Crank Brothers Candy SL Pedal Review Reviewed By:Tim Cameron Reviewed On: February 5, 2004 Product Page:Crank Brothers Price: $129.95
In Depth Look
First, as you can see from the photos, the packaging and presentation is probably the best and most organized that we have ever seen in biking products. Crank Brothers certainly spared no cost in the box and full color instruction sheet.
Nothing could keep me from doing my drop test from ten feet high onto concrete. Another reviewer, Matt, asked was I really going to drop such nice pedals? Yes, I did and they stood up great with no damage even though one of them hit right on the threads.
I decided to tackle the installation of the cleats first. The cleats are compatible with standard SPD compatible shoes. They do not have a front and back but you are instructed to place the cleat with the two circles on the right shoe. This will give you a 15 degree earlier release on both feet. If you place the cleat with the two circles on the left side you would have a 20 degrees release on both feet. Install the cleat with a 4mm Hex and tighten to 40 – 50 in-lb (4-5 Nm) The package contains long and short screws so use which ever is applicable to your shoe. You need at least 3 or 4 for turns to tighten the screws. Some shoes have a tread that is too high which can cause interference with the pedal making it difficult to clip in and out. Shims are included should you have this difficulty. Do not use the shims if you have no tread interference because your shoe will be less stable. If you use the shims it will probably require that you use the longer cleat screws provide.
Next, I installed the pedals. The left pedal has left-handed threads as do most other pedals. The spindle has a groove all the way around the spindle to identify it is left handed. The pedals install with a 6mm Hex. You need to grease the threads on the spindle with a high quality bike grease. The pedals must be tightened to 25 to 30 foot pounds (34 to 41 Nm) with a 6mm Hex. Candy pedals have a 6 degree rotational float.
Maintenance:
There's not much maintenance required. Mud and dirt will usually fall off when it has dried. It is not recommended to use pressure water on the pedals. No exterior lubrication is required. Cleats do wear out because they are made of a softer metal and the cleats usually last for 500 hours of ride time. You should re-grease the inside of your pedals about every 100 to 300 of riding time and you should use only high quality bicycle grease. Parts are also available to do a complete rebuild.
Instruction for greasing the inside and rebuilding are included with pedals so we will not go into that here. We will probably save that for one of our “How To” guides in the not-to-distant future.
