…at my bike shop’s door I’ll be knockin’.
All right, there’s a reason I’m not a poet. Or a lyricist. But it was a little disconcerting to me during my ride the other afternoon to feel my right cleat rock in the pedal. Side to side. I use Shimano SPD-SL pedals, and the cleats that have zero degrees of float.
The cleat is not clipping into the pedal solidly any longer. When I fell last week, it popped out of the pedal on an upstroke, which was the cause of the crash. This time, I was applying some pressure to ride a slight grade on a residential street, and the cleat just came out. Not good. It’s one thing when it happens on a steep hill, but on a one or two percent grade? Corrective action must be taken.
It’s my own fault. I’ve posted before about the sorry condition I’ve allowed my cleats to slip into. At the time, I said I was going to replace them, but I never did.
So tonight, on my way home, I thought I’d stop at a brand new bike shop just a mile and a half from my house. I hadn’t been in there yet, and they’ve been open only a month or so, so it was a good excuse to check out the new place.
The door was locked. A sign on the door said the owner (and apparently the sole proprietor) had stepped out for lunch, and would be back within the hour. The time was 5 p.m. Uh oh.
There’s no rush. I’ll work late the next two nights, and then on Friday I’ll leave for a weekend out of town. So I don’t know when I’ll get in my next ride. But before I do ride, this time I’ll make good on my intention to get some new cleats. Somewhere.
That doesn’t bode real well from a customer service standpoint. Wonder how long they will stay in business.
You say your cleats have zero float? You must have rubber knees. I’ve been on Speedplays for 3 years now, and the non-centering free float is a dream. It took all of about 2 rides to get used to them. If you find yourself having to replace your pedals/cleats, I can’t recommend them highly enough.