I know it is typically a no-no to wear new running shoes for the first time for a race. Can the same be said for bike cleats? Not the shoe…just the cleat?
you can change bike cleats. just put them in the same spot.
Thanks! I’ll do just that. Perhaps I run into you at T-Rex this coming Wednesday.
“Should” be OK, unless it’s not. Best would be to swap them out a few rides before the race to make sure everything was tightened down properly, cleats are in the same position, they don’t have some wierd casting flash on them that prevents them from operating smoothly… etc. Lots of things that shoulldn’t be an issue can become one. Easy enough to avoid.
Yeah I will be there. My whole bike was basically untested last race. Took it apart and put it together even changed tubes and tires didn’t have a test ride or anything ended up working just fine.
Should be fine, just make sure you get one ride in before hand to make sure you put them back in exactly the same place and that nothing is loose.
I use shimano SPD cleats and it’s usually on my week of checklist to make sure they are in good shape. I don’t look at the bottoms a ton, so sometimes they get worn down and I should have replaced a few months before. I’ve replaced one of them this year the week of the race and had no issues. I just made sure I had a silver sharpie and outlined the current position on the bottom of the shoe and made sure the new one fit exactly into the outline.
Had to unexpectedly do this last week 2 days before Nats… No issue. Was able to get in one test ride with new cleats.
I would say you are ok with anything but Speedplay. I never touch my zeros before a race, and I’ve been using them for years. Way too many things can go wrong with them.
Depends on the length of the race. Full, no way!