ratebeer

I do enjoy a clean drive train and I usually clean it thoroughly every week though I have been known to go a month by substituting an on the go routine -- just using some pedros in the driveway on my way out and a little lube out at my first stop. I can't say the same for the rest of my bike. It's often dirty.

I obsess about fit and make small changes, adjustments all the time. I usually replace chain rings, chains and cassettes before much wear. For tires, I wait until I'm showing threads or have had a puncture on squared off tires. I keep my wheels reasonably true and round and like stopping power, so I keep my brakes working. I keep a good stock of tires, tubes, brake pads and the like on hand.

I'd replaced my Speedplay cleats after about 10 months out of necessity -- a cleat failure. They blew apart today after just three months or so in service, installed at the shop.

jimbud

It's Newman's fault

ninjaman

I bet either the threaded insert in your Adidas is broken or the slot that it fits into is.

DScott

Yep. Sure sounds like the sole of the shoe was flexing, and the holes stripped. Bad combo: big guy and flexy shoes.

The base plate screws on my Specialized Pro Carbons go in quite a ways, and hold without loctite. the cleat screws need loctite, but they don't move either.

But I agree with the OPs decision to change them out. He really should be on other equipment.

ratebeer

BTW, I wish I could but I'm not any heavier -- actually lighter -- now that I've started drinking the winter brews. I did come back from Minneapolis Saturday where the locals threw a world class tasting party. You are living in a great place for beer. The people, the places, amazing stuff in bottles, amazing stuff on tap. Get yourself the Surly Darkness before it's all gone. Wall Street Journal mentioned it (and my site) last week and now there are beer tourists flying in to drink up your world class local brew!

ratebeer

Crap you're right. Shoes are stripped out!

urodacus

ratebeer: are you the one on the left or the right in your avatar pic?

and get some tougher shoes...

+1 on the crankbros, BTW. i've never pulled out of them, but I'm lighter than you.

roadwarrior

Nope.

Global warming. Due to the 0.7 degree increase in the temparature of the earth's crust, his screw inserts have expanded to such a degree that he cannot get a good connection between the shoe and cleat.

Trust me on this.

roadwarrior

ratebeer

Yeah the Crank Bros will be good until my pedals and shoes come in. I'm 186 now and pulling 1350 watts tops. That's not super big and way smaller than pros in terms of torque. The soles on my Adistars are very stiff but yeah I do bend them.

I'm so glad to be past Speedplays. It's like dumping an awful girlfriend. It makes you want to go out and celebrate.

umd

I have a friend that had Keos and went to Speedplays because he was having all kinds of problems. Good luck with that, I hope they work for you... (not being sarcastic)

opn2itsd

when i first got the speedplays, i had screws falling out everywhere. everytime you touch your screw, plus about once a month or so depending on vibration, put more locktite on, can't use too much. haven't had a problem since and san diego hasn't paved a road since 2000.

waterrockets 

FWIW, I always put some Phil Wood grease on my cleat bolts before they go in. Make sure to get the bottoms of the heads and the threads. This helps because it allows you to get them tighter so that they are less likely to go unstressed during use, when they can turn freely.

This is also what I do with spokes -- oil the threads and the insides of the spoke holes during lacing. Allows proper tension without a lot of creaking, spoke twisting, and nipple rounding.

Did that sound like I think it sounded?

Anyway, my spokes and cleat bolts stay tight until I turn them, even though the threads remain lubed.

mark89unc

+2

robncircus

My Speedplays moved arounf a lot too until I burned the directions and *gasp* tightened them nice and good. I check them once a week (ith the rest of the bike because crashing sucks) and I haven't had problems since. No loctite. And +1 to Waterrockets - I always grease screws. Seems to work.

Rob

tzracer

If the problem were the Speedplay cleats, wouldn't both of them be loose instead of just one of them?