deacon mark, I use SPD design pedals for all of my bikes save one. While mostly various Shimano models there are some Ritcheys and one old set of ICON pedals on my mountain bike. They have all delivered excellent service without any failures. The highest mileage I recall was around 15K miles for those on my distance bike and the roughest use would be from the mountain bike, which is 16 years old.

Cleats on road shoes are vulnerable to damage from walking. The cleats on my mountain bike shoes are recessed into the shoe's soles and fairly protected.

Brad