ended up riding both the small and large pedals at the skatepark. Then I mounted up the Stamp pedals on my Santa Cruz V10 and spent a day riding at Windrock bike park. The terrain at Windrock is demanding to say the least and certainly is a great place to test some flat pedals. 

The whole time I was riding and comparing the two different Stamp flat pedals, I was riding in a pair of Afton Keegan shoes. For those who haven't already caught on, Afton is a newer up and coming mountain bike footwear company making its name with urban styling and creative new technology. From one pair of cycling shoes to another, you may have a completely different experience riding on the same set of pedals. The Keegan shoes provide good grip on the pedals but also allow you to adjust your feet on the fly. With other FiveTen shoes I've ridden in the past, the sole rubber is very soft and gives you maximum grip, sometimes almost too much grip. Hopefully that gives you a little bit of a gauge for how the Keegan shoes match up to other flat pedal riding shoes out there. 

Riding and Performance

Pin Setup. Both the small and large Stamp pedals use a slightly concave platform. A concave pedal platform allows your foot to sit in a cup shape, holding your foot in place. It's all a balancing act. You want a pedal that is thin enough to eliminate pedal strikes, but thick enough to give you a concave shape and hold your foot in place. In general, a more concave pedal gives you more grip, and a flatter pedal allows your foot to slide and pivot a bit more. The height of the adjustable pins can also play a role in how much grip the pedals give you. In the photo below, you'll notice that the pins on the outside of the pedal platform are raised higher than the pins in the center of the pedal. This helps accentuate that concave shape and hold your shoes in place. Everyone has their own preference on pedal grip, some people want their feet to feel locked in place and others want to be able to slide and adjust their feet at any moment. With the Stamp pedals, you can adjust the pin height to accomplish both! 

Small vs Large

The Stamp pedals are 13mm thick around the outside of the platform and about 11mm thick towards the center. Like other Crankbrothers pedals, the Stamp uses a tapered spindle, which is really what allows the pedals to be so thin towards the center. When riding the Stamp pedals, you'll notice quickly that towards the inside of the pedal, the body itself is thicker because of that tapered spindle. I wear a size 10 shoe, and on the small pedals, this high spot takes away from the concave feel of the pedal and almost lifts your foot away from the pins. The larger size Stamp pedal uses the same shape around the spindle, but the bigger platform allows you to set your foot farther away from the inside of the pedal and sink in to the natural concave shape. Because I wear a size ten shoe, I liked the grip of the Stamp 7 large pedals much better. Now you might have a different feel for the pedals if you wearing a smaller size shoe or if you prefer a more loose feel when riding flats.

Grip

The Stamp pedals can definitely be set up to give you plenty of grip. For me, the Stamp large pedals gave me just the right amount of grip. I was able to sink my Afton Keegan shoes in to the pedal platform and my feet stayed right in place when I wanted them to. On the Stamp small pedals, I had a bit more freedom to shift and slide my feed around. We are also big fans of Deity flat pedals. For me and my size foot, the small pedal felt similar to how the Deity Bladerunner pedal rides, and the large pedal felt more like how the Deity T-Mac pedal rides. 

Who should buy which pedal?

When riding in the skatepark, it was nice to be able to adjust my feet on the pedals on the smaller platform. Because the platform is smaller, the arch of your foot bends around the backside of the pedal. I liked the way that felt when riding in the skatepark. If you are someone riding extremely rough terrain, I think the Stamp Large pedal will suit that style of riding a bit more. The large pedals will lock your feet in and keep them from bouncing off. So I would recommend looking at what kind of riding your going to be doing before you decide which pedal is best for you.

What's The Bottom Line? 

If you are looking for a flat pedal that gives you maximum grip, the Crankbrothers Stamp Large will do the trick. The large platform keeps your feet stuck the pedals with a concave shape and 10 adjustable traction pins per side. If you are someone who has much smaller feet, you can get that same grip with the Crankbrothers Stamp Small in a tighter package. Now if you are looking for a flat pedal that allows your feet to slide around a bit and wear an average sized shoe, the Stamp Small might also work perfectly for you. The smaller platform keeps your foot more on top of the pedal compared to sinking in to the concave shape on the large. The adjustable pins really make a difference for how the Stamp pedals ride so don't be afraid to use them!

About Me

Max Morgan is 26 years old, and lives in Brevard, North Carolina. Max grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and started racing downhill at the age of 15. He has now been racing professionally for the last 8 years, competing in the UCI World Cup series and U.S. Pro GRT series. To learn more about Max, check out Max's rider spotlight here! 
Instagram: @mxmorgan77