# Squeaky SPD Pedal/Cleat



## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

Let me begin by saying I love my SPDs. I have neither desire nor budget for changing my system. I do, however, have a maddening and intermittent squeak/creak coming the shoe/pedal interface. Here's what I know for sure:

*The Symptoms*
I've disassembled the drive train, regreased everything, reassembled everything, replaced the bottom bracket, torqued my cranks down nice and tight, did the same with the pedals, and the noise continues. When it gets really loud I can actually feel a little vibration in the sole of my foot. One leg pedaling drills have confirmed that it happens to both sides. Waggling my heals will reduce or eliminate the noise for anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes. The noise is louder with heavy pedal pressure. It goes away entirely when wet. It is just as likely to happen in the saddle as out. Riding no handed has no effect.

*The Gear*
Shoes are Louis Garneau mountainbike shoes (Montana XT3 if I'm not mistaken) with whatever multi-release steel cleat my LBS had in stock at the time.
Pedals are Shimano SPD single-side roadies of some description. They look a lot like the '90s Ultegras (6500), but I can't confirm as they're a bit beat up and second hand.
Cranks are White Industries ENOs on a new Shimano square taper bottom bracket. (noise was unaffected by bb change)
This is all bolted on a fixed gear commuter, so there is very little else that can make this kind of noise.

*The Theory*
I think the noise is coming from something in the shoe/pedal/cleat interfaces, but I can't confirm exactly what. The pedals, shoes, and cleats have been on for a couple years with no issue before this summer. I also dramatically increased my miles this year, so that may account for this happening now. Still, the shoes and cleats look to be in good shape. There's very little wear I can see on them. The pedals I'm not so sure. As I mentioned they were a little banged up by the previous owner, but that mostly looks like pedal strike.

*The Fix*
Any ideas? I'm leery of smearing grease all over everything because I have to wear these shoes around town a bit and would rather not grind sand into my pedals or grease into my carpet when I get home. I tried scrubbing the pedals off with a dry tooth brush which changed absolutely nothing. Can you offer any help? I'm tired of riding to work sounding like a college dormitory bed.


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## robt57 (Jul 23, 2011)

How old/miles on the pedals, same ques on the cleats. Are they Shimano cleats? Are they actually Shimano pedals? Is the BB taper correct for the cranks?

Did you have the hardware taken out of your leg after it healed from the tib/fib incident?


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## twinkles (Apr 23, 2007)

High humidity brings out squeaks in pedal-cleat-shoe area. A light lube on you pedal should help. Make sure your shoes-cleats are clean before you walk across light color carpet if you lube up pedals.


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

@robt57 - As mentioned, the pedals are second hand. I got them with an old Daccordi I pick up a while back. I can account for only around two thousand miles on the pedals as well as the cleats. After a little digging around I can confirm the pedals are 6500 Ultegras. The cleats may be Shimano brand, but I'm not certain (I don't recall and didn't really care at the time of purchase).

The bottom bracket is correct. No doubts what-so-ever.

You're going to have to help me out on that comment about tib/fib. . . it must have been a long day, because that one's going right past me.

@twinkles - Unfortunately relative humidity doesn't appear to be a factor. It was foggy and damp on the way to work today and not a peep from the pedals. Flat out raining on the way back and they were dead silent as I'd expect when they are actually wet.


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## robt57 (Jul 23, 2011)

tib/fib denote a busted tibia and fibula. 


Can you post a pic of the bottom of your shoes?


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## AndreyT (Dec 1, 2011)

I had almost exactly the same problem: SPD cleats/pedals and absolutely unexplainable squeak/creak form the cleat-pedal interface on one side. Lubricating the locking mechanism and the cleat with oil kinda helped for a day or two. Untightening and retightening cleat bolts also kinda helped for a day or so.

In the end I simply swapped the cleats on my left ahd right shoe. And that got rid of the problem completely. I still ride the same shoes, the same cleats and the same pedals. The creak never reappeared.

However, in my case it was happenig on one side only. In your case it happens on both sides, apparently...


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Get some new cleats. And put a little ArmorAll on them and the pedals. You have no idea how old they are, and if I understand right you've added 2000 miles since you got them. They could be worn enough to cause what you're hearing and feeling.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

I have SPD's on all my bikes. Along with several pairs of shoes. All are quiet except for one pair that always squeak. I'm not sure if it's the shoe or the cleat as I've never looked at it that closely. The sound does seem worse on humid days.
I spray the cleats every so often with WD40 or Cooking spray. I've even dabbed some chain lube on them. It quiets them down for a few rides. I'll have to try Jcavilla's Armorall suggestion too. 

