Making Shimano SPD-SL Cleat Covers Not Suck

When cycling, I use Shimano SPD-SL cleats and pedals. They're great on the bike, but when walking around,
if one doesn't use cleat covers, they quickly get torn up and end up looking
like this.

So, I use cleat covers whenever a stop involves more than a little walking around...

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 560 —
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Shimano SPD-SL Cleat Covers

Shimano SM-SH45








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 4500 —
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Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 3200 —
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Pop Right On

They're easy to pop on, but once on, to pull them off you have to grab a thin tiny little tab of very hard rubber and pull out
and away...

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 2000 —
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Pull Here

Under the best of circumstances, they come right off. But with the weird angle you have to reach to pull something from the
bottom of your shoe, especially when you're tired and using your non-dominant hand (or when it's cold, or you're wearing gloves,
or just having a bad day), trying to pull them off can be an exercise in frustration. The little tab is such a stupid design.

But it's easy to fix.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1000 —
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Drill a Hole at an Angle








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1100 —
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Hole








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800 —
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Insert a Zip Tie

note the orientation of the head... it's (sort of) important








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1000 —
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Trim








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1250 —
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Voilà

Now it's easy-peasy to pull them off, even when you can't feel your fingers through heavy gloves.... just grab the loop and
yank.

There are four possible ways to install the zip tie... inserting from one side of the cover or the other, each combined with
facing the opening on the head one way or the other. I've found that the best is the way shown above, because that causes the
loop to want to press up into the shoe, flattening itself out of the way. Otherwise, it can drag on the ground as you walk.

Even if you trim the zip tie well, I've found that over time the tie can work its way farther through the head, making the loop
increasingly small, and also creating a poky bit sticking out. To stop that, you can just add a bit of tape inside the loop before
trimming...

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 450 —
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This'll Stay Put

Normal zip ties one might have on hand are not generally very robust, especially in the cold, and I've had them crack and
break often. So, I'm now using special outdoor cold-weather ties:

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 280 —
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Good Down to 40 Below

I paid $7.99 for the pack of 100 at Amazon.