Counterfeit Shimano SPD-SL cleats - do I have some?

[BdaGhisallo]

Has anyone come across counterfeit SPD-SL cleats before?

I am wondering if I have a few sets. The cleat on the left is what I have always gotten in the box with a new set of DA pedals. The cleat on the right is what I bought on Amazon or Ebay (it's been a while).

The cleat on the right is ever so slightly bigger than the one on the left. It works just fine in a pedal but it won't fit into the Ergon cleat tool that I have. Does it look like a genuine Shimano cleat? I can't imagine why Shimano would move the location of their logo and the product name but it has been some time since I bought a new set of pedals and looked at the cleats to see if there's been a running change in what they're supplying.

At this point I am more curious than anything.

Cheers.

[joeminglin]

All my blue cleats look like the one on the right. My yellow cleats are similar to the left. No issues with any of them.

[Davist]

I've given up on buying cleats from Ebay, they were mostly knockoffs. The "new" ones come in cardboard vs plastic clamshell if that helps.. I know not much help.

[skouri1]

im due for a new set soon. Id just buy them from a bike shop or a reputable online dealer--not amazon or ebay, in my opinion.
not worth counterfeit cleats. They will wear /break much quicker.

[mcteague]

The official stuff now comes in cardboard boxes and has a QR code on the side. Scanning it verifies authenticity. Pretty elaborate. The cleats have the line on the front like the one on the right.

Tim

[openwheelracing]

packaging doesn't matter it can be replicated easily. Unfortunately the counterfeit cleats look genuine. I wouldn't be surprised if they work better. I once compared a R7000 pedal set purchased from Walmart market place to genuine R7000 pedals. The genuine pedals make audible "clicks" during adjustment while the replica doesn't. The replica cleats actually look better with better finishing than the genuine article.

By the way not all Shimano yellow cleats are made equal, the one from R8000 has better hardware and lasts a lot longer.

[Rpoole8537]

Originally Posted by mcteague

The official stuff now comes in cardboard boxes and has a QR code on the side. Scanning it verifies authenticity. Pretty elaborate. The cleats have the line on the front like the one on the right.

Tim

Yes, I bought some recently from REI and they were in a box. I bought a pair of fakes a few years ago and decided to never use them. I crash at age 67 is not worth the $15 I saved. I use MTB pedals on my trainers and spin bike.

[tellyho]

Fascinating. I've been wondering why my shoes unclip at random on my commute. I'm sure I have a counterfeit pair: clamshell and cheap. Counterfeiters have gotten good at faking the packaging

[Joeeboh]

the worst counterfeits i've encountered have rubber bits that flake off almost immediately when you start wearing your shoes. i chanced upon them during early covid in 2020.

for not very much more i'd rather get them from a reputable distributor and save time if they are in stock

[sheepbleat]

Yep. Bought two yellow pairs from REI. One arrived in Shimano packaging. The other arrived in a plastic bag. The pairs looked drastically different from one another.

This was peak pandemic, so I just let it go. The ones that look like fakes just take up space in my toolbox.

[dddd]

Originally Posted by Joeeboh

the worst counterfeits i've encountered have rubber bits that flake off almost immediately when you start wearing your shoes. i chanced upon them during early covid in 2020.

for not very much more i'd rather get them from a reputable distributor and save time if they are in stock

I'm not big/young/strong enough to break a cheapo fake cleat in all likelihood, but those little pads of bonded-on rubber need to be of very high quality to survive much walking and pivoting.

The fakes that I received perhaps two years ago have a much darker shade of yellow rubber tips, the washers are much thicker, heavier and are flat, not formed, and the bolts have smaller/ rounder heads instead of Shimano's flatter bolt heads. These fakes also included a 4mm hex key in the clear goodies bag.

I've bought a good number of entry-level Shimano R540/550 SPD-R pedals for my collection of lesser bikes, so have remained pretty well stocked up with genuine SPD-R cleats from those purchases.

[Blue Jays]

Fake components, accessories, and consumables would be maddening to me.
I opt not to purchase via eBay, Amazon, or anywhere else with potential fakes.

[tbike4]

Originally Posted by Blue Jays

Fake components, accessories, and consumables would be maddening to me.
I opt not to purchase via eBay, Amazon, or anywhere else with potential fakes.

^This. Got some new Ray Ban sunglasses earlier this year. Ordered from Ray Ban. Same with tech hardware. Order from Apple.

I have the box of Shimano blue cleats sitting here and read the QR code. It said, go to the App Store and download the Shimano product authentication app. It did not exist on the App Store not for me anyway.

[2metalhips]

Life is too short to buy and ride fake junk, shop at your LBS or one of this sites sponsors, or Universal, Jenson, etc. All to save a few bucks? Cmon man!

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by 2metalhips

Life is too short to buy and ride fake junk, shop at your LBS or one of this sites sponsors, or Universal, Jenson, etc. All to save a few bucks? Cmon man!

In my case, it wasn't about saving cash - it was about convenience. Living in Bermuda can often times be tricky for buying gear when many companies won't ship here. Amazon does.

For some reason, neither of the two bike shops in Bda ever stocked blue or red spd-sl cleats. Plenty of yellows, but none of the others.