Plastic cleats wear as you found out. I converted to Shimano SPD pedals and MTB shoes around 7 years ago, and that's one reason why. The SPD cleats are stainless, somewhat recessed in the MTB shoes, and they allow way more float in the pedals so safer on aging knees. I have two pairs of shoes and wear the Giro's almost all the time and after 7 years the cleats on those shoes are just now starting to give me a hassle. I've gone through two sets of cleat screws in that same time frame. I replace them before the hex head wears to the point I can't get them out. The replacement screws were free from Giro.


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