Crank Brothers Candy 7 Mountain Bike Pedal Review - Gear Hacker (2024)

by gearhacker | Nov 12, 2021 | Bike, Clipless Mountain Bike Pedals, Mountain Bike Pedals

Crank Brothers Candy 7 Mountain Bike Pedal Review - Gear Hacker (1)

Table Of Contents

Crank Brothers Candy 7 Mountain Bike Pedal Review: Best Clipless Mountain Bike Pedal Review

  • Platform
  • Ease of Entry
  • Ease of Exit
  • Mud Shedding Ability
  • The Bottom Line
  • Price Comparison

Best All-Around Pedal for Mud and Weight Savings

  • Platform feel60%60%
  • Ease/feel of entry80%80%
  • Ease/feel of exit80%80%
  • Mud shedding ability100%100%
  • Weight90%90%

Weight per Pair: 320g

Clean Type: Crank Brothers Brass

Use:All-Mountain, Enduro, XC

Price: ~$120

What We Like: Great performance for a reasonable price, excellent mud shedding, best weight to cost ratio available

What We Don’t: Small platform compared to the similarly priced Crank Brothers Mallet E

Crank Brothers pedals tend to have two distinct advantages over their SPD counterparts. They tend to be lighter weight and to shed mud better. Both of these traits help to make the Crank Brothers Candy 7 pedals our top pick as best all-around clipless pedals for weight saving performance in muddy conditions.

We participate in affiliate programs to help us fund Gear Hacker. Some of the links in this website are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product using our link, we will earn a small commission. Don’t worry! This comes at no additional cost to you, and we will never base our reviews on whether or not we earn a commissionoff of a product. With that said, if you find our review helpful and decide to purchase an item we review, we would be very appreciative if you use our links to do so. It will help us bring you more awesome content in the future!

Compare to Similar Products

See Our Best Clipless Mountain Bike Pedal Review

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel60%60%
  • Ease/feel of entry80%80%
  • Ease/feel of exit80%80%
  • Mud shedding ability100%100%
  • Weight90%90%

Pros

Great performance for a reasonable price, excellent mud shedding, best weight to cost ratio available

Cons

Small platform compared to the similarly priced Crank Brothers Mallet E

Weight: 320g

Cleat Type: Crank Brothers Brass

Use:All-Mountain, Enduro XC

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel70%70%
  • Ease/feel of entry80%80%
  • Ease/feel of exit80%80%
  • Mud shedding ability70%70%
  • Weight80%80%

Pros

A high-end pedal for a mid-tier price

Cons

Significantly heavier than the Crank Brothers alternative

Weight: 404g

Cleat Type: SPD Mountain

Use:All-Mountain, Enduro XC

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel100%100%
  • Ease/feel of entry90%90%
  • Ease/feel of exit70%70%
  • Mud shedding ability80%80%
  • Weight70%70%

Pros

Lightweight for the size of the platform

Great pedaling platform

The most adjustable Crank Brothers pedal

Easy to clip into

Cons

Vague sense of clipping in and out

Heavier than Candy 7

Pins can make clipping out more difficult

Weight: 420g

Cleat Type: Crank Brothers Brass

Use:All-Mountain, Enduro, Downhill

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel90%90%
  • Ease/feel of entry90%90%
  • Ease/feel of exit70%70%
  • Mud shedding ability60%60%
  • Weight30%30%

Pros

The most adjustable pedals that we reviewed

Great pedal platform

Satisfying SPD feel

Cons

Heaviest pedals in our review

Not the best for extremely muddy conditions

Weight: 545g

Cleat Type: SPD Mountain

Use: All-Mountain, Enduro, Downhill

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel60%60%
  • Ease/feel of entry80%80%
  • Ease/feel of exit80%80%
  • Mud shedding ability100%100%
  • Weight90%90%

Pros

Extremely lightweight and well-rounded pedal for the price

Cons

Lack of traction pads found on higher end Candy pedals

Not the most solid platform

Weight: 294g

Cleat Type: Crank Brothers Brass

Use: All-Mountain, Enduro, XC

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel70%70%
  • Ease/feel of entry80%80%
  • Ease/feel of exit80%80%
  • Mud shedding ability80%80%
  • Weight70%70%

Pros

Virtually the same pedaling and clipping experience offered by the much more expensive Shimano XTR M9120 and XT M8020 at an entry-level price

Cons

Heaviest mini platform pedal in review, painted cage is slippery when wet

Weight: 453g

Cleat Type: SPD Mountain

Use: All-Mountain, Enduro, XC

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel30%30%
  • Ease/feel of entry50%50%
  • Ease/feel of exit90%90%
  • Mud shedding ability100%100%
  • Weight100%100%

Pros

A high-end pedal for a mid-tier price

Cons

Significantly heavier than the Crank Brothers alternative

Weight: 404g

Cleat Type: SPD Mountain

Use:All-Mountain, Enduro XC

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel50%50%
  • Ease/feel of entry60%60%
  • Ease/feel of exit80%80%
  • Mud shedding ability90%90%
  • Weight90%90%

Pros

Lightest SPD pedal in test

Fairly large contact area for an SPD pedal

Cons

Pricey and heavy compared to Crank Brothers alternative

Weight: 310g

Cleat Type: SPD Mountain

Use: XC

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel30%30%
  • Ease/feel of entry50%50%
  • Ease/feel of exit90%90%
  • Mud shedding ability100%100%
  • Weight100%100%

