Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

Cover Those Cleats!

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A couple of years ago, I posted about the sorry state of my cleats.  Shortly after that, I noticed a member of my club pull up to the Starbucks where we all meet at the end of our rides.  The first thing he did was pull a pair of cleat covers from his jersey pocket, and fasten them on before walking on the sidewalk up to the shop’s patio.

It wasn’t long after that that my own cleats were due for replacement.  In the LBS, cleat covers hung on the pegs right next to the cleats.  I picked up a pair, figuring they were worth a try.

I’ve had them for about a year now, and I’m pleased with the results.  Here are some pictures to compare before and after.

These are the cleats as they looked in a brand new state.  Of course, the shoes were brand new, too.  In normal wear and tear, it doesn’t take long to completely ruin them.

Here’s what they look like after six months use – without cleat covers.  My pedals are Shimano SPD-SLs, so the cleats are made for those.  The back edge of the cleat is worn in such an irregular manner that it was hard to click into the pedals.

These are the cleats I’m currently running.  They’ve been on my shoes for about a year, but I’ve been using cleat covers with them for about that long, too.  As you can see, they’re in better shape after a year than the ones without covers were after six months.

If you get some, be sure they’re the ones made to fit your particular cleats.  The design of the covers is quite different from cleat to cleat.  This picture shows my cleat covers (right), and my wife Pat’s.

Pat hasn’t been as diligent about putting on her covers, and the other day she complained that she couldn’t get her covers to stay on the cleats.  They kept falling off.  The problem was that the back edge of her cleats had become worn from walking on them without covers.  The cleats are still in reasonably good shape, so she’ll probably keep using them for a while longer, but they’ll still have to be replaced soon.

Cleats aren’t cheap.  Looks are $20, SPD-SLs are $30, and Speedplays are about $40 (Prices from Performance web site).  So if I have to spend between $9-13 to get an extra six months wear out of the cleats, it’s a purchase I’m happy to make.

Shoes – Tight or Loose?

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Okay, here’s one for you.  I have a dilemma.  It’s about shoes.

When I got my shoes two years ago (is it that long already?), I made sure to get size 44s, instead of the 42s I normally wear on the street (Yes, speaking metrically makes me feel veddy continental).  The theory is that since my feet swell up during exercise, the extra room in the shoes would keep them from squeezing my feet too tightly, causing hot spots, numbness, and a whole plethora of other bad things that happen to feet on a long bike ride.

My wife has been complaining about her shoes, too.  She’s had hers even longer than I’ve had mine, and they seem to have served her very well.  Both of use have Specialized shoes, which aren’t cheap.  They have carbon soles, so we get no flex when pedaling hard.  But in warm weather, her feet get pinched, and cause her a lot of discomfort (I’m bringing up warm weather in December, because our winters are pretty mild compared to the rest of you folks, and her most recent complaint about her foot was within the last two weeks).

I bring this up now, because recently I was reading an article — I forget if it was in print or online, but as I recall, it came from a source I regard as reliable — that said you don’t need to allow for extra room.  In fact, it said biking shoes should fit snugly.

About five or six years ago, when I bought my last pair of running shoes (before I stopped running), the sales clerk told me to get a larger than normal size to allow for the swelling my feet would do while exercising.  I did, and they worked out great.  I’ve even started buying street shoes a half size larger than normal.  But since seeing that article, I’m confused.  Should she stick with the shoes she has, and look for other means of relief?  Or should we go shopping for new shoes, and do what I did — get a couple of metric sizes larger?

Readers — what’s your take on this?

To See Or Be Seen?

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My wife tells the story of shopping for the headlight I wanted for Christmas (she couldn’t miss — I left some pretty obvious clues).  She went to the big LBS and told one of the sales guys that she wanted a headlight for me.

“Well, let me ask this,” he said. “Does he want to see or be seen?”

“Oh, I don’t know!” she answered.  It was a concept she wasn’t aware of, and we had never discussed.

She called from the car, and asked me.

“I want to be seen,” I replied.

“Oh, that’s good,” she said, “because the ones to be seen are $40-$50, and the ones to see are over $100.” She wanted to avoid the big-ticket item, because we had agreed to go easy on presents this Christmas.

Some impressive light sets can be had for cyclists who really want to light up the night.  Committed nighttime riders often mount two headlights.  The powerful ones can be run by a dyno hub, so just riding the bike will supply power to the light.  Or they’ll have a battery pack that fastens to the bike frame.

But I don’t ride long distances out in the country after dark.  My need for lights is because I get caught in dusk before I can get home from a late afternoon ride.  I want cars to see me on lighted city streets and less well-lighted residential streets.

When the salesman realized what I needed, he recommended a Planet Bike Blaze.  She got me the 1-watt model; a 2-watt model is also available.  While she was at it, she added a bright Serfas light that attaches to the bike’s seat stay.  It has more flash patterns than the cheap taillight I have now, and its steady beam is more prominent, too.

It was our turn to entertain guests for Christmas this year.  They’ve all headed home now.  I’m looking forward to trying out the new lights during the upcoming week.

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