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Four Times the Lifespan at Half the Weight: Titanium for the Win
Silca's new 3D-printed Titanium Cleats offer 300-400% the life expectancy of traditional materials, those being steel and brass, while cutting the weight in half. For those counting grams on a granular level, factor the 25-30g weight reduction plus the long-term durability season after season and they practically pay for themselves.
We often hear that marginal gains accumulate to significant savings. Silca has run the numbers to the effect that a 25 gm reduction x 100 rpm = 180 kg of mass not lifted per hour of riding for a savings of 90 kg per leg. Over time this adds up, particularly when considering cyclocross racing where running and off-bike hill-climbing are critical.
Combining 3D printing technology with 6Al/4V Titanium that is 1/3 lighter than steel, Silca has produced a mountain cleat with internal gyroid lattice structure which maintains stiffness and strength while reducing weight to create a cleat set that is HALF the weight of standard cleats.
The titanium hardware included utilizes a T25 Torx head, the interface of which is much more durable and resistant to rounding than the 4mm hex included with stock cleats.
Features:
- Shimano SPD 24g (30g lighter than stock)
- Crank Brothers 22g (24g lighter than stock)
- Time ATAC 22g (26g lighter than stock)
- Crank Brothers 6° float, 15° release
- 6V/4AL Titanium hardware included
- 3D Printed in Indianapolis
- 4x life expectancy of brass
B-Stock - This product has one or more B-Stock units available. These units can be purchased at a discount (see option select). B-Stock units were returned from other customers and may have missing or damaged packaging materials. These units are otherwise as new. The full manufacturer warranty applies. Click Here for more information.
The product weight specified is an approximate weight based on the manufacturer's specifications (if available) or our measurement of one or two examples. For most products, the weight will typically vary by 5% to 10%.
Specifications
Cleat Type: 2-bolt | |
Shimano SPD | Weight: 24 grams |
Mfg PartNum: AM-AC-032-ASY-0100 | |
Crank Brothers - 6 degree Float | Weight: 22 grams |
Mfg PartNum: AM-AC-032-ASY-0200 | |
Time ATAC 13/17 degree | Weight: 22 grams |
Mfg PartNum: AM-AC-032-ASY-0300 | |
Reviews
To be completely honest, I did not NEED these. These cleats truly are one of those simple "marginal gains" items that you buy more for your brain, thinking you just bought a "free" watt or two. Nevertheless, these things aren't just light, they are stupid-light. And if they indeed turn out to last three to four times longer, then they'll truly have been worth the rich asking price. Thankfully, I snagged mine during one of BTD's excellent special, so the price was only half dumb. Stay tuned for a longer term review way, way down the road.
This is a follow-up to my earlier review which did not yet include a ride test. To briefly sum up, I am hugely disappointed after spending some serious dough on these, even after a great BTD sale. The main sticking point (pun intended) is that these things are really, really sticky compared to the buttery smooth entry and exit of the standard Crank Brothers premium cleats. I even tried swapping left-to right to see if there was any improvement, but there was not. It might the coating they applied, but there were instances when I literally could not get out of the pedals, something that just doesn't happen with Crank Brothers. Maybe they will last three or four times longer as claimed, and yes, the weight savings is massive, but safety has to supersede those features. Sadly, I will not be using these.
I only gave these a 2 star because they are crazy light. I luckily bought these on sale just to see what they were like. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. I am going to have to polish these or something to get them to release. These are super sketchy in techy rock sections where you may need to pop out and dab. If I could return them I would in a heart beat. Could be good for gravel riding where you don't need to be able to unclip?
I bought the SPD version. They are half the weight of the Shimano cleats, but they wore out after 8 months of road, gravel, and trainer use. Had to replace after one cleat wouldn't release with normal foot motion. Upon inspection, it was significantly worn on the rear tang.
These lightweight cleats may be useful for race day shoes but are expensive for everyday use.
Mechanic's Corner
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