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When should I renew Shimano cleats?

The amount of time cleats last depends on a number of factors including brand, mileage, riding style, conditions, distance we ride in cycling shoes, etc. All these factors mean that it is not possible to give an exact period of time to change the cleats, as it is possible with running shoes.

As the cleats wear, we will notice that the connection to the pedal becomes more sloppy. Sometimes we may find that it is difficult to release the foot from the pedal or, on the contrary, that we accidentally take our foot off the pedal. We really don’t want to do that, especially not while on the road.

Wear indicators

There are coves that come with wear indicators to help us decide when it’s time to throw them away, but we shouldn’t totally trust them. If the wear indicators are still intact but the cleats don’t feel right, if the entry/exit is too easy, too hard or not smooth, or if the connection to the pedal is not tight, it is recommended to change them.

It is easy for the studs to wear out. Sometimes it is enough to enter a bar and go have a coffee while we step on the coves against the ground. Not to mention the continuous mistreatment they suffer when we ride the bike. There are also some cases where replacing cleats is recommended:

  • One or all of the colored pieces are no longer visible. They have worn out, or maybe something has broken.
  • Shimano cleats no longer line up perfectly with the pedals. In general, the studs feel too worn from the excessive amount of play in the shoes. It feels like they’re not attached to the pedal quite right.
  • The knees move continuously and finding the correct position has become impossible.

Checks before renewal

Shoe cleats wear in different ways depending on how the rider wears their shoes. These should be replaced when it becomes difficult for the rider to release from the pedal or when the cleat begins to come loose with much less effort than when new.

Before replacing a cleat, we can try to adjust the binding mechanism on the pedal with an Allen key, which alters the grip the pedal has on the cleat. If that doesn’t fix the release issue, you can also perform a sight check of the SPD-SL cleats. If we can see the cleat body under the colored pads on the front and back of the SPD-SL cleats, it’s an indication that it’s time to change the cleats.

In other words, if any section of the cleat’s colored tips has worn down to the point where we can see the cleat body underneath, that’s a sign that it needs to be replaced, according to Shimano.

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