Bicycle Mechanics - stripped screw in shoe

I was trying to replace my Quattro cleats in my shoes and the cleat is in there pretty good after 3-4000 miles. My screwdriver ended up stripping the screws that hold the platform with the cleat down. The screw was WAY to soft for how much force needed to losen it. I did put a dab of grease on them way back then but..

Anyway to fix this without buying new shoes? Ugh.

They are just screws, any hardware store?

Maybe ur talking about the threads in the shoes' plates, if yer lucky they are replaceable.

The screws holding the cleat into the shoe were stripped upon trying to remove them. You can't get enough force on the screws to loosen them up now to get the old cleat off.

Hold the shoes down with a vise of something so it's totally rigid, then use a perfect sized screwdriver. If that doesn't work u have the option of drilling out the old screw. Or if u don't want to go through all of that, let the LBS do it, they have the tools. No, no need to buy new shoes.

If you drill out the old screws it won't destroy the threads into the shoe? Or weaken the platform? I used a perfect size screw driver but the screw is way to soft and just falls apart tryin to unscrew it.

If you drill out the old screws it won't destroy the threads into the shoe? Or weaken the platform? I used a perfect size screw driver but the screw is way to soft and just falls apart tryin to unscrew it.
That's why yer not drilling it down blindly.

Start with a small/thin drill bit so it's easy to center and gives u a starting hole for the bigger bits.

Next use a slightly bigger bit, but thinner than the screw's shaft and drill down pass the point where the screw's shaft and head met.

Then finish off with a yet bigger bit that's just a bit bigger than the shaft, go slow here, drill then look, and stop when u can see the sole of the shoes. At some point the screw will get loose and u can remove it with that's left of the head.

Yeah, the Crank Brother screws are a little soft; I almost had the same problem.

You could also use a Dremel cutting disk to cut a slot in the screw and use a flat bladed screwdriver. Regardless, with a little creativity you should be able to get the screw out without messing up anything else.

Steve

Use a Dremel cutting disc to create a larger slot for a larger slotted screwdriver. The larger contact surface should support the extra torque required to remove the screw.

Or go to a hardware store and get a screw extractor. Here's how to use it:

http://homerepair.about.com/od/interiorhomerepair/ss/screw_extractor.htm

Replace all the cleat screws with allen-heads bolts; they are better suited to this application.

I believe the screws are either M5 or M6. Get a drill bit just slightly larger than the threaded shank and center drill the screw head until the head JUST pops off. Do not drill any further. Then remove the cleat and grab the remaining screw stub with pliers or a Vise-Grip and unthread it. EZ-Outs and other screw extractors are far too difficult to use with bolts this small.