Crankbrothers Candy 7 pedal review: A more free pedalling feel, but with reduced durability

In the off-road clipless pedal world, one style of pedal and clipping-in mechanism dominates: Shimano SPD. While brands, including Shimano itself, as well as Look, Hope, Nukeproof and DMR all use the SPD cleat retention system, Crankbrothers has been a notable outlier in using a lightweight, simplistic ‘egg-beater’ style design. 

Its Candy pedals add a subtle alloy platform to this design for a little more foot support, and the Candy 7 model represents its latest version of this design.

The Candy 7s come with a lot of advertised advantages, including a lighter clipping-in ‘feel,’ 4-sided pedal entry and customisable release angle and float. Fitted to both a gravel and XC-oriented bike, I was keen to test how they felt, and whether they justify their inclusion in our guide to the best gravel bike pedals. 

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Design and Aesthetics 

With a name like ‘Candy,’ you’d expect these pedals to be brightly coloured, and indeed there’s an Electric Blue, Red (which also comes with a bright red-painted spring)...and black option. Naturally, I had the plain black. In the box comes a set of brass cleats unlike the forged steel options seen in other brands, four M4-head hex bolts, cleat spacers for deeper-treaded shoes and a QR code for the instruction manual.

Even in black, the Candy 7s are ostensibly ‘designed.’ There’s a subtle logo embossed into the body, flashes of silver contrasting to the black, and the alloy bodies have a checkered tread-plate engraved in. The axle is steel, the spring and clips stainless steel, and there’s an alloy bash guard on the end.

It's worth noting that the mechanism is a little different to most SPD pedals. The internal 'eggbeater' clip mechanism with 4-sided entry can rotate free of the outer alloy cage, meaning that, in theory, you just stamp down on the pedals and the eggbeater rotates itself to a point where you clip in.

Despite their larger pedal structure and platform, with the combination of an alloy body and lightweight mechanism, these weigh in at a very respectable 329g/11.6oz for a pair.

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Performance 

Set-up with these pedals is, arguably, even simpler than something like the Shimano XTR M9100 that I recently reviewed. There’s no adjustment at all - pedals on, cleats on, and go. While pedal tension is constant and would likely reduce slightly as the spring fatigued, you can adjust pedal release angle through a choice of four different cleats - that release your foot at either 10 or 15 degrees, and that allow your foot to ‘float’  (rotate freely without unclipping) for either 0 degrees or 6 degrees. 

I got the plain golden cleats, which have are the most generous float, allowing a 15 degrees release and 6 degrees float angle.

I’ve used Crank Brothers pedals before, but coming from many years of SPD use it took some getting re-used to. During clipping in, there is some tactile and audible feedback, but nothing like the distinctive click-clack of SPDs. Clipping out was significantly less crisp, with a very subtle change from the very edge of being clipped in to being clipped out. Eventually, I grew to rely on muscle memory and practice to know when I was attached.

On the trails, this subtle feel, generous float and release angle meant I treated these rather like flat pedals, not clipless. Instead of staying clipped in and leaning hard against the pedals to negotiate turns, or hop over obstacles, I found myself frequently unclipping to put a foot down or riding sections with one foot clipped, the other pedalling rested against the pedal body, but unclipped. 

In the muddy and unpredictable conditions of mid-February, this created a very natural and fluid riding style, and indeed this is one that Crank Brothers aficionados frequently praise. The 4-sided ‘egg-beater’ clipping mechanism came into its own - it rotates freely inside the alloy platform, meaning that I could easily find the right angle. They also act as an effective mud-clearing mechanism - spin to remove any stubborn bits.

Despite the initial vagueness, once I was used to it my feet remained connected solidly even through myriad bumps and varying pedalling speeds in and out of the saddle.

On my gravel bike, there was an impression of very slight support afforded by the added pedal body, at least compared to the original Eggbeaters or other cageless SPD pedals. On longer rides involving extended periods of seated pedalling, my feet felt comfortable with none of the ‘ghost’ pressure exerted by narrower pedals. I felt like the Candy 7s excelled with softer-soled shoes, which gripped when unclipped and felt a lot more communicative in their action.

The impression on the Crank Brothers website is that these pedals are designed to be durable and have a long-lasting service life, with double-sealed Enduro bearings and chamfered edges to prevent rock strikes. A cynic might say this is because servicing them is quite involved, needing a hex key, a hex socket wrench, a bearing drift, torx keys and myriad other tools which might put off the home mechanic. The alloy body and soft brass cleats were also starting to look tired after just a few months of riding. In all, Shimano’s relatively robust and easier-to-service offerings have them beat.

I also know that Will Jones' Candy 7's had bearings which entirely seized up in under a year. You should probably factor in an annual service, either at home or with a mechanic of your choosing for an optimal service life. 

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Value

For me, the ultimate issue is price - at £189.99 RRP, the Candy 7 is a more expensive pedal than most of its competitors, including even Hope’s Union TCs which are, ostensibly, a ‘premium’ option. Nukeproof’s Horizon CS Ti pedals come in at the same price but with the fanciness of a titanium axle. As such, most of these SPD-compatible pedals undercut the Candy 7s without the cleat wear and unusual clipping-in action.

There are, of course, cheaper options in the range though. If the slightly more free feel appeals to you then there are Candy options down to around £40/$50, foregoing the alloy body for plastic amongst other changes. For the 7 however it's a harder sell on the value front. 

Verdict 

The Crankbrothers Candy 7s stand out as an interesting alternative option to the clipless off-road pedal. Ultimately, it comes down to the buyer whether flashy good looks, a lighter clipping action, and more natural feel on the trails are worth the high price and reduced durability. 

Different for sure, with the caveat that being different often comes with its share of compromises.