A question of Cleats

[Friedpiggy]

So I usually ride in to my club ride. This requires about 20m of walking out of my house and up some stairs to get to the road where I clip in. I notice that my yellow Shimano cleats are lasting about 8-9 months only before the walking wears them down.

 

Now my question is as follows

Which cleats last the longest? Look, Shimano, other? 

 

I am actually considering switching to mtb pedals and shoes as the cleats there seem to be a bit more recessed and would last longer in my situation. Just feel weird using mtb gear on a road bike.

[Mamil]

I ride with mtb pedals and cleats on my road bike - partially because of the expense of two pairs of shoes and partly because getting cleats properly set up is so finnicky.

 

Noone had laughed at me yet.

[Guest]

Forgive my noob road knowlwdge if I am wrong. I understand there is a yellow standard cleat or a better red cleat. The yellow cleat is soft and wears out quicker.

[PeterF]

You get cleat covers that you can put over your cleats for walking to protect them.

[NotSoBigBen]

Forgive my noob road knowlwdge if I am wrong. I understand there is a yellow standard cleat or a better red cleat. The yellow cleat is soft and wears out quicker.

 

To my, albeit limited, knowledge red/yellow is related to the amount of float in STD Shimano cleats?

 

*I could be wrong but I doubt it*

[bertusras]

To my, albeit limited, knowledge red/yellow is related to the amount of float in STD Shimano cleats?

 

*I could be wrong but I doubt it*

 

That's also how I've got it.

 

As PeterF said, cleat covers: http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/vel-spd-road-cleats-covers

 

Which can be had cheaper elsewhere, but that's the first place I could remember.

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Noone had laughed at me yet.

 

Hahaha!

 

I would do the same!

[mecheng89]

To my, albeit limited, knowledge red/yellow is related to the amount of float in STD Shimano cleats?

 

*I could be wrong but I doubt it*

Angle. 

[Grayskull]

To my, albeit limited, knowledge red/yellow is related to the amount of float in STD Shimano cleats?

 

*I could be wrong but I doubt it*

 

Yebo..

Yellow has the most float (amount of lateral foot/shoe movement while clipped in)

Blue = intermediate

Red has the least float

[pe3nguin]

The colour of the Shimano cleat determines the degree of float. You get 6 degrees with yellow which is the easiest on your knees. Blue is 2 degrees of float. Red is fixed and ensures the most efficient power transfer, but if your pedal stroke isnt perfect, you're gonna have a bad time.

Edit: Fixed

[100Tours]

Now my question is as follows

Which cleats last the longest? Look, Shimano, other? 

 

I use Look cleats - I change the left cleat (which is my take-off foot) every 8 - 10 months and the right cleat every other year. I ride 4000 - 5000k a year and do a fair amount of walking around in coffee shops in cleated shoes.  They last longer than they used to since Look added the little rubber lugs on the corners. Also watching the guys skating around in the wind on Sunday the rubber bits look like they would have come in handy.

 

Having said that if you use mtb shoes with SPDs you'll probably throw the shoes away before the cleats wear out. If you want to be clever about it Shimano do make a road spd pedal too.

[RocknRolla]

you can also use flip-flops, and then just stash them once you have put your shoes on...but if you feel the need to spend money, by all means...

[lechatnoir]

So I usually ride in to my club ride. This requires about 20m of walking out of my house and up some stairs to get to the road where I clip in. I notice that my yellow Shimano cleats are lasting about 8-9 months only before the walking wears them down.

 

Now my question is as follows

Which cleats last the longest? Look, Shimano, other? 

 

I am actually considering switching to mtb pedals and shoes as the cleats there seem to be a bit more recessed and would last longer in my situation. Just feel weird using mtb gear on a road bike.

 

When you say 'worn', do you mean the little yellow rubber bits, or the whole cleat itself, black plastic and all? The yellow rubber bits are just to help you walk easier and don't come into play when clipped in at all. The only hassle you may have is that once the rubber is gone, the cleat is a whole lot more slippery on, well, ALL surfaces... My latest testimony on this is a partial splits in traffic this morning when putting my foot down...

 

So if it's just the coloured rubber that's gone and you can still walk ok, don't sweat it

[Zorro5614]

The colour has to do with the float.  I was on yellow, but have moved to blue.  Might go red later on

[V12man]

I ride with mtb pedals and cleats on my road bike - partially because of the expense of two pairs of shoes and partly because getting cleats properly set up is so finnicky.

 

Noone had laughed at me yet.

Don't worry... when you can keep up with a bunch you will hear the laughter...

[V12man]

That's also how I've got it.

 

As PeterF said, cleat covers: http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/vel-spd-road-cleats-covers

 

Which can be had cheaper elsewhere, but that's the first place I could remember.

Those are for look cleats- never seen covers for shimano cleats.

 

Still - I try to minimise walking in my cleats - not such great grip on them at all.