Shimano SL cleats breaking with 105 pedals

craftygeek

Hi There,

I bought my first cycling shoes in January which i'm very happy with.

I've now ridden just over 700 miles with them & have had the cleat on the left shoe break twice.
This is the foot that I clip in/out with...I mainly ride on quiet country lanes & as a result I don't unclip that often at all.

When they break, the yellow ears/lugs come away from the black cleat base (delaminate). To begin with the cleat becomes harder to clip & if unlucky, I can't unclip whilst riding. The first time it happened it caused me to hit the tarmac (March), the second (yesterday) I was aware of what was starting to happen (near the end of a century ride) & started unclipping my right foot instead.

Is this common?

I would expect them to last longer than this given that its a £6 piece of plastic.
I don't walk on them much at all & I think the tension is set correctly...much tighter I can't unclip, much loser they don't clip in.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Tom

sandyballs

I believe the yellow ears have no effect on the actual clip in mechansim, they are more of a wear guide so that you can see how far you have walked and worn them. Cannot think what your actual problem is but posting pictures of your broken ones might give more of a clue.

Cleat Eastwood

my yellow ones come off all the time

foggymike

Sounds like you may be walking on rough ground and damaging the yellow bits but more importantly the bit that engages with the pedal. As Sandyballs says the yellow bits are just for walking and have nothing to do with how it connects to the pedal, either front or back. If you want them to last you do have to be a bit careful what you walk on.

I find cleats last about 4000 miles of riding before they start to feel a bit loose on my main clipping in/out foot. At least they are easy and quite cheap to replace.

Maybe also try tightening the spring release on the pedals to make them harder to clip out (little allen key hole on the back). They come adjusted for easy release but if you twist your feet while sprinting/standing you can come out of them unless the tension is increased.

craftygeek

Thanks for all the replies.

I haven't been near my bike gear for a week since finishing the century ride...when I do, i'll look at the cleats more carefully & see what the situation is.

I do walk on some gravel at home when I take by bike out to the front of the house - I can't avoid this...but it is only about 10yds...otherwise I walk on concrete & grass.