I’ve got a pair of Northwaves that have become my favorite set of shoes. Problem is, I went to swap out cleats, and found an inside lower nut cracked on one shoe, and a top nut completely stripped out on the other. I bought em used, so I’m not sure of their past with how much torque was applied, or if the guy I bought them off just had crazy leg power. Unfortunately, they are not replaceable cleat plates. I would like to keep using them if possible, but don’t feel like crashing because I cant clip out or lose tension on a bolt down the road. Are these safe to operate any more or am I once again in the market for a new set of shoes?
I personally wouldn’t use the shoes… It’s not worth the risk. The cleat with only two bolts will have the tendency to warp has you clip and unclip. Which may cause it to malfunction. Also it might just slip on your sole, in which case your in for trouble… JC
Try calling the manufacturer. If you explain the situation, they might be able to help you out or maybe even let you turn those shoes in and they will let you get some new ones at a very reasonable price.
Bottom line: I would not use them, my life is worth more than a pair of shoes.
If you do, put the tension on the pedals at zero so you can pull straight out if you need. Also the biggest thing is they will jsut come loose from vibrations so when you come to a stop sign or light you all of a sudden will not be able to unclip from one random side so try to twist early to see if they are loose and get used to unclipping on both sides.
I have a pair of old vintage Duegi winter shoes (I got them in '92 and they are likely a late 80’s vintage). Anyway, the 3 bolt pattern is a little funky on them and I can only use 2 bolts on each shoe. 21 years later they are still going strong with zero issues.
But my winter miles are all base miles and I never have to apply strong forces to them. YMMV.
My mountain bike cleats only use two screws. The “can’t get foot unclipped crashes” are generally no big deal because almost by definition you are going slow. Unless you fall in front of a moving truck or something.
Not sure what cleat plate means. Have you pulled out the sock liner to look at the thing the screw goes into? Some of those are replacable. You might be able to use something like a Helicoil but they would have tobe really nice shoes.
I’ve been considering the t-nut idea. The Northwaves I have are the ones with the wooden sole, which completely covers and prevents access to the cleat plates. I my just put the t nut on top of the wood sole. It’s with a try at least, and as a bonus, it’s an excuse to go to the hardware store
You might have to go auto mechanic on them. Stripped threads are a very common thing (even on bikes) and there are several ways to fix them short of putting in a new nut (although that would be the easiest). You might be able to run a tap through what is left of the metal and reestablish the threads, or if there is enough metal, make a slighly bigger threaded hole than the orginal.
There is also something called a Helicoil which is basically a new tread you put in the hole. I have no experience with those though and don’t know if that would be cost effective on a used shoe.
They are very cheap. Dremmel off the little spikes that are suppose to be driven into the wood. You’ll have enough of a spike to keep them from spinning.
I’m like the other guy, I’ve done it on 2 pairs of shoes to move the cleats back and it works great.
Definitely not replaceable. The sole covering them is secured by a rivet. I’ll report back on wheyher or not the t nut works out. I do love weekend bike projects!
Drill the rivet out and replacing it after you fix the problem seems easier than some of your other options. And it’s likely to produce a better result.