Just curious.. I'm having a hard time clipping out and wondering if its my cleats, they look a bit torn up. I might post a pic and see what everyone thinks. I don't really know when to replace cleats. I would imagine it would be opposite my issue and that I would be slipping out?

Usually worn cleats make it too easy to unclip. Loose screws on the cleat can make it difficult to unclip as the screw head interferes with the twistout. IOW, check the screws first.

I use Look Keos. After a year of riding (5,000 miles) I swap the left and right cleats cos the left cleat wears off faster. After two years (10,000 miles) I get new ones. I guess the mileage depends on where you ride cos more stops on a ride means more clipping in and out unless you can do track stannds

it's really weird that i have had spd-sl cleats worn almost totally smooth with hardly any edge for clipping in and yet they were secure as hell. i tried yanking them up hard but still didn't unclip. i eventually replaced them but even then i could have carried on using them.

BmoreDrew, Make sure the cleats are clean and the screws are tight on the shoes. If you have the tension set high a bit of lube on the pedal helps with engagement/disengagement. As mentioned above, worn cleats disengage more easily either when you're unclipping or unintentually unclipping.

I swapped L-R cleats when my left (primary foot) cleat began to disengage with barely a twist of my foot.

Brad

PS A point I forgot... Make sure the edges of the cleat aren't dinged up. I used a file to re dress a set of cleats after walking in gravel.

Hmmm, I never thought about rotating the cleats. I unclip the right foot at stops, so it wears a lot quicker. I will replace just the right clip when it gets bad, and then the next time replace both the left and right.

I've been riding the same cleats for the past 4 years...probably 2-3000 miles...I use cleat covers whenever I'm walking in 'em (from the garage to the street, stops at stores during rides, etc.) They seem to perform the same as when they were new.

Todd Downs in Bicycling's book "Bicycle Maintenance & Repair" says worn SPD cleats make it harder to unclip, unlike non-SPD cleats.

Cleat Covers are the way to go to prolong the life of youe cleats.

https://www.koolkovers.us/

Just make sure the material that holds your cleat to the pedal isn't too thin. The torn up part doesn't matter that much unless it dramatically thins the material that your cleat needs to hold the pedal.

I cracked one cleat when I fell. I cracked one when I over-tightened it. I shaved enough off one pair in a crash enough so that I replaced the cleats (the material got worn away). Even with that I'm on my third pair of cleats (Keo, grey) in 4 years.

I don't walk around much on my cleats. I tend to track stand.

cdr

Wobbly cleats, noisy cleats, problems clipping in/out can all be signs of worn out cleats. If you can't resolve them with adjustment and/or lube then it's time to replace the cleats. If it's really bad then it might be time for new pedals as well.

The wear indicator in the cleats are not reliable to tell?

I never considered that. Sounds like a good idea.

I use Shimano SPD SL 540, 105 and Ultegra pedals. I have used the same set of cleats for about 5,000 miles. I recently rotated my right cleat to the left side due to noticable wear. I was finding it harder to clip in on the left side. I never wear cleat covers and have walked miles on pavement and my cleats should easily last for several thousand more miles.

Mileage isn't a good indicator of cleat wear. I only wear my road shoes walking from the closet to the door. When training I don't clip out during rides (trackstanding is your friend), and I've got maybe 5k miles on my current set with what seems to be very little wear.

+1

What kind of cleat/clipless pedal system is it? When I had Look pedal/cleats, I replaced cleats yearly.
My Speedplay cleats are about 2 yrs old now and I have not yet had to replace them. Though, with
Speedplays you got keep them lubed and clean often.

Do your cleats allow for tensioning or float adjustment?

When I had Looks, I did that "cleat swap" as well.

I must be doing something wrong, I only get around 3000 miles out of a set of Keo (black, no-float) cleats before they develop too much side-to-side rocking play. I go through about 3 pair a year.

For $25 might as well try swapping them. I keep a spare available because I don't want a $12.50 piece of plastic stopping me from riding. That said I've been on the same pair for about 1.5 years with no trouble. Unless you're walking on rocks, walking on them isn't a big deal. GL

Shimano's cleat design is better. It's the only reason I could see why people prefer their pedals when I was choosing between Look and Shimano.

i just noticed my cleats need a change...i bought them 3 months ago...i do walk with them, for example 2 weeks ago my friend fell and his wheel went ouf of ture...i walked 2 city block uphill... and spin like a ballerina on my cleats when i want to turn, i find it les slippery that way...lol

las sunday i started to slip my right pedal, just like lance on the tour when he crashed....upone inspection my right cleat lost its nose up front....i could still clip but i couldn't stand up to hammer...

im going to buy the cover...

The covers for the Look Keos really do improve longevity. hadn't thought to swap them, I just usually replace the right twice as often as the left.

wow. I have my nashbar cleats since June this year, and the right one (the one I unclip) has a front piece broke off. Need to order a new pair. They are cheap $7-10. But I almost never walk in them. Or may be change pedals?