It doesn’t always come in handy to have the same brand in cycling items, you may like one thing in a particular brand and dislike the other, or it just doesn’t fit.
Many bikers have different cycling items from various brands, to respond to all of their cycling adventure needs.
In this post, we will be highlighting the Shimano and Crank Brothers‘ outstanding cycling brands, to see if their products can work well together.
Starting to figure out if you can use Shimano cleats with Crank brothers pedals. Let’s dig right into it to find that out.
So, Can I use Shimano cleats with Crank brothers pedals?
It is known that the Shimano brand uses a unique system when it comes to its cleats and pedals, and we’re talking about the SPD system.
The Crank brothers use two bolts cleats that are slightly different from Shimano’s.
But the real issue is in their cleat’s shape.
The two brands have a distinct and separate cleat shape from the other.
And for that reason, Shimano cleats are not compatible with the Crank brother’s pedals, and you can not use them together.
Let’s see now if all Shimano items don’t go along with Crank brothers, or it’s just the cleats.
Are Shimano Shoes Compatible With Crank Brothers? | Let’s find that out
Shimano cleats’ characteristics are slightly different from their shoes, as they use a consistent float degree in their cycling shoes. Shimano is also known for its two or three-bolt cleats.
And for the Crank brothers, usually use a standard cleat mounting structure that can go perfectly with Shimano shoes.
Therefore, Shimano shoes are compatible with the Crank brothers and you can use them very comfortably.
Now, we should see if the same thing goes for the cleats and pedals.
So, Are Crank brothers cleats compatible with Shimano pedals?
As we have mentioned earlier, the Crank brothers are different from Shimano’s shape.
Crank Brothers have shorter cleats, which is largely different from Shimano’s SPD system.
The two different systems will not go together.
With that being said, the Crank brother’s cleats are NOT compatible with Shimano’s pedals.
To have a larger idea about Shimano’s cleats, we recommend you to check our article “DO SHIMANO SHOES COME WITH CLEATS?”
Will Crank brother’s cleats work with SPD?
The SPD system is designed to fit a certain or unique cleat shape or pedal.
And the SPD is mostly suitable for MTB which comes with only two lines.
On the other hand, the Crank brother’s cleats are designed differently, with their two bolts shaped.
Therefore, it is obvious that the Crank brother’s cleats do not work with the SPD system, and they are not compatible with each other.
Let’s find out if it works the other way around.
Do SPD cleats work with Crank Brothers?
As we have already indicated, the SPD system is only working with MTB cycling shoes or pedals.
The thing that Crank Brothers don’t include in their cleats or pedals.
But with that being said, the two can get along with each other in this case:
Crank Brothers have developed a unique design they named “Eggbeaters”, this one-of-a-kind design has good news for you, and you actually can use it perfectly with your SPD cleats.
But is it advisable that when you run out of your SPD cleats, to get the ones that are suitable with Crank Brothers’?
So, the SPD cleats work only with “Egg Beaters” ones in Crank Brothers.
That will leave us to wonder, what is the best fit for Crank Brothers?
What Shoes Fit Crank Brothers Pedals?
Now that we’ve seen it is inconvenient to have SPD with Crank Brothers pedals. We want to know what can go well with them.
The Crank Brothers pedals do come with separate clears that you can use in your cycling shoes.
So it is not a big deal if you don’t have shoes that go completely suitable with Crank Brothers pedals.
All you need to do is remove the cleats you have on your shoes and replace them with the ones that come with Crank Brothers pedals, and you’re good to go.
And any two bolts cleat shoe brand can go perfectly fitting with Crank Brothers pedals.
We only have one last question we are curious to know in this post:
Are Crank Brothers pedals SPD compatible?
The Crank Brothers use a classic mounting pattern in their pedal’s cleats with a different shape from the cleats that are used in the SPD system.
Therefore, the Crank brother’s pedals are not compatible with SPD.
Unless you renovated your SPD cleats to fit the Crank Brothers ones.
Before our conclusion, we will be answering the most common questions asked:
Are Crank Brothers cleats spd compatible?
Crank Brothers are not compatible with SPD, due to their two different cleat systems.
Do Crank Brothers' cleats fit spd pedals?
As we have mentioned earlier, Crank Brothers cleats do not fit SPD pedals, except if you get the “egg beaters” design.
Concluding thoughts:
Both Crank Brothers and Shimano have various and different characteristics when it comes to their designs and their identity as brands, and they can not always be the same.
We are delighted that we have managed to offer you in this post all you need to know about each brand, and how they work in their shoe cleats, pedal cleats, and systems in general.
Please feel free to let us know what you think? And which brand has worked the best for you?
