Do you all pro-actively change your shoe cleats after a certain amount of time, or do you wait to feel a certain amount of give/slippage when you are riding to change them? I recently saw someone slip out of their pedals and it got me to think that maybe I should replace my cleats before something like that happens. Any tell tale signs that you all look for in wear to guide your decision?
Obviously it depends on the style of cleat…
For Look Keo (and equivalent), I change mine when the black plastic tread material is mostly worn away. Other stuff to look for would be the ledge where the pedal engages in the cleat if there are signs of excessive wear or a notably looser fit that can’t be adjusted out of the pedal. I got about 3 years out of the last pair of cleats. The carbon sole on my shoe split before I needed to replace the cleats.
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My Look Keo (the last 3 pairs) ones generally last a maximum of 6 months. I walk maybe 20 metres in them 5 days a week and thats all.
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@Matthew_Taylor How do you determine they need to be changed?
I don’t really walk in mine at all. 
Like I said, my last pair of knock off Keo cleats (with my Vector 3 pedals) outlasted the carbon soles on my shoes.
I dont really have a set rule really. Just when they look like they will give a bike fitter a heart attack i change them. The black rubber bits on top have well good and the cleat looks like it has been sanded down quite heavily.
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You didnt specify that it was the knock off pair that out lasted your shoes.
Anyway, i like cheap things. Can you remember where you bought them from or what the make/brand was?
Didn’t seem germane too the discussion!
They came with my Vector3 pedals. But they’re the same as the Keos functionally. I bought replacements off of Amazon. Think they were like $9
Since I’m a food courier, I clip/ un clip very often and have to walk with them.
So I have to change them pretty often ( maybe every 2 month maximum ), and I change them when the front edge gets too thin.
No precise measurement here, I just change them before it looks too dangerous.
( I use Look Keo cleats )
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For look type cleats, the non grip Keos have wear indicators. I generally just keep an eye on back clip in surface and replace when that’s looking sufficiently worn away to make me think new cleats might be a good idea.
A while back I started keeping wear parts (chain, cleats, brake pads, etc) “in stock” by ordering the replacement as soon as I used what I had on hand. That way when I decide its time to replace, I don’t have the friction of then having to get the part. That practice has paid off during the recent supply chain issues.
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I generally replace mine a few months after the yellow bits (shimano) have come off and i finally decide they are too slippery on outdoor tiles. I nearly stacked it on my front porch cos the timber was wet and i slipped pretty bad, so I changed them about a week later.
All this is purely through laziness and probably should have changed them earlier…
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I do speedplay every 10-12k miles
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Speedplay X, and never, because you can’t get them any more. I have three pairs, two are pretty scratched up and some of the locator pins have broken off making them harder to install, but they all work fine.
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Same here. SPD on my all my bikes and only get new cleats when I get new shoes.
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I’ll occasionally inspect the cleats but more typically its just when I notice a clipping in/out problem.