Time ATAC Custom Shaved Cleats by Speedgoat
Written: Aug 22 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It's like buying a pre-broken-in cleat and it does inspire confidence.
Cons: Price. Who wants to pay a premium for nothing more than a used cleat?
The Bottom Line: Although I do NOT recommend these cleats to anyone, I am giving a neutral score because I do not want to affect the overall rating for the great ATAC pedals.
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| NYCattitude's Full Review: Time ATAC |
This review is for the Time ATAC Custom Shaved Cleats sold by Speedgoat (speedgoat.com) for Time ATAC pedals. I mentioned these aftermarket replacement cleats in my review of Time ATAC Carbon World Champion Pedals:
http://www.epinions.com/content_35297005188
The bottom line, as advertised by Speedgoat, is that these cleats will help you disengage faster and easier from the pedals and provide more float for your knees:
"excellent 12-18 degrees of float with faster release than stock cleat"
One major complaint of the excellently performing Time ATAC pedals, from the entry-level Alium to the titanium axle-ed Titan Carbon, is the difficulty of disengaging your foot from the pedal in an unanticipated dead-stop situation. The result of this is a lot of those embarrassing lateral falls, which may lead to annoying scrapes and ridicule from your peers.
For $25 (including shipping) Speedgoat is the only entity that I know that offers an alternative to the standard cleat manufactured by Time. A standard replacement cleat costs about $15. So, you're paying a $5-$10 upcharge for a custom cleat. Is it worth it?
Shaving the cleat basically reduces the amount of metal that can engage with the pedal springs. Less metal allows for more float and easier disengagement, thus faster disengagement. Is this any different than normal wear and tear on a used cleat? Not really.
I have over 1000 miles on my existing pair of cleats. When I replaced them with the Speedgoat cleats, I found them to engage and disengage with the same amount of rotation and force. I carefully inspected my worn cleats and compared them with the new cleats. There really was not that much of a difference.
The primary wear on my used cleat is at two places where pedal spring engages with the cleat. The corner edge where the engagement and disengagement takes place is worn smooth and thin and below that metal retaining lip which resists the pulling and twisting forces of pedaling and also provides comfortable float, the metal is worn away and smooth as well. These two areas are the areas that are shaved on my new Speedgoat cleats. Go figure. Their similarity in appearance explains the similarity in performance.
Would I have bought these cleats if I had known this? Absolutely NOT! I'm a biker on a budget - the kind of guy who buys parts on Ebay, manufacturer buyouts and closeouts. I'll do you all a favor and sell you my old cleats for $20 - and I'll even ship them for free!
So, I basically own a new, expensive pair of cleats that do not need to be broken-in. The break-in period for ATAC cleats may be worth money to some people, which is probably why some demand exists for this product. Maybe a sponsored racer with an expense account will want to pick up these cleats before an event.
Just remember, folks, that break-in period for your new Time ATAC pedals is not for the pedal springs, it's for the cleats. Your cleats will eventually have to be replaced as they wear out from normal use so there's no need to spend more money to buy cleats with their life already shaved away.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
NYCattitude
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Member: Jackson Ning II
Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 9 members
About Me:
Want a little a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e thrown your way? Just ask.
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