xrazer

Yes I know this has been the subject of many discussions and fully knowing that cleat wear is a fact with the Keo's, I still bought Keo Sprints 2 1/2 mo ago because so many here like them. I am very happy with the pedals but the rapid cleat wear dissappoints me. I really don't walk in them. A few careful steps from the front door to the bike and I fully stop before unclipping on the ride etc. I noticed some chipping of the grey material and it gradually became very difficult to clip in, so I got new cleats. Clipping out was no problem ever.

I ride 5 times a week, about 600-700 miles a month and clip/unclip maybe 10-20 times per ride.

So now I have 2 weeks in the new cleats and have already noticed that it has become more difficult to clip in, nothing major but the trend is there. The cleat wear indicators in the old cleats wear not even fully gone, except one of them (hole dissappeared).

While cleats are not that expensive it is still irritating IMO to have to be this careful with them. Are the Speedplays or any others better? My old SPD were indestructible compared to these.

Is this what I should expect? Are the Keo Sprint pedals wearing cleats different from the Classic or Carbon?

joshalope

I don't have any experience with Classic's or Carbon's but what you are reporting seems about par for the course for my Sprint's as well.

DrPete 

Yeah, the cleats wear fast. Good news is they're cheap and you can stock up if you find a good deal.

JayC

If you dont use cleat covers, they wear down really quick. I'm on about 6 months with my original cleats and they do need to be changed but they are still clipping in okay.

tubescreamerx

weird, i've had the cleats that came with my keo classics for about 8 months and yes, they've worn, but they still function perfectly. no loose contact, etc. i recently bought cleat covers for them which make them a whole lot easier to walk around with, especially indoors.

aicabsolut

I just replaced one (the side I put down for stops), but it has been hard to clip in for a while. I just dealt with it until the white wear indicators were showing through. Then I tried to squeeze another ride out of it on the trainer, but I broke off the front end unclipping b/c it had gotten too thin. The trick is to put a lot of weight on the pedal at 6 o'clock to get clipped in. Not ideal if you've got to really get on and get going from your stop (I wouldn't want to start a race with a worn cleat), but I think you can live with it for a while. At least they're cheap. And they make covers for a reason I guess. I got about 3 months or so out of that one cleat. Other side is 1/2 worn or so.

DScott

I can't speak to the Keos, but I've got about 1200 miles on my Speedplay Zeros. While the alloy plate on the bottom gets scuffed with walking, it doesn't affect clipping in or out at all. I expect they'll last along time.

wattsy_rules

I've got Keo Carbons and have done about 3500km's (2100miles) on the original cleats. I'll check them later, but I reckon there's little if any wear as they clip in as good now as when I bought them. BTW, I heard this might be an issue and bought 5 sets of cleats when I bought the pedals...based on current wear, I'll chuck the pedals out way before I use up the cleats I have.

cuda2k

I just picked up my second set of Keos. The cleats do wear quickly if you're not fairly careful with them. I bought the covers after nearly going down on my rear end in the kitchen the first day I installed the cleats. I do notice that my left (clip out foot) is wearing faster than the right. Thus I make it a point to prevent the toe of the cleat from dragging on the street as I come to a stop or pushing off with the foot once I get going again.

Paniolo

I get about 2k miles out of my keo cleats on sprint pedals. I walk very little in them, but typically forget to bring my covers for the mid ride break. I'm careful in walking and at stops, but don't obsess about them. Thats about the same miles I was getting from eggbeater cleats, but I can buy replacements for about 1/2 the cost of the eggs.

DrPete 

Keo cleats = $10.

Speedplay cleats = $40.

I'd hope they last a little longer...

garysol1 

Yes, the Keo keo cleats do wear down pretty quick when you walk on them. I am on my 3rd set in about 1.5 years. I have never noticed any real difference in how they clip in or out no matter how badly the wear area was worn down. The easy answer would be to use cleat covers and if you must walk on them, walk on the heels.

DocRay

$10 keo cleats? More like $20.
The Speedplays are cheaper in the longer run.

I don't understand why people don't use cleat covers. You walk to the bike, remove the covers, stuff them in your jersey and go. I had keos all last season and the cleats look like new. If you break down and have to walk on Keos without covers, you're screwed. Impractical design.

Even the Speedplays have a smooth metal cleat, which can slip when you put a foot down at a traffic light. I glued a small strip of rubber at the top of the cleat to help with this.

Is it so tough for pedal manufacturers think of real-world riding? The Crank Brothers quattro road cleat is the only practical design I know.

Psydotek

w3rd. It's simply because you're not wearing down the actual binding mechanism, simply the housing.

My friend's Keo cleats were worn within about 5-6 months but he did walk around quite a bit on them. However my Crankbrother Quattro cleats are still going strong and i cycle alot more (we both went to clipless at about the same time too). The pontoon around the actual brass portion keeps the cleat protected.

DrPete 

OK, $13.62 from PBK without cleat covers, $16 with.

jamiewilson3

The cleats are made to be soft, so that the cleats wear, and not the covers.

If it is difficult to clip in and out, then it is not so much the bottom of the cleats, but the clipping surface - front tongue and rear float area. They can be filed down to smooth them out. If the top surface is marred, then a file can smooth out ridges that can cause the pedal from seating on the platform properly. Use your covers when walking around, and most importantly, make sure that you are not sliding them on the ground as you stop or pushing off with them when you start.

If you posted some pics of the wear, we might be able to determine what you may be doing to wear them out so quickly.

That being said, I have 2000 miles on mine. They need to be replaced, but that was due to a chip on the tongue created on a 1/2 mile walk down a mountain after a double flat (double tube loss). Other than that, they are in pretty good shape.

DocRay

I would not attempt to file a cleat, a little too much and you can pull out. Very dangerous.

jimblairo

I take a knife and remove the burrs from the edges. Makes it easier to clip in.

jamiewilson3

See Jim's addendum below. Absolutely nothing wrong with this.

FIVE ONE SIX

you can also adjust the tension on the pedal, to get a bit more life out of them. i have over 1,500 miles on mine, and while they do look pretty worn, they do still clip in and out fine. i'm going to replace them when i start riding outside again, when it gets warmer, but i don't see anything wrong with having to change something that inexpensive once a year. you should be able to get at least a year out of one pair of cleats...

Hammertoe

What am I doing right...

I have about 4500 miles on my Keo cleats and have not used my covers...

I wear street shoes to my ride, change into my cleats, get on the bike, finish the ride, get off the bike and put on my street shoes...

No stopping during the ride...

Another reason to use a CamelBak...save your cleats...

(plus living in Vermont and riding without stop lights helps)...

NoRacer

I'll say! Stopped for a traffic light. Light goes green. I clip in and started sprinting. Pulled up too hard on the worn left cleat. Foot pops out, knee goes forward and bounces off of handlebar, foot hits the pavement and acts like a fulcrum for a lever, I and bike flip over into a heap--right in the middle of rush hour traffic.

I'll NEVER let them get that worn out again.

apexaddict6

how does using a camelbak save your cleats?? i'm confused.

NoRacer

I guess he carries his street shoes with him in the camelbak.

DocRay

Exactly how does this make more sense than carrying two small, light, $8 covers?