Crankbrothers Stamp EVO Flat Pedal

Bigger is always better, right? When it comes to flat pedals, theoretically, the answer is yes. A bigger platform means more pin engagement and grip. But there is a point of diminishing returns: when the odds of clipping a pedal become too high, grip fades because the pins are too spread out and don’t catch your shoe, and the pedals become heavy. If you browse our extensive Flat Pedal Face Off, you’ll see that most flat pedals are of a similar size.

Crankbrothers has decided to challenge this notion with its latest Stamp EVO pedal, which has a much longer-than-average platform. In fact, it's the longest pedal we’ve ever tested. It’s also features a unique two-material construction with replaceable plastic bash guards. The intent was to give riders more foot support and security while reducing fatigue. Curious to see if Crankbrothers were on to something, we spent a few months testing the Stamp EVOs to find out if the mega pedals performed above what we were used to.

Highlights

• Two material construction
  • Forged aluminum body
  • Replaceable nylon composite bashguards (one extra set included)
• Chromoly steel spindle
• IGUS LL-Glide bearings and seals
• Rebuildable internals
• Two platform sizes:
  • Stamp small - shoe size 5-10 US (37-43 EU)
  • Stamp large - shoe size 10-15 US (43-49 EU)
• 13 adjustable pins per side with a 2
• 5-year warranty
• Colors: Body - silver, black // Bashguards - blue, purple, dark grey, black
• Weight: 464g
• MSRP: $200 USD

Details

The Stamp EVO is 20% longer than Crankbrothers classic Stamp pedal. It’s offered in two platform sizes, and even the smaller model has a larger contact area than many other pedals.

• Stamp EVO large: 115mm x 135mm
• Stamp EVO small: 102mm x 118mm
• Stamp large: 111mm x 114mm
• Stamp small: 100mm x 100mm
• Deity TMAC: 105mm x 110mm
• Deity Deftrap: 103mm x 113mm
• Race Face Turbine: 115mm x 110m

Width x Length

I tested the EVO large model, and the pedals are comically massive. They dwarfs other pedals. Interestingly, while the pedal body is wider than most pedals at 115mm, the pin-to-axle distance, which tells you where the effective edge of a pedal is in relation to the crank arm, was only 110mm, which is the same as Crankbrothers’ Stamp large pedal. This means the Stamp EVO has a narrower stance, but also doesn't stick out as far.

Crankbrothers draws a line at shoe size 43 EU (men’s 10 US, women’s 12 US)—if your shoe is bigger, go with the EVO large; if your shoe is smaller, go with the EVO small. 

The platform has a fairly common but proven shape with 13 adjustable pins per side (via a 2mm hex wrench). Crankbrothers’ Stamp pedal only has 10 pins per side. Of course, what stands out most is the replaceable composite bashguards that run along the outer edge. As most know, the front corner and side of a pedal are the most susceptible to impacts. The plastic guards offer some peace of mind knowing you can replace them once they’re beat up. Plastic also slides off things much better than metal, which tends to snag. I’ve been on this train with DEITY’s Deftrap pedals for a while, and the Stamp EVOs provide similar benefits.

The Stamp EVO runs on similar internals as other Stamp models, including a chromoly steel spindle and IGUS glide bearings. The pedal is completely rebuildable, and Crankbrothers has a great tutorial video that walks you through each step.

Crankbrothers is known for its vast color options, but has taken a modest approach with the Stamp EVO. They offer the aluminum body in black or silver, and the bashguard in blue, grey, purple, or black. Both sizes retail for $200 USD, which is the same price as the regular Stamp pedal. A spare set of bashguards are included.

On Trail Impressions

The Stamp EVOs undeniably offered more support than any pedal I’ve ridden. They distributed pressure over a larger area of my foot, reducing fatigue during long descents. My shoe wasn’t flexing behind my arches around the pedal. I also noticed some extra ankle support during big compressions and could weight my bike a bit better through flat corners.

As for grip, the Stamp EVOs performed a few notches above Crankbrothers Stamp large model, but still fell a notch below the grippiest pedals out there. I did back-to-back testing with DEITY’s TMAC pedals, and even though the Stamp EVOs worked well most of the time, I still experienced some foot movement. Thankfully, there is a lot of pedal to catch your foot. I never blew a foot off or slipped a pedal, but having to reposition my foot to where I wanted during descents was still distracting. For this reason, I gave the Stamp EVO a 9/10 grip score, compared to the Stamp large (8/10) and TMAC (9.5/10) pedals.

Two factors seemed to limit the Stamp EVO's grip compared to a pedal like the TMAC. First, the pins create moderate concavity, slightly reducing pin engagement. The spindle also tapers and is thickest near the crank, so the actual concavity of the pedal is not consistent across your foot. Effective concavity (the distance between the tallest pin and the platform, or the shortest middle pin) ranged from 2 to 5mm. TMACs offer 7mm of concavity.

Second, the pins on the outer row are spread far apart, sitting 3mm wider than TMACs (79mm vs. 76mm when measured from corner to corner). This caused my size 10 US shoe to only capture 3/4 pins on the back row. I also didn’t capture one of the outside middle pins. Two pins might sound minor, but it made a difference. I land between Stamp EVO sizes with a size 10 US shoe, and would assume the small platform would resolve this issue. The EVO small is closer in size to many flat pedals, but is still longer than most, so it should offer some added foot support.  

The Stamp EVOs are aesthetically unique. However, the dual-material construction is very utilitarian. It's a best-of-both-worlds scenario—you get the durability of an alloy body with the slide-past impact resistance of plastic. My pedals have plenty of battle scars, but aside from looking used, there is no reason to swap the guards just yet. Having the option to replace the guards and getting a spare set with the pedals does improve the value of the Stamp EVOs. You match that with the rebuildable internals, and you should be able to get a few years out of a set. The only issue the bash guards present is how they’re attached with the corner pins. If you snap one of those pins off, it could be more difficult to remove. Spare bash guards do come with new pins, though, which is nice.

What’s The Bottom Line?

The Stamp EVOs deliver on the promise of more support and comfort thanks to their extra-long platform. They are heavier than most, and there is probably a minimum foot size required to reap the support benefits. But for those with extra-large feet or who need more foot stability, the Stamp EVOs are an excellent option. The aluminum body with replaceable plastic bashguards is also a highly functional design that gives you the benefits of both materials with the ability to keep the pedals looking fresh over time. While they didn’t offer quite as much grip as our favorite flat pedals, they came in a very close second, and offered noticeably more grip than Crankbrothers Stamp pedal.