Slipping Cleat Remedy

Among my cycling shoe collection, I have a pair of older Sidi Energy road shoes. They are a well-made shoe, if perhaps with a couple of the unnecessary gimmicks that Sidi feels compelled to add to their top-of-the-line shoes. But I have always had problems keeping my Speedplay Zero cleats situated. Speedplay cleats are a little finicky because they contain moving parts for which the rest of the cleat functions as a housing; thus if you over-tighten the bolts you can inhibit the operation of the cleat. The bolts for the first layer of these rather complicated cleats can eventually loosen, requiring complete disassembly of the cleat to rectify. And maybe it’s because the shoes are pretty old now, but to my chagrin the intervals between re-positioning have gotten shorter.

My solution involved a trip to Home Depot for some anti-slip tape from 3M. It’s the stuff one uses for non-slip adhesive tapes on stairs or ladders. Just trace the shape of the cleat onto the tape, trim to size, and paste to your shoe in the exact desired position. Now the cleat has something grippy to cling, and the tape itself shows exactly where the cleat should be positioned.

We're riding townies, adventure, and mountain bikes. Find recommendations on our store page. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.