I have never had that happen with the yellow cleats - but strangely very frequently and early with the blue (3o float I think) multiple times - so went back to yellow .
That’s actually a good point, I just checked and there are in fact some knock-offs, e.g. this one. The listing is “Thinvik Road Bike Cleats for Shimano SPD-SL Locking Cycling Pedals”.
I’m just returning my Fake Shimano SPD SL cleats. Theya re Shimano branded and boxed but the color of the ‘yellow’ material is quite orange and inconsistent. Strangely I can’t find a way to tell amazon that the product I bought is a fake…
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Isn’t it very simple; buy stuff from your local bike shop or online dealers you know and trust. Suppliers who know their stuff and care, who support their community, pay their taxes and ultimately are there if you need to go back to them. Who changes their cleats so frequently that going Amazon/going fake is worthwhile, on so many levels.
I often can’t get the parts I want locally, so for me and many others, Amazon might be the only way to get these parts. I was trying to buy genuine parts btw, no fake ones.
Amazon isn’t so much a store anymore as a flea market, a space where random people you’ll never see again sell things. There’s no accountability. A website like BikeTiresDirect or CompetitiveCyclist doesn’t have third-party sellers, anything they sell can directly be traced back to the manufacturer. At this point, I don’t see much difference between Amazon and AliExpress, except your knockoffs will arrive a lot quicker from Amazon.
“Fake” in the world of cleats and other consumables falls on a spectrum of lazy takes to legit. Yet the Bontrager SPD cleats I was once flogged at the local Trek franchise were terrible gloss painted things. There is a secure warmth in crossing the threshold of an actual, proper bike shop and buying their stuff.
100% and I find it incredibly frustrating when working on other people’s bikes when they question cost of genuine parts anf compare them to eBay or Amazon prices.
Tyres are the worst for this, “How much?, I can get them online for cheaper!”……ok, show me ….9 times out of 10 the tyres look cheaper on a Google search but are then out of stock, a different size, not the tubeless ones etc.
I’m happy for customers to supply parts to fit, some of my best ones do that all the time as they enjoy yhe process, but if parts are the wrong ones (they often are), I’m replacing with ones from suppliers I use and trust.
I have a box of AliX disc brake pads. It never crossed my mind they might be dangerous but now I’m unsure I’ll fit them.
I used to intentionally buy off brand cleats on Amazon for the cheaper price. These weren’t fake Shimano cleats, just some off brand. Your mileage may vary depending on the vendor, but they worked fine and didn’t wear out any faster than the Shimano ones. The main difference was that they were harder to clip in/out of than Shimano. I realized this after buying a new pair of Shimano pedals that came with cleats. The Shimano cleats are way easier to clip in/out of so I’ve stopped buying off brand because of this.
Might be the case and good to know, for the UK it is not recommended. I’d be surprised if their quality control measures differed from country to country seeing as the corporate model is usually copy paste. Maybe just the luck of the draw!