Cleat Bolt Hole Worn Away

cgfw201
cgfw201 Posts: 674
edited September 2017 in Workshop
Got a pair of carbon soled Louis Garneau shoes, really like them, but one of the cleat bolt holes has worn and no longer takes a bolt (no thread left). Happened fairly early in their life, within first 4 months or so and I only wear them as a second pair. I got them for free so can’t take them back, but is there any easy way to fix / replace the cleat bolt hole?

Still seem to work with 2 bolts, but assume at some point it will become an issue.

Xr0jkE6.jpg

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,432
    not familiar with these specific shoes, they're often replaceable, start by removing the insole and seeing what's underneath, with some you have immediate access, in others there may be a small cut out piece in the liner that you have to peel up

    if you can't get at them, worst case you could probably fit a helicoil

    if it's using t-nuts like below, you can push through the worn one and look for the correct size replacement

    Road-shoe-T-nuts.jpg
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 674
    So the plate underneath with the T nuts in it looks like this. I can’t get the bust one (circled) out, any tips?

    bPJH9kn.png
  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 674
    cgfw201 wrote:
    So the plate underneath with the T nuts in it looks like this. I can’t get the bust one (circled) out, any tips?

    bPJH9kn.png

    Just snapped the top half of that picture off, which means there's now room for a new t nut where it used to be, which should fix the issue. right?
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    You could try contacting the manufacturer with that pic and ask if they do the whole thing as a spare? Cost them pence to chuck one on the post and for you to come on here and sing their praises. Very cheap P.R.

    Trying to secure a single T-nut inside the shoe in just the right place is going to be tricky unless you can bodge it to the bit you've broken the end off??
  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 674
    keef66 wrote:
    You could try contacting the manufacturer with that pic and ask if they do the whole thing as a spare? Cost them pence to chuck one on the post and for you to come on here and sing their praises. Very cheap P.R.

    Trying to secure a single T-nut inside the shoe in just the right place is going to be tricky unless you can bodge it to the bit you've broken the end off??

    Got 3 new T nuts in the post. Do they need to be fixed to anything in the shoe? Assumed that the cleat bolt would be enough?
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    cgfw201 wrote:
    keef66 wrote:
    You could try contacting the manufacturer with that pic and ask if they do the whole thing as a spare? Cost them pence to chuck one on the post and for you to come on here and sing their praises. Very cheap P.R.

    Trying to secure a single T-nut inside the shoe in just the right place is going to be tricky unless you can bodge it to the bit you've broken the end off??

    Got 3 new T nuts in the post. Do they need to be fixed to anything in the shoe? Assumed that the cleat bolt would be enough?

    If they are just loose, won't they spin round when you try to screw in the cleat bolts? Or do you envisage somehow holding each one still from inside the shoe while attaching the cleat?
  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 674
    keef66 wrote:
    cgfw201 wrote:
    keef66 wrote:
    You could try contacting the manufacturer with that pic and ask if they do the whole thing as a spare? Cost them pence to chuck one on the post and for you to come on here and sing their praises. Very cheap P.R.

    Trying to secure a single T-nut inside the shoe in just the right place is going to be tricky unless you can bodge it to the bit you've broken the end off??

    Got 3 new T nuts in the post. Do they need to be fixed to anything in the shoe? Assumed that the cleat bolt would be enough?

    If they are just loose, won't they spin round when you try to screw in the cleat bolts? Or do you envisage somehow holding each one still from inside the shoe while attaching the cleat?

    christ knows. will find out later.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,432
    bont t-nuts have tines on the underside, these dig in to prevent the nut rotating
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 674
    cgfw201 wrote:
    keef66 wrote:
    cgfw201 wrote:
    keef66 wrote:
    You could try contacting the manufacturer with that pic and ask if they do the whole thing as a spare? Cost them pence to chuck one on the post and for you to come on here and sing their praises. Very cheap P.R.

    Trying to secure a single T-nut inside the shoe in just the right place is going to be tricky unless you can bodge it to the bit you've broken the end off??

    Got 3 new T nuts in the post. Do they need to be fixed to anything in the shoe? Assumed that the cleat bolt would be enough?

    If they are just loose, won't they spin round when you try to screw in the cleat bolts? Or do you envisage somehow holding each one still from inside the shoe while attaching the cleat?

    christ knows. will find out later.

    can confirm this is working like new, which is handy.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Excellent! I do like a happy ending :D
  • As an aside, this happened to a pair of very comfy Specialised shoes I have, so I just Araldired the cleat on.

    Holds perfect, when you need to change the cleat just lever the old one off, the ARLdite comes with it, put new cleat on with new ARaldite, job jobbed.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • jrosselbNq9jQF3h
    jrosselbNq9jQF3h Posts: 1
    edited November 2020
    I had the same problem with two Garneau shoes, spares were not available so I made spares in stainless steel, not good for weight but I'm sure they will last longer than the originals. These were made from 4 mm thick stainless steel plate and worked down to 3 mm to let the nut holes go in the grooves of the sole. Why 4 mm? 4 mm is the lenght of the original nut holes so I thought I should keep that measure.