Pros

Unbeatable weight for budget XC pedals

Cons

Difficult to clip into

Weight: 280g

Cleat Type: Crank Brothers Brass

Use: XC

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel50%50%
  • Ease/feel of entry60%60%
  • Ease/feel of exit80%80%
  • Mud shedding ability90%90%
  • Weight70%70%

Pros

The same pedaling experience of the XTR M9120 for a third of the price

Cons

Heavier than the Egg Beater 1

Weight: 310g

Cleat Type: SPD Mountain

Use: XC

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Platform feel70%70%
  • Ease/feel of entry80%80%
  • Ease/feel of exit80%80%
  • Mud shedding ability70%70%
  • Weight80%80%

Pros

All of the great features of the XT M8020 in a lighter package

Cons

Heavier than Crank Brothers alternative and not enough difference to justify the price increase over the Shimano XT M8020

Weight: 398g

Cleat Type: SPD Mountain

Use: All-Mountain, Enduro, XC

Platform

Crank Brothers Candy 7 Mountain Bike Pedal Review - Gear Hacker (13)

Similar to Shimano’s mini platform pedals, the Crank Brothers Candy lineup is their middle ground between the full cage enduro/DH offering in the Mallet, and cageless XC oriented Eggbeater line.

This middle ground approach helps to make the Crank Brothers Candy 7 pedal our top all-around pick for riders who would prefer weight savings and performance in muddy conditions to the SPD platform.

The Candy 7 lacks the adjustable pins that can be found in the Mallet E. However, they keep the adjustable traction pads, which allow you to raise or lower the height of the pedal to get a better interface with your shoe.

While it is much smaller, and less likely to actively help in the transfer of power than the larger Mallet E cage, the platform of the Candy 7 is perfect for catching your foot should you come unclipped unexpectedly. It will also keep your foot from rolling off of the pedal and straight into the dirt, which can happen if you fail to clip in while stomping on the Eggbeaters.

Ease of Entry

The Crank Brothers Candy 7 uses the same four-sided entry clipping mechanism as the Eggbeater 3. However, Like the Mallet E, the platform hides two of the clips, making the Candy 7 a two-sided pedal, in practice. This is not a bad thing though. The platform of the Candy 7 keeps the pedal from rolling under foot while trying to clip in and makes clipping in much simpler than it is with the Eggbeater 3.

Ease of Exit

Crank Brothers Candy 7 Mountain Bike Pedal Review - Gear Hacker (14)

While some might prefer the increased contact area of the larger Mallet E pedals, the smaller cage and pinless nature of the Candy 7 makes them much easier to get out of. There is nothing worse than catching your heel on a pin while trying to unclip, and this is a worry that the smaller platform on the Crank Brothers Candy 7 clipless pedal takes care of.

Mud Shedding Ability

One look at the clipping mechanism of Crank Brothers pedals reveals why they are the gold standard for clipless pedals when it comes to mud shedding. This is one of the areas where the Crank Brothers Candy 7 bests our other top all around pedal, the Shimano XT M8020. While the M8020 performs admirably in the mud, the Candy 7 is bested only by the cageless Crank Brothers Egg Beater 3 when it comes to performance in muddy conditions

The Bottom Line

Crank Brothers Candy 7 Mountain Bike Pedal Review - Gear Hacker (15)

If you need one set of clipless pedals to ride in wet conditions on varied types of trails, and you don’t want a full cage, then the Crank Brothers Candy 7 is a hard pedal to pass up. It is lightweight, durable, and a top performer in the mud.

While its MSRP of $169 makes it more in line with the premium Shimano XTR M9120, the Crank Brothers Candy 7 can usually be found for around $120, putting it right in line with the Shimano XT M8020. If you prefer the extra floaty feel of Crank Brothers pedals, frequently ride in the mud, or a just want a lightweight pedal at a great price, then the Crank Brothers Candy 7 might be the best clipless mountain bike pedal for you.

Where’s the Best Price?

You help support Gear Hacker by purchasing from our retail partners.

We participate in affiliate programs to help us fund Gear Hacker. Some of the links in this website are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product using our link, we will earn a small commission. Don’t worry! This comes at no additional cost to you, and we will never base our reviews on whether or not we earn a commissionoff of a product. With that said, if you find our review helpful and decide to purchase an item we review, we would be very appreciative if you use our links to do so. It will help us bring you more awesome content in the future!

You Might Also Like

Best Clipless Mountain Bike Pedal Review 2021

Shimano XT M8020 Mountain Bike Pedal Review

Crank Brothers Mallet E Mountain Bike Pedal Review

Shimano XTR M9120 Mountain Bike Pedal Review

Crank Brothers Candy 1 Mountain Bike Pedal Review

^ Back to Top ^

Crank Brothers Candy 7 Mountain Bike Pedal Review - Gear Hacker (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Last Updated:

Views: 5720

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Birthday: 1993-03-26

Address: 917 Hyun Views, Rogahnmouth, KY 91013-8827

Phone: +5938540192553

Job: Administration Developer

Hobby: Embroidery, Horseback riding, Juggling, Urban exploration, Skiing, Cycling, Handball

Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.