Worn cleats - when to replace?

pneumatic

Accepting the inevitable, I've just been packing away the Summer bike and associated kit. I notice that the Shimano cleats (black and yellow) on my road shoes are very worn. The yellow plastic is pretty much gone altogether and what is left is stringy and out of shape. Some of the black beneath is also worn down in places.

Is it time to replace the cleats? If so, am I going to have to replace them every season? I've only had the shoes since April and it's not as though I've been tap dancing on volcanoes. My winter bike has mtb-style pedals with aluminium cleats; I've been riding/walking on them for almost 5 years and they still look servicable. By comparison, the road shoes seem a bit frail. Is that normal?

redddraggon

My right cleat is how you describe, my left is in rather newer condition - I guess that shows something of my unclipping practices.

I would have thought the best time to replace the cleats would be when you keep suffering unclipping when you don't intend to. If your feet are still secure in the pedals I'd say they were fine for a bit longer.

jhop

Your cleats sound like mine Shimano SPD SL's they dont't last long and if you leave them you will have real problems staying clipped in as I did coming back from Cheltenham recently. I had to pull in to a bike shop in Oxford and I then fitted them at the roadside to enable me to get back home securely. The guy in the shop said that they lasted longer than Look ones though I seem to get through a pair in a couple of 1000 miles but I guess it is walking not riding that wears them out and I thought I only did that to and from shed/cafe etc.

fizz

I replace mine when they start squeaking on the pedal, road shoes / cleats are really designed for walking huge distances in, which is why they are more fragile than MTB SPD's which are designed more with walking in mind.

If it were me yes I'd replace my cleats, yours sound completely toasted.

pneumatic

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like I should get myself some spares for the kit bag and carry on with the current set until they fail. I've done a couple of thousand kms in them but, as you say, jhop, it's not the riding that knackers them.

Perhaps I should also work on that roadie penguin gait; I didn't realise it mattered so much!

emaichael

redddraggon wrote:

My right cleat is how you describe, my left is in rather newer condition - I guess that shows something of my unclipping practices.

I would have thought the best time to replace the cleats would be when you keep suffering unclipping when you don't intend to. If your feet are still secure in the pedals I'd say they were fine for a bit longer.

your on right hand drive roads?

redddraggon

emaichael wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

My right cleat is how you describe, my left is in rather newer condition - I guess that shows something of my unclipping practices.

I would have thought the best time to replace the cleats would be when you keep suffering unclipping when you don't intend to. If your feet are still secure in the pedals I'd say they were fine for a bit longer.

your on right hand drive roads?

No, how do you come to that conclusion? I tend to only unclip my right foot when I stop and keep my left clipped in.

I think what has destroyed my right is the repeated clipping and upclipping rather than the act of walking on it as my left cleat is still rather new looking

Anonymous

redddraggon wrote:

My right cleat is how you describe, my left is in rather newer condition - I guess that shows something of my unclipping practices.I would have thought the best time to replace the cleats would be when you keep suffering unclipping when you don't intend to. If your feet are still secure in the pedals I'd say they were fine for a bit longer.

Yes it does.It shows that you are unclipping the wrong foot.
Unclip the left then lean yourself and the bike over to the left.
If you slip on the cleat you will finish up on the kerb and not under the wheels of the vehicle drawing up to your right.

redddraggon

whitley wrote:

Yes it does.It shows that you are unclipping the wrong foot.

I injured my left ankle playing rugby, and I struggle to twist my ankle enough to unclip it without putting my right foot on the floor and leaning the bike over to the right. Not much I can do about it really.

Monty Dog

You'll also give yourself chainring marks by putting your right foot down...

Anonymous

red draggon
So you did understand emaichael's question?

Rich Hcp

redddraggon wrote:

whitley wrote:

Yes it does.It shows that you are unclipping the wrong foot.

I injured my left ankle playing rugby, and I struggle to twist my ankle enough to unclip it without putting my right foot on the floor and leaning the bike over to the right. Not much I can do about it really.

My left anke is not great and the leg not strong enough to hold me up and push off. Never had a problem. The only person who didn't like it was the Cycling Proficiancy guy when I was 8 years old!

At least I can't change my mind and fall off when I unclip the wrong side!

They look worn, but I'm not changing until I start having problems.

The problem is that it is hard to tell from looking at them.

IanLD

I keep my left foot clipped in. Always have done and any attempt to change has upset my balance and made me fall over.

Similar principle to being right or left handed or being right or left eye dominant (try looking through your camera viewfinder). There is no right and wrong way, just what your body finds natural.

I agree there may be some safety aspects in some circumstances, but it is safer to be steady and upright rather than lying on the deck!

Oh and my Look Keo cleats wear out quickly despite using the covers for walking. Right wears much faster than the left, due to contact with the road when stopping and pushing off.