I have nearly 1000 miles on these since installing them last month. Some observations;
As noted the covers are specific to the new cleats, you cannot retro fit them to older cleatsThey haven’t fallen off yetThey are shoe specific you can’t mix them upMy right one squeaks sometimes although this may be a function of a service on the actual pedal, going back to the LBS on thisThey are significantly grippier aon the floor than the basic bare metal version, making it easier in T2Obviously there is reduced wear on the actual metalwork of the cleatThere is a matching single-sided pedal coming in the fall, I was talking to the Reps at ATOC last month and they confined it The dimpling is supposed to be more aero…hmmm maybe. Reminds me of the Vortice aero helmet
Other than the squeak which is really effing annoying after 50-60 miles I really like them, the reduced wear factor alone was the big appeal and I think the extra grip works really well.
Quick review and a bunch of photos here http://quadrathon.blogspot.com/...edals-zero-aero.html
After 3000km, the jury is still out on these for me. Walking is a little easier. If you are thinking these are going to make you a lot faster running in T1/2, I think that is overreaching. These are more for the quiet coffee shop walk…they are less slippery and I would agree they would probably keep your cleats cleaner. (I’ve never had my regular speedplay cleats fouled from walking on anything though.) Aero? I’ll say marketing.
Ignorantly, I did not realize the plastic cup was just a cap; so when it feel off, I had no idea. (that is how marginal the differences in walkability are to me at least…didn’t even notice until I paid attention to the metallic clank of my left foot.) Unfortunately, that shredded the cleat very quickly and within 2 months it was dead. I still don’t know if it was my LBS or speedplay’s Taiwan distributor, but I am getting another set for free, so I’m thankful for the service. I really don’t want to have a cleat where I have to make a pavement check for crap falling off every time I uncleat at light.
So…if I needed new cleats, I guess I’d buy these again. Would I rush out the door to replace a perfectly good speedplay cleat? No way.