I bought new cleats off of Amazon that I thought were Shimano but came in a small brown box with a "made in..." label. They wore out in 1500 miles.

I'm completely baffled by this thread. I've been using SPD-SL / Look Delta cleats in the late eighties and never seen a pair wear like that. The current pair on my shoes has about 7k miles on them with plenty of cafe stops and they look practically new. Your description of your walking does not seem excessive and should in no way wear your cleats like that, it looks like you've been shuffling through fifty miles of alternating newly-laid tarmac and sharp rocks. I'm at a loss.

i wonder if the OP is walking on assorted grit belt sanders?

The idea of walking down even one flight of stairs on any road cleat gives me the chills, not just for cleat wear but for safety! I highly recommend you consider a recessed system as has been recommended previously in this thread. The only real downside is a bit of weight, and the upside is you can walk like a normal person and your cleats might last longer than you.

What? Everyone manages to do this just fine routinely. Walking up and down stairs with my bike in road shoes is how I start and end every road ride. Especially with grip cleats, I don't get the concern at all. Maybe if you're a clyde. Sure, walking in them wears the cleats but I've never seen any wear like what the OP has done, and I will occasionally walk a short distance in road shoes and in triathlon, sort of run (I should really get some tri shoes and practice flying mounts), even and it's never been a problem. If it's gravel the soles get scuffed, but after some point the additional scuffing doesn't really make any cosmetic difference.

MTB shoes and MTB cleats on a road bike, seriously now. What's next, baggies?

Maybe I’m a ****z, but the few times I walked down stairs on road shoes were uncomfortable. Nothing wrong with “MTB” pedals on a road bike. My commuters have always had SPD’s with shoes I could walk all day in.

Personally, I agree. When I commute to work I walk about 50 meters on a little asphalt (5-10 meters) and then waxed linoleum floors, no stairs. I carry a pair of light shoes (water shoes, essentially) in my saddle bag and switch into them as soon as I get off the bike. I have cleat covers, and I use them, but there is NO WAY that I'd regularly walk any distance in cycling shoes. IMO that is simply foolishness. (LOOK KEOs, no experience with SPD.)

When I commute, I use my bike with flat pedals and use all sorts of shoes which are ideal for walking, but I see absolutely no problems in walking on Look Keo grip cleats.

Hell, last weekend I was invited to a tavern on Saturday evening and I went there directly from a quick 100k ride. Video evidence reviewed after the fact suggests you can dance on the table just fine in road cycling shoes. 😁

​​​​Walking in road shoes is foolishness, my word.

Again...why not use a system with recessed cleats? I walk in shoes with cleats all the time.

I was just talking about this with a custom bike builder who was delivering a very high end ride to a customer, specd with SPD pedals. He's of the opinion that today's decent cycling shoes as stiff enough that you don't need all that pedal and cleat of traditional road pedals and that it makes much more sense to have a two-sided SPD pedal cleat system, especially for ease of engagement.

And not all SPD pedals are big and clunky like the ones I use for touring/commuting.

I'm not sure why anyone would wear let alone walk around in the shoes that the OP posted pictures of. All of my shoes have recesses cleats and are easy to walk around in and the cleats don't get ruined.

Well, mostly because they are better for riding on the open road. Lighter, less bulky, bigger contact area, firmer grip. There are no real downsides in the context of road riding except shorter cleat life (and a pair of cleats every year just isn't a big expense).

​​​​​​If I want to walk around (eg. commuting), I do it on a bike built for it with flat pedals and just wear shoes made for walking. If I am fortunate enough to be able to travel by bike, I'll just pack walking shoes.
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MTB SPD shoes seem neither here nor there. Ideal option for a MTB or gravel bike, sure.

So would you feel better if the OP got single-sided SPD road pedals and a 2-hole "touring" shoe? Then they wouldn't be using "MTB" pedals or shoes.

There is no proof of that.

Something like this would solve OPs issue.

These SPD pedals used with road shoes are not heavy or bulky, and they are easier to clip into because they are double sided.

"Not bulky"

In the meantime, road shoes:



A pair of those and a pair of walking shoes in the backpack weigh as much as those things above. 😉
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Seriously, if significant walking isn't in your plans, road shoes and pedals are just awesome. I get that commuters like a compromise shoe but it's a bit neither here nor there. If it has the rigidity of a good road shoe it's not going to be something I'd want to walk in for more than a short stint.
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Genius (576g) + SH10/11/12 (72g) + R550 (310g) = 958g
Dominator (706g) + SH51 (52g) + M540 (352) = 1110g
That's a difference of 152g (I got similar results for other models as well) while walking shoes average 750g. Running shoes are about 270g.
Also FWIW, the ES600 (single sided SPD) weighs only 279g per pair.

But I get it. If you're going to be walking around, you're going to want a pair of regular shoes no matter what. But for that matter, I'd have those shoes on for the stairs and wait until I'm at my bike to put them in the backpack.

Speaking of backpacks, I would be more worried about looking fredly with one of those than with "mountain bike" shoes.

I'll agree with this. I got a new pair of winter shoes for Christmas (45NRTH Ragnarok) and they are the stiffest cycling shoes I've ever used. Despite using SPD cleats, I would never want to walk very far in these shoes - they're far too stiff to walk much distance.

SPD-SL cleats usually last me a full season without using cleat covers for walking. I don't walk in them much though and they do wear pretty quickly if you do. But those wear photos are pretty extreme!

SPD-SL pedals are excellent though, despite the walking limitation. None of the other road systems are any better for walking (Look, Time, Speedplay). In fact Shimano is probably the best for limited walking ability. Yeah, you could move to regular SPD for much better walking ability. But I find my road shoes so much better on my road bike that I would never entertain that route myself.

I've been using similarly stiff winter shoes for years. I know what you mean about not wanting to walk long distances, but they're no stiffer than combat boots and the best hiking boots, which are obviously meant to be used for extended walking.

The perceived stiffness of your Ragnarok and of my Mavic winter boots is a consequence of the fact that, unlike combat boots and hiking boots, the inner sole is not designed to provide much cushioning. Insert insoles with more cushioning and the comfort would improve, at the cost of a slight (possibly imperceptible) loss of efficiency.

I'm glad that winter cycling boots are finally being made that are stiff enough to last more than just a couple of winters. I've had two pairs of cycling boots whose soles eventually cracked, behind the cleat. Riding home with a cracked shoe sole was not pleasant.