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Are Shimano cleats getting worse?
I think these have only lasted 18 months.
Foot keeps lifting out of the pedal on upstroke (singlespeed)
18months? That's pretty good. 6months for me, but I get grouchy when there's too much play.
Some of mine are decades old. Yes they get a bit worn and clip out easier but IME never by accident.
Pedals wear. I've worn through the pedal body on a couple of pairs, also the sprung part of the mechanism where the cleat locates gradually wears away so that the cleat isn't held as securely. I used to cannibalise cheaper SPD models to maintain the performance of my more expensive but worn ones. So it may be the pedals as much or more than the cleats.
Mine creak when dry. I think it's partly wear to clear and pedals.
@BWD - the pedals are only 9 months old, so hope it's not that
@Yak - I also prefer a positive click, but not that extreme!
I don't think the materials are as good as in the days of yore. I used to have to slacken the tension on spds when new but the last two pairs I bought seemed to have barely enough spring tension in the tightest position. Whether this is deliberate or a decline in accuracy in the pedal or cleat, I don't know
Are they the single release cleats? (Or what ever it is called) never had trouble with them but have with multi release cleats
Walk a lot in them? Some shoes seem to expose more cleat than others which doesn't help
I get about a year from cleats these days.
Back in the day they used to last 5+ years a time.
I had attributed their shorter life span to the advent of markedly more technical riding and body English on my part since 2013, but maybe the materials are different now. Certainly my pedal bodies have also worn quicker from about the same time.