How mangled can Speedplay Zero cleats get before they're unusable. Found myself having to walk across a dirt trail today and it did a good bit to the cleats (should have had my cleat covers with me)

Walking on them a bit won't keep them from working. You may need to clean and lube them.

Walking on them over time will wear them down to the point it's difficult to get the screws out, but that typically takes thousands of miles. Don't sweat it.

How are the Speedplays working out for you? They are a new addition to your cycling arnt they?

^So far so good, thanks for remembering

The cleats are still wearing in and it is a bit different to clip in than what I'm used to (any tips here for me maybe?), but clipping out I find way easier than my Ultegras. The toe in / toe out float adjustments are awesome; I keep the float the same as my Ultegras, but I can move where that float goes instead of simply "increasing or decreasing" overall float. Not worrying about which way my pedals are facing is great too!

Many Speedplay users change out the cleats annually.
That's what I do, but your results may vary.

I start thinking about changing my cleats when one of the four small yellow plasic nubs on the cleat where the half circle metal portion hits it begins to break or wear down. With the nub gone in my opinion, the metal portion of the cleat won't stay as open. The bottom of my cleats at that point look like hell. I don't think the bottom of the cleat matters nearly as much.

How beat up can the pedals get?

Clean and lube them. I just apply a few drops of Prolink whenever I lube my chain.

Every time I lube my cleats, they seem to click onto the pedals almost intuitively.

I once had to walk across a very sandy dirt section, and I agree - it can jam them up. I just washed them with a lot of soap and warm water and a stiff brush, dried them, and lubed them. They were as good as new.

You shouldn't be having any difficulty. If you are:

• They're still really new/need to be broken in
• The screws are too tight (the blue loctite is there for a reason) - refer to the owner's manual
• There are foreign objects fouling your cleats

My cleats have been installed / cleaned / lubed. It's always a ***** to find the "right positioning" to get my right foot in though, especially at the start of a ride.

My right foot is always clipped in, and this I have "less experience" clipping it in on the fly...my left foot I have down pat with these though. Coming from SPD, SPD-SL, and Egg Beaters.

I am also making the transition to Speedplays- and they can be a total PITA at times. At first I wasn't able to clip in at all, and I felt like a complete moron when I couldn't start a ride because I couldn't clip in.

I sat on the trainer and clipped in and out more than 100 times on each side, which loosened up the springs a bit. I also took apart the cleats (making sure the shim and plate were totally flat), lubed them with a PTFE lubricant, and also made sure they're always clean. I still had difficulty clipping in with them.

There's a certain technique to clip into Speedplays, it can be a bit awkward if you came from pedals like Look or Time. You really have to get them down to the 6 o'clock position, wiggle your foot while stamping down in a straight motion to even have a chance to clip in your first foot. You should get your first foot centered at about the 3 o'clock position, and that downward movement to the 6 o'clock position gives you a bit of leverage to clip in. The second foot is cake once you've started moving.

The key is to put your weight down the first foot while clipping in. I'm still having problems clipping in my first foot, but you just need to be patient. I've worn down the springs a bit, so it seems a bit easier so far, but still not as easy as the Look pedals I had.