Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN

Regarding cleat bolts, a lot of people think they can just install them and be done with it. But the cleat is pressed against a plastic shoe sole that over time will deform which reduces the pressure of the cleat against the shoe sole. Thus, in most cases the bolts will loosen up soon after newly installed cleats or adjusting cleat locations on a shoe. It is a good idea for the first year or so to make sure they are still tight about once a month. And I try to remember to check all my shoes once a year at the start of biking season to make sure they are all still tight, even if the cleats have been installed for a few years.

My road bike has fender mounts, but no fender or rack on the front fork. On one side I have a spare rack bolt and on the other side I have a spare cleat bolt. The cleat bolt that is countersunk, I have two washers between the bolt head and dropout so the bolt head presses against a washer instead of the dropout when I tighten the bolt.