since it sounds like a lot of this subreddit uses crankbrothers pedals, figured id share my experience with the frequently-ridiculed silca titanium cleats. these cost $85 vs the standard CB cleats which sit between $20-30.
background: i bought these so i could stop replacing my brass cleats, which tend to wear out in a matter of weeks. weight wasn't a consideration.
1: take the screws that come in the box, and put them straight in the trash. they are printed hollow (to save weight?) and are legit dangerous. mine sheared off while boosting a jump. just use the standard screws that come with the regular CB cleats. https://imgur.com/a/AGYsZPw
2: despite the horrendously dangerous screws, the cleats themselves are actually quite good. they do exactly what i hoped, which is wear out much, much slower than the brass versions. my experience is that brass cleats are very tight for 1-2 rides, start getting sloppy in ~10-15 rides, and are really sloppy by the ~30 ride mark. in contrast, the titanium cleats are very tight for 5-10 rides and then settle into a nice snug feel for long period after that. mine survived ~1 year of 3-5 rides per week along the west coast, including lots of whistler/sun peaks/revy. https://imgur.com/a/i8eGAdD
3: despite what crankbrothers says, i've never had issues with the pedal spring getting worn out from the harder cleat. knowing crankbrothers quality, your pedal is going to fall off the spindle before this ever becomes a problem
conclusion: surprisingly, silca titanium CB cleats are worth it, as long as you toss the screws immediately
by nesteaman2