Cleat wear

[nuthatch]

My cleats are really wearing fast! I've got Eggbeater Candies that I put on back in February so the cleats are not even a season old. The wear is on the inside, so I know it's from clipping in and out so much, not from walking on the cleats. Any other commuters out there notice cleat wear like this on their "stop-light unclipping side"? Is this pretty normal?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Funny, I never noticed a difference in cleat wear between my two shoes, but I wouldn't be surprised if the side I clip out of when I stop at lights is more worn.

I generally replace my cleats once a year. That habit started after I used a pair (of cleats) so long that they basically disintegrated on me in the middle of a long ride - not a fun ride home... That pair of cleats had way too many miles on them. It was after I switched from road shoes to mountain bike shoes, so I was going under the assumption that since I wasn't walking on the cleats that they didn't need to be replaced. Silly me!

But February to now sounds like a relatively short amount of time. Are you logging a lot of miles?

--- Denise

[Surlygirl]

I agree with Denise, I usually switch out my cleats once a year and I have the eggbeater candie cleats. You can order them from Crank Brothers at their site and you might be able to get them at the bike shop. The cleats are meant to wear so that you don't actually wear out the pedal spindles.

[RoadRaven]

ah... sometimes I envy those of you in town, because your rides can go in any direction... I have to always ride the first 16 kms and last 16kms exactly the same - because I am out in the country and there are no turn-offs...

But now, here is an advantage - I don't clip in and out so often, so my cleats last longer!
:)

[nuthatch]

Thanks, guys! Denise, I'm commuting about 50-60 miles a week, then another 50 on the weekends but I think it's more to do with all the stop signs and lights on the commute than distance. It's helpful to hear that you all replace cleats once a year. These are not done for yet, but I don't want to get stuck in the middle of corn country on the weekend waiting for them to fail!!

[CorsairMac]

Yeah Nut - I've noticed the same thing. The cleat on my "stopping" foot especially on the road shoes which don't have tread around them to protect the cleat seems to fit the pedal a little bit harder these days and sometimes takes a real "push" to get it to click on. Now that Denise et al have mentioned - it's been almost a year since I started wearing cleats - so I'm guessing it's about time for me to change them out.

[nuthatch]

So where can we buy a "Bag-o-Cleats" for $5.99??? HA!

[Dogmama]

So where can we buy a "Bag-o-Cleats" for $5.99??? HA!

Check with the TdF guys who have abandoned...

I used those red frog cleats and usually replace 1X/year. Here's another good reason - you can come out of your clip, ala Lance, and that can be exciting if you're pulling uphill...

[abarensfeld7]

Word on the street (ok, word from Carmichael) is that Lance popped out (twice, that is) because of the sheer force that he was putting on the pedal. Nothing wrong with the cleats, pedal, anything...just that he's too damn strong!

[Dogmama]

Word on the street (ok, word from Carmichael) is that Lance popped out (twice, that is) because of the sheer force that he was putting on the pedal. Nothing wrong with the cleats, pedal, anything...just that he's too damn strong!

Silly me. I assumed there might be some problems with his equipment. :p

[spazzdog]

On the off chance your cleats are not showing wear, and it's harder to clip in/out, remember cleats and pedals should be lubed on occasion.

I put a teeny bit of White Lightening across the spring mechanism in my cleats every so often to achieve quick clip ins, and have my pedals (Speedplay) lubed when the bike gets it's yearly tune-up.

[Ninabike]

Anybody with "Look" pedals and cleats, there arer tiny holes in the cleats which, when they are worn through, it's time to change the cleats. Also, you should check the screws often to make sure they are tight. Once a screw gets loose (especially a front one) you won't be able to clip in - no fun!! Your bike "tool" should have a screwdriver head which fits whatever screws you have.

Just my "2 cents".

[Asphaltgirl]

Interesting that this got posted as I was just complaining about my cleats. I'm also using the Crankbrothers Candies and the one side that I always unclip is really loose. Found out, through a poster on Bike Forums, that Crankbrothers uses a softer metal on their cleats and they may tend to wear sooner than another brand.

<<egg beater cleats are made of brass which is softer than the pedals so the cleats wear preferentially rather than the pedals- they seem to be a lot softer than SPD cleats- I used egg beaters on a single mountain bike ride (with some carrying sections) and they looked a like something that fell to earth in a meteorite.>>

~~AG~~

[bikerchick68]

I don't know about all brands but for those of you on Speedplays, coffee covers are a GREAT investment! I wear Zero's and anytime I take a few minutes off the bike to walk to restroom or coffee shop etc I slip the covers on... you probably all know that already but thought it might be worth mentioning anyway! :)