I don't wear my shoes in the house so that's not a concern. I wouldn't smear them with grease. I think that would be too messy and attract dirt.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

+1 on WD40 over the cleat and pedal. Also, the torque spec for the cleat screws is 4-5 N-m, which is likely more than you're using if not using a torque wrench. Make sure the end of the allen wrench is flat, not beveled and not worn so that it engages the full depth of the relatively shallow recess in the cleat screws. Also, completely clean out the recess in the screws so the wrench engages the full depth. 

For use with cleat screws, I'll take a fresh allen wrench and lightly grind the end flat so to remove any bevel... grind lightly in the sense of going gently and slowly so as not to heat the wrench and lose its temper.

Grease the screws before assembly so that they won't corrode and seize in the nut plate in the shoe.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

I've cured squeaky cleats with a spritz of Pledge...

doesn't leave any residue to pick up dirt.


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## PSC (Mar 10, 2004)

I had the same problem, replaced cleats and problem went away.


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## Gregory Taylor (Mar 29, 2002)

I've used - 

PAM cooking spray (sheds mud - great for MTB'ing)
WD40 (it's on my workbench)
Armor All (ditto)
Pedro's Bike Lust (Sort of a bike Armor All - I was given a bottle)
Tri-Flow (I was oiling brake pivots, and the urge came over me)
3-in-1 Oil (whatever)
SAE 10-30 (it was in my machinist's oil can)
Spit (nature's original lubricant)

Long and the short of it, the squeaks eventually came back. Nature of the beast. I generally just mist the pedal surface with WD40 (sort of wave the can over the pedal as I spritz, being sure to get both sides). It works.


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## JasperL (Aug 21, 2011)

tlg said:


> I don't wear my shoes in the house so that's not a concern. I wouldn't smear them with grease. I think that would be too messy and attract dirt.


Grease worked for me - just a light film on the upper and lower part of the pedal "clamp" area. First ride was terrible - way too slippery - but quickly worked itself out and no more dirt than normal on the pedal or shoes. 

Getting a little 'dirt' was my goal because the squeaks started after I gave my bike (including pedals) and shoes a thorough cleaning.


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! It seems the general consensus is that lubrication is likely the closest I'll get to a silver bullet. The cleats themselves only have miles I put on. The pedals are the only element in the system of unknown provenance. The cleats seem to be in pretty good shape, but I'm going to buy some pedals pretty soon to put on my winter beater, so I may end up replacing the cleats then to see if they're the issue. If that fails I'm liking JCavilia's idea of using Armor All.

. . . 

Just had a thought. Maybe a quick wipe with White Lightning would do the trick. Wax based lube would avoid my concerns with collecting grime and would give a waterproof film that won't destroy my rug when I get home. I bought one of the big bottles a while back before switching to NFS for my chain lube, so I still have half of the thing left. I'll report back if there is success.


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## Pirx (Aug 9, 2009)

Fascinating. Didn't we just have this thread bashing those "squeaky Looks", and praising the SPDs that "never have any issues, ever"?


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## Gregory Taylor (Mar 29, 2002)

Oxtox said:


> I've cured squeaky cleats with a spritz of Pledge...
> 
> doesn't leave any residue to pick up dirt.


Plus there is the lemony scent. That's why I'd do it.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

UrbanPrimitive said:


> Just had a thought. Maybe a quick wipe with White Lightning would do the trick. Wax based lube would avoid my concerns with collecting grime and would give a waterproof film that won't destroy my rug when I get home.


Can't hurt to try. But I doubt that White Lightening would hold up for more than one ride. 
That makes me wonder... what if you just took an candle and rubbed the wax onto the cleat. That might work pretty good.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Pirx said:


> Fascinating. Didn't we just have this thread bashing those "squeaky Looks", and praising the SPDs that "never have any issues, ever"?


The people in that thread are talking about SPD-SL's. Not SPD's.


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## Gregory Taylor (Mar 29, 2002)

tlg said:


> That makes me wonder... what if you just took an candle and rubbed the wax onto the cleat. That might work pretty good.


That's a _great_ idea.

Beeswax!

Or, similar but different. a bar of soap. I've used a bar of Ivory Soap to quiet down stuff before.


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

tlg said:


> . . . what if you just took an candle and rubbed the wax onto the cleat. That might work pretty good.


Excellent idea. I'll grab a block of paraffin and try that out.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

tlg said:


> That makes me wonder... what if you just took an candle and rubbed the wax onto the cleat. That might work pretty good.


I suppose if you wanted to get kinky, you could light the candle and drip hot wax onto your cleats.


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