Canfield Crampon Pedals Review

With the trend of mountain bike pedals becoming thinner and thinner, the Canfield Brothers have really set a new standard.  Here is how the Canfield Brothers described how they will benefit the rider.

With the new Crampon Pedals from Canfield Brothers, you effectively lower your bottom bracket by 8mm/.25? while raising your pedal clearance by the same. This one-of-a-kind pedal also allows for more efficient pedaling by allowing you to lean back and push through the normal “dead spots” at the top and bottom of your pedal stroke. The thinnest pedal platform on the market also allows for more balance and stability because you are standing on the side of the spindles instead of the top.

From the first time you ride these pedals you will feel the difference.

Initial Impressions

The first thing you notice as you pull your new pedals out of the box is how thin they really are.  The next thing you notice is how light they are.  With the long pins installed they are claimed to weigh 395 grams but weighed at home they came out closer to 385 grams.  So they are lighter than most pedals on the market.  As you hold them in your hand it seems weird that something so light and thin could withstand the abuse of DH biking but these things can take some abuse!

Setting Up and Installation

The Canfield pedals come with no pins in them.  You get the option of running either 14mm or 16mm pins or you can mix and match them to customize the feel of the pedal.  The pedals also come with a little bottle of loctite for the pins.  It also comes with full instructions on which pins go where and how to loctite them.  After building up two sets I wanted to try something new out so I used the 16mm all along the front and back and then the 14mm in the center.

The pedals install just like most other flat pedals by using a 8mm allen wrench from the inside of the crank arm.

The Feel

The first time you step on them they may feel a little weird.  With your feet resting on all of the pins it makes a flat platform.  With most typical pedals being concave this is definitely a change in feel.  I was worried at first that it wouldn’t hold my foot into place and my foot would feel insecure while riding through really rocky stuff.  After a good day of ridding on them I quickly found out it was the opposite of what i thought.

With the pedals being so thin it gives you a feel of your feet being part of the axle.  There is almost no noticeable teeter toter effect like you may notice with the older style block like pedals.  Since riding them I have yet to roll a pedal or even slip off one.

Durability

After beating these pedals for the 4 or so months before the snow started to fall I have concluded that these are some tough pedals.  I have clipped them on rocks at all speeds, had some really good crashes, and ridden them on every type of trail.  They have been on my All mountain bike on 20 mile XC loops, my dirt jumper for countless runs through the jump park, and off big hucks on my downhill bike.  After all of this the only wear is the typical scratches in the paint from normal rock hits.  I haven’t bent a pin or cracked/chipped the pedal body in the entire time.  The bearings and bushings are still working like they were new.

Benefits

Thin and Large – The pedals are nice and thin yet have the widest platform of all the other pedals I have owned.  As mentioned above they give you 8mm more clearance while at the same time lowering your center of gravity by 8mm.  There were more than a few times I would be heading into a rock garden and see and big rock coming straight for my foot.  I would brace for the impact but typically I would just barely miss it or if I did hit it would just skip right off it.

Rock Deflection - With the body tapering as it goes out it makes it less vulnerable to pedal hang ups on rocks.  With the widest point being the centers it makes it more likely you will skip off the rock you hit instead of catching the front of the pedal and crashing.

Pedalling – With your foot being so close to the axle it makes for very proficient pedalling.  It helps eliminate the dead spots at the top of your crank rotation.  With them being very wide they also are comfortable for all day rides.  Pretty much the closest you can come to feeling clipped in on a flat, axled pedal.

Grip – Feels like your foot won’t stick on at first but somehow it does.  Once you get used to the feel you will be amazed on how well it grips.  This probably has something to do with 18 pins per pedal.

Things to Note

Squeak – With the axle being exposed it does occasionally rub on the bottom of your shoe and cause a squeak.  The few times I have noticed it have been when I’m pedalling uphill for an extended period of time.  For some reason it only happens 1 out of 5 rides and only on my left shoe.  It is not a loud squeak and it does not cause any drag.

The Bulges – The pedals do have the bulges where the bearings are and yes you can feel them under your feet.  At first it felt weird but when you get used to them it actually makes your foot feel more locked in.  It gives you a nice place to really push against when you are going through corners and it also makes it easy to know exactly where your foot is.

Lose Pins – The pins on my first two pair were a little loose. They would slowly back themselves out and about every 3 or 4 rides I will have to re-center 2-3 pins per pedal.  The pair I built up for this review now come with the loctite and the pins felt more solid right from the beginning.  It is not a big deal but worth pointing out.

Grip in mud – Other riders have claimed that these don’t grip as well in muddy conditions.  I have ridden them in very wet with some mud but never where I’m scrapping mud of my tires just to make it down the mountain.  I have never worried about my grip on the pedals in all the different conditions I have ridden them.

Conclusion

These pedals would be a great addition to any type of bike.   These are perfect for the DH racer who want the extra pedal clearance so they can pedal in and out of rock gardens.  With the trend of DH bikes becoming lower and lower you see lots of people running shorter and shorter cranks to compensate for it.  Adding these pedals to your shorter cranks will give you that much more of an edge.  These are also great for all day rides where you want to get a nice even pedal stroke and push the entire way through the stroke.

If you are looking for some new pedals and want to get a more stable ride while at the same time dropping some weight off your bike then these are the pedals for you.

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