pavesmack

Thanks, I'll really sit down and go through all of the sub forums, and see what's up, when I get a few hours. Also, I think your response was pretty much the same as mine.....

Your bike, where and how you ride, your weight, and all sorts of factors, including the quality of the tire itself, are going to have small to rather large variances in tire life. Just keeping them properly inflated can do wonders. It only takes a few seconds before you leave the house, and can actually add serious miles to your tires. A younger man, or lady, in full aero, bike and kit, doing 2 centuries a week, and zooming along at 40mph, is likely to have to change tires more often, than a person like myself, a bit older and who has pretty much given a strict training schedule the heave, for a "I'm going to ride like I feel today" schedule, as with maintenance also. I can pretty safely bet that I can get through an entire summer, fall, and occasional nice day in the winter, and change tires just in time for spring. Remember, and I don't hear too much about this, but your tire is wearing on the inside and through the middle also. So what looks great, may be pretty iffy. I'm assuming a regular rider, not the occasional ride through the bike path. All that said, unless all other things being equal, it's hard to compare a rider who gets 4K out of a tire, and one who gets 2K out of them. P.

I tried that path (cleat covers), and it just is not worth the time and effort. I wear my cleats out on pavement, not walking around, so I never got any appreciable amount of extended wear from them. I use both types of Shimano cleats, SPD (SH-51) and SPD and SPD SL, depending on what bike I'm riding. Generally the cleat covers are worthless, EXCEPT, if you're going to be stopping by someone's store, especially one with nice wood floors, either carry some cleat covers or throw some flip flops in the back of your jersey. I'm sure you wouldn't wear them on your own brand new hardwood flooring, and a shop owner probably doesn't appreciate it either. Many shoes that use regular SPD cleats, have recessed channels for the cleats. These used to be most common on MTB shoes, but are becoming more common on road shoes, also. These still don't mean you're 100% protected, but that nice antique shop owner that you had to stop at, might really appreciate your thoughts and kindness, concerning their nice shiny marble or tile floors. Other than that, most wear comes from regular use, not covering your cleats while walking. And if you can, just wear tennis shoes, if just running down to the local 24/7 store to get a coke or whatever. Last, the price of cleat covers, in some stores, rival the cost of cleats themselves. I think of it this way, if you've truly gotten to the stage in your riding skills, that you're ready for the benefits of cleats, then they are expendable, like chain lube, or other maintenance items, and you just need to factor them into the cost of your sport.