Starting to get pain in one knee and only on one bike. I'm wondering if my worn cleats are starting to cause me problems.

How often should you change them?

Change them?

thats what I thought!

My other bike has platform SPDs and I'm wondering if my foot is angling to one side because the cleat is worn and my SPDs don't have the platform on the offending bike.

Try swapping them over first, to see if it makes any difference.

If you decide to buy new cleats, check out the deals on some Shimano 520s first as you can often pick up a pair for not much more than the cost of a set of cleats..

don't think I've ever replaced cleats.

getting knee problems? bin your spuds altogether?

I get knee issues with my MT90's if I tighten the (ankle) collar up to tight.
Strange but true

I find that Time cleats do wear out after a year or so – think they are softer metal than Shimano right enough

Annoyingly is always happens about 1hr into a road ride and I have to limp home.

Mine are about 5 years old. well worn! Got a brand new pair of cleats I'll swap over and see how it goes.

I replace mine when releasing becomes difficult.

Never had it cause me knee problems.

I replace 'em when they start disengaging at awkward moments. Do tend to last a long time but I've found singlespeeding speeds up cleat wear (amongst other things).

Never had releasing become difficult – mine are so worn they hook in but don't clip in and securely hold the foot. Cycling one legged my foot releases on the up stroke. 😕

As you say Bushwacked, change your cleats for the new ones and see how you go.

I change my Time cleats about once a year. As iainc mentioned, they are made from soft(ish) brass though. I used to have knee pain, but not since using Time Atac pedals and cleats. (I know this makes me sound like a cheesy advert, but its true.)

Roger – you that man off the tellie?

Indeed. You will have noticed that I'm considerably less sweary when I'm posting on internet forums…

I cant see how a worn cleat will give you knee problems. Worn cleats will have more float and unclip easier so will do no harm…

Worn cleats are harder to unclip – SPD style at least – if they do at all so in theory, they could cause damage if you crashed.

Anyway, I don't let them go that far – as soon as they're noticeably rattly or sticky I replace them.

I have worn cleats on my commute shoes…if i pull up had in the pedal stroke my foot comes out…they dont click anymore when i 'clip in' and most of the time feel like in not cliped in at all. Now, when i go for an xc ride i have nice shoes with new cleats…a whole lot harded to unclip…same bike, same pedals, nothing changed bar the shoes/cleats. Shimano SPD…

Same with the crank bros i used to use…worn=easier to unclip.

I replace mine when releasing becomes difficult.

Never had it cause me knee problems.

Same here.

I bought some new shoes to replace a pair I couldn't get the utterly knackered cleats out of. I wasn't so much "clipped in" as "loosely slotted in"; with very little wiggling I could just pull my foot upwards and out by the end!

They had done about 8000 miles.

Phiiiiiiil – Loosely slotted is where I'm at.

I'm thinking the problem is because when I put power down the outside of my foot drops and tilts my foot putting my knee out of alignment leading to incresed pressure on the inside of my knee.

If you look carefully, you'll find that the cleats tend not to wear as fast as the little slot in the spd mechanism; that's what always wears out on mine first.

Swapped pedals and no more knee pain 🙂