Crankbrothers Stamp 2 Small flat pedal review

The Crankbrothers Stamp 2 is the brands' budget aluminium flat pedal offering with two sizes available, small (tested) and large. Grip is ok but they feel too small and lacking support even for feet falling at the lower end of the recommended size spectrum.

We like Crankbothers clip in pedals on the whole, with the Mallet DH's being a firm favourite and whilst there are things to like about the Stamp 2's in a size small, they also lack grip and support. The Stamp pedals come in a size Small (100mm x 100mm) for riders with feet between EU 27-43 and Large (114mm x 111mm) for riders with feet sized EU 43-49, the latter we have tested previously.

Crankbrothers also changed their axle and bearing design with the intention of improving durability and value for these pedals and it's an area we have had little problem with during the test of these flat pedals.

At £70 the small Stamp 2 pedals sit below the lighter alloy Stamp 3 and above the composite Stamp 1 which cost £50. The pedals are thicker then others we've been testing at 16mm and they also lack the concave shape of the Stamp 7 and 11 pedals which I think is a let down where grip is concerned.

The platform of the small pedal is pretty small compared to favourite flats I usually ride on; take the OneUp Components pedal at 115 x105mm and Hope F20's at 110 x 102mm for example. There aren't any bearing housings obstructing the inboard side so the Stamp does provide a useable space but it's still pretty small and I felt I missed the support near the midsole of my foot when riding downhill. On longer rides, this led to fatigue and some aching over the footbed with both stiffer and more flexible shoes. Crankbrothers say this is the optimal size for a foot of my size (EU 38) but I'm not convinced. I struggled to keep my heels down, finding that the pedal pivoted much more readily.

The ten sharp, grub screw pins offer adequate traction and are Allen key adjustable but they aren't mounted through the pedal itself do if the head gets damaged (as it inevitably will) it'll be hard to get the old pins out.

The open design of the pedal shed mud well and there is some knurling in the centre but it does little to improve grip. I'd rather have a slightly concave design and force my foot into the outer pins for improved traction.

At 415g, these aren't heavy but they aren't light wither given the small size, looking at the OneUp Components pedal again, this comes in at 360g, has superior grip for £18 more, although these could be harder to find to buy. If you are a fan of the Crankbrothers style and want robust pedal then you might be better off, almost doubling your money and spending on a pair of Stamp 7's (£130) with a concave platform, although we have yet to test those - watch this space.

As for the Small and Large size pedals, I'm not sold that smaller pedal are the way forward, I certainly think there is some experimentation to be conducted by brands but given our Jon's review of the Pedalling Innovations oversized Catalyst pedals I think this will be erring on the side of larger, not smaller.