How to Extend Cleat Cycling Shoes
Extending the life of your cycling cleats and shoes not only saves you money, but it enhances riding performance and safety. As Mike Cushionbury, a writer at "Bicycling" magazine, notes, worn cleats can fail to disengage or can abruptly slip out from the pedal, needlessly slowing you down and potentially causing a crash. If your cleats prematurely wear, odds are your shoes will as well, which often means big bucks to buy a new pair.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Install your cleats using a couple pea-size dollops of bicycle grease, advises George Ramelkamp of BikeRadar.com. Like with any other metal-on-metal application in cycling, grease helps prolong life and enhance performance by ameliorating friction during contact and stress.
-
2
Do not walk in your cycling shoes. Do not walk in your cycling shoes. Even when cyclists are given this information twice, they tend not to listen. If you want to extend cleat and, therefore, cycling shoe life, heed this age-old advice. Walking in cycling shoes wears down the cleat faster. You will also scuff up the sole of your shoe. Expensive shoes often use carbon soles, which not only wear poorly when in contact with concrete, but also look horrible when scratched up. Cheaper shoes with rubber soles wear just as fast. Don't walk in them!
-
-
3
Use cycling cleat covers if you must walk in your cycling shoes. Most pedal/cleat makers, including Look, the brand Alberto Contador used in his 2009 Tour de France win, offers a plastic cleat cover. Covers will extend cleat life, keep your soles from hitting the ground so much and, maybe more importantly, keep you from slipping as you add cinnamon to your post-ride latte.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit bici image by fotografiche.eu from Fotolia.com
