The first sightings of the 50 50s was all it took. People went nuts. They were so different, so cool, so unique, that everybody had to have them. The interchangeable plates, complete with monster color pallet, made the 50/50s a hot topic in pedals.

But there is more to a good set of pedals then how they looks, or how pretty the colours are.

Crank Brothers has two versions of the 50/50s available. The X has unsealed bearings, the XX is all sealed up. Both feature Cranks Brothers replaceable and customizable platform, available in a wide range of colors. The pins (or whatever they are) are movable, and you can even order standard pins in to give a little extra traction. Axles are chromo, and they have a little grease port on the side to lube things up all slippery-like.

Much as I like the Crank Brothers stuff, the 5050's are a hard recommendation. Simply put, there are cheaper pedals on the market which do a better job.

The 5050s feel ok, but traction just isn't there. The "pins" are closer to studs, and don't offer the same traction as true pins. No matter how they are arranged, a standard pin is just going to offer more traction, since its thinner and bites into the shoe better. Yeah you can fix that with 5.10 shoes, but really, shold you have to? As well, the 5050s have an odd bump in the middle of the pedal to accommodate the axle. This gives you a high spot, on a pedal thats already not really thin to start with. The plates, although very neat and fun for colors, really answer a question that was never asked. The swappability of the plates is pretty much totaled once you strip a bolt, and there are a few reports of hits hard enough to dislodge the plates entirely. Granted, the replaceable plates mean that should you smash the pins to death on a rock, you can just replace the whole thing and be done with it. However, innovative mechanics have ways of getting around that too, without replacing parts of the body.

The biggest negative however, has to be the bearings. A few DM riders have reported random bearings freezes, which while temporary, are a pain in the arse. The pedal will lockup, but will eventually loosen up, either through a hard hit or on their own. When you're talking about a part with relatively few parts to it, having the part critical to its function turn to poop is a bad thing indeed.

The Crank Brothers 5050s aren't all bad. They feel pretty decent, and at about 560g, they are a decent weight. If you aren't a brute on pedals, they should treat you pretty well.

The very real truth is that there are simply cheaper pedals on the market that do a better job. Axiom, Wellgo, Shimano, Azonic, and a host of others offer pedals that have better traction, at about a similar price (some more, some less). They definitely aren't as fancy, but they work, and thats more important to most.

*NOTE

We just got word from Crank Brothers that a few of the negative points we addressed have been, well addressed by them. 

There is a new bearing supplier, hopefully that will fix the freezing issue.
Set screws are now  apparantly installed at the factory, not those weird goddam studs. Or maybe both.
Bolts for the plates are the same, but more loctite is on there.
Newer runs of the pedals should feature slightly tighter build quality. 

	K.morgan - July 19, 2007 i have these pedals... all the screws and studs have fallen out and iv been waiting on new screws from crankbros. BULLSHIT!
	Reaction - July 20, 2007 I have witnessed the plates sliding off during a ride. Not a good feeling when cranking hard and your foot leaves the pedal. Step it up Crank brothers, don't let one crazy issue kill your good name.

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