"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Look Keo Carbon pedals: Cleat Replacement?

So, I'm giving up on my Speedplays. Even with regular (5k miles) cleat replacement and lube, the little wrench shaped metal pieces under the bowties/butterflies are worn out.

I've put in an order for some Keos, with the 4.5 degree cleats along with the standard no-float cleats. My question now is when should I replace the cleats? I don't want to be the ******bag who breaks a cleat going for a prime and takes down 20 people at 30 per.

Three times a year? Once a month? Every fortnight with the exception of Lent, during which you abstain from replacement?

They have little holes molded into them. You're supposed to replace them when the holes wear flush with the rest of the cleat. It's pretty conservative so I let mine go a bit more before replacement. Try not to walk on the keo cleats; they wear quickly. I have about 3k miles on mine and they're halfway to the wear markers.

I don't want to be the ******bag who breaks a cleat going for a prime and takes down 20 people at 30

You'll need a serious attitude adjustment to participate in bicycle racing young man. What kind of racer can you expect to be if you don't embrace your Inner ******bag?

I've been using those for half a year sans cleat covers, and they're are absolutely fine still. Only thing that remained as unscathed on my rig as those cleats, was my inner-DB.

I Only thing that remained as unscathed on my rig as those cleats, was my inner-DB.

That's the important thing.

They have little holes molded into them. You're supposed to replace them when the holes wear flush with the rest of the cleat. It's pretty conservative so I let mine go a bit more before replacement. Try not to walk on the keo cleats; they wear quickly. I have about 3k miles on mine and they're halfway to the wear markers.

+1
Just keep an eye on those wear holes.

I go through about 2 pair a season

So, I'm giving up on my Speedplays. Even with regular (5k miles) cleat replacement and lube, the little wrench shaped metal pieces under the bowties/butterflies are worn out.

I've put in an order for some Keos, with the 4.5 degree cleats along with the standard no-float cleats. My question now is when should I replace the cleats? I don't want to be the ******bag who breaks a cleat going for a prime and takes down 20 people at 30 per.

Three times a year? Once a month? Every fortnight with the exception of Lent, during which you abstain from replacement?

I change them out when the toe part of the cleat gets worn down. That's typically around 2,000-2,500 miles for me. Usually my left one wears out soonest as that's the leg I usually put down when I need to stop.

Yep, I can get 3-4k miles before they are worn down thru the indicators. I usually end up changing them earlier, though, which means that I have not embraced my inner-******bag. Actually, it's not inside me - I walk around all day acting like a DB.

Wearing your DB on your sleeve somehow embraces all that forgotten nobility.

My training includes lots of time working through heavy traffic to get to the good roads. My stopping foot cleat (I don't trackstand at lights) gets replaced often, because I tend to wear down one corner on push-off I guess enough that my knee will get pissed off before the entire cleat needs to go....though it goes get onto the wear indicator at that point, meaning I could possibly snap off the tip if I tried hard enough. I tend to replace that side at least 2x as often as the side that stays clipped in. The covers are enough to keep that one fresh for a long time. At least they're cheap.

Of course, I've broken a new cleat in a fail-to-unclip-in-time moment. They are not that durable. I have never worried about tearing one up in a sprint, though. I did manage to nearly torque one off in an ITT last year (all the screws came loose). I'm not sure how that happened.