Bike Hugger 

It takes 3, maybe 4 years, for cleats to fuse into the Sidi cleat receptacle plates. When that happens, no matter how careful you are, you’ll strip the threads of the screw heads. The infographic explains what happens, which is a matter for material scientists to solve, while shop mechanics provide the fix.

These grainy photos were shot in a garage and are of a process that’s not pretty and seldom seen. Mark V was in a good mood, so he let the iPhone camera near him while performing the extraction

Note: seeing a frame get straightened or a seized post removed from a seat tube is even uglier.

The process is simple:

1. Dremel a slot in the cleat/screw
2. Use a large screwdriver to unscrew it
3. Clean, lube the plate, and replace the cleats with new ones

Dremel cuts a slot

Medieval methods

A few seasons of Cross and the cleat on the right shoe required additional, medieval methods. The huge crescent wrench attached to the screwdriver gave Mark more leverage. Blame the goose poop on that one. Racing along the shoreline of City parks that waterfowl frequent means you’ve got poop-imbued mud. Combine that with sweat, tears, plus other bodily fluids. and that’s one toxic, cleat-corroding substance.