Originally Posted by
himespau
I have a pair with 3 bolt holes and a pair with 2. I also have a really nice shoe/boot/glove dryer that produces ozone to kill microbes that my shoes go on immediately after rides. If I didn't have that, I might consider a back up pair.
Same here - two pair, three hole cleats for the road, two hole cleats for the gravel bike and occasional MTB. Also, when I'm traveling and take or rent a road bike, i use the two hole shoes and pedals because they're much more walkable and that tends to be a little more important when I'm on vacation riding who knows where
I also use a boot dryer almost every time I use the shoes (as well as my XC ski boots) because of sweat, but of course, every time if they get wet. No need for a backup pair because they always dry within a few hours. As for the possibility of a broken cleat. It's a good point, but my back up would be to just switch the pedals to match the shoes I have in service.... but I also have spare cleats so I could just replace a cleat pretty quickly if need-be. I also have flat pedals I could throw on a bike.
When my current road shoes and/or three sets of pedals wear out, I'll switch all my bikes to pedals that fit the two hole cleats. I like the road shoes and cleats (Sidi Genius/Time RXS) but I feel just as comfortable riding with my other shoes (Sidi Dominator/SPD type cleats). Problem is the Sidi shoes last FOREVER, especially since I keep the insides clean and dry.