Canfield Brothers Crampon Ultimate Pedal Update

After a full season of riding and racing with the Canfield Brothers Crampon Ultimate’s exclusively on my XC, Enduro, and DH bikes I can now report out on how they are performing.

Racing and Riding

Cross Country

The ultra thin pedals seem to smooth out the small dead spot at the bottom and top of the pedal stroke.  I was able to achieve a higher pedaling cadence using the Crampon Ultimate’s verses thicker pedals.  I never experienced pedal flip on really rough courses (even on my fully rigid Single Speed) and that is a huge control improvement.   In fact when using the Canfield Crampons I cannot tell the pedals are there and combined with 5-10 shoes you are absolutely connected to your bike. 

Enduro

All I can say is they grip my 5-10 shoes like eagle talons and I have been enjoying the highest level of bike control in my 40+ years of riding.  Being able to steer with my feet and hoping obstacles on the trail have been greatly improved.  I rarely have pedal strikes now and when I do the thin beveled edges just slide right over the rocks without getting hung up.  There are a few scars on them now.  At first, scraping away that beautiful anodized finish was comparable to the first time I dropped my Troy Lee D3 helmet and chipped the paint.  But the scrapes and scars in the finish just show that I do ride my bike hard.

Downhill

All the above hold true on my DH bike along with the added benefit of increased pedal clearance on hard full travel landings.  And, when racing comes down to fractions of a second I can safely crank out some precious pedal strokes on rugged terrain with the confidence provided by the ultra thin pedal body. 

Maintenance

I cleaned and re-greased my pedals once they started to spin by hand with a little vibration and sounded dry after a couple months of constant use and many race weekends.  Maintenance takes about 10 minutes per pair.  Just unthread the lock nut and place it, along with the spring washer and cup assembly, on a secure surface.  Pull pedal body off spindle and wipe spindle clean with a rag.  I then thread a paper towel through the pedal body and pull it out to remove the old grease inside the pedal body.  Reapply some fresh grease to spindle and DU bushings in pedal body and reassemble.  Once assembled, wipe off the excess grease the squeezes out and you are ready to ride again.  Canfield has some maintenance videos on their web page showing how to do this as well as easy DU Bushing replacement if that ever becomes necessary.

Issues

Out of the 15 or so pairs of pedals our teammates have purchased, only a couple pairs had 100% of the pins installed with sufficient torque right out of the box and a few pins came loose after a few miles until we figured this out.  I provided Canfield Brothers with this information and they were going to work the issue with their manufacturer.  I would suggest checking the pins with the supplied Allen Key included with the spare pin pack inside the box before your first ride.  Once installed with proper torque, the pins have not loosened during my use.  

Mid season I began using the magnesium Crampon Ultimate’s for my XC race bike and they are significantly lighter than the ultra light Aluminum model however the one pair I have had noticeably lower pin protrusion from pedal body compared to the Aluminum versions.  The pin protrusion was ½ to ¾ as much of the Aluminum Pedals.   While they still function great and I never had any pedal slip issues they definitely feel less secure than the aluminum pedals.  It would be an easy improvement to install some longer pins and enjoy the talon like grip of the Aluminum version.  I have recently contacted Canfield Brothers and they will be shipping me some longer pins to try.

Summary

So does the ultra thin pedal claims hold up and is the high price of admission worth it?

I have no scientific data to show any increases in pedaling efficiency or increased watts and such.  However, my bike control and speed has increased through use of these pedals.  Pedal strokes are smoother and a higher cadence is possible.  Ride these pedals for a short while then put your old thick flat pedals back on and you will feel the dramatic differences.   I used to tell people that flat pedal shoes like the awesome 5-10’s were more important than the pedal but now I see how much of an improvement the pedal itself can make.

Grip is outstanding and if you are new to flat pedals you probably should wear some shin guards till you can learn to stay away from them while walking or dismounting.

I did smash a few pins on rocks and the double sided Allen head design of pins makes removal and replacement a breeze even if the exposed pin is heavily damage.  You just unscrew from the protected bottom side of the pedal.   Canfield Brothers even include a generous supply of extra pedal pins and Allen key in the box.

The retail price seems high, but it is competitive, and given the low weight and bling factor I would say they are actually one of the industry's value leaders in high end flat pedals.

Maintenance requirements may be higher than pedals with sealed bearings if you ride in adverse conditions but sealed bearing pedals are not available with such thin pedal bodies.   Maintenance is very quick and simple and if the time ever comes where the DU bushings need to be replaced the rebuild kit is inexpensive and the bushing replacement is easy to perform.

I wholeheartedly recommend the Canfield Crampon Ultimate pedals to everyone I ride with now.  If the pedal pin installation torque improves from the factory they would be perfection.  But for now, I would recommend checking the pins before your first ride.

Bottom line is I like them so much there is a 6 pairs installed on the race bikes in my families stable!

Marc Garoutte