3D Printed CrankBrothers Cleats

Traditionally, mountain cleats have only been offered in two materials: mild steel and brass. This ensured that the cleat would wear out before the pedal interface, but it left riders with cleats that wore quickly and, in all cases, were relatively heavy.

Enter 6/4 Titanium. Only slightly less hard than the tool or spring steel used in pedals, 6Al/4V titanium is 2.25 times stronger and 3 times harder than brass or mild steel. Best of all, its toughness and abrasion resistance deliver 300–400% longer wear life compared to traditional cleat materials.

But the SILCA team didn’t stop there. By combining 3D-printing technology with this alloy—which is one-third lighter than steel—they engineered a cleat with an internal lattice structure (called a gyroid). This design maintains stiffness and strength while cutting weight, resulting in a cleat set that’s half the weight of a standard set.

This savings of 25–30 grams per set adds up significantly over time, particularly in cyclocross (CX) events where running efficiency is crucial.

Key Features

• Weight savings: 25 g reduction × 100 rpm = 180 kg of mass not lifted per hour of riding (90 kg per leg)

• Shimano SPD: 24 g (30 g lighter than stock)

• Crank Brothers: 22 g (24 g lighter than stock)

• Time: 22 g (26 g lighter than stock)

• 6Al/4V titanium construction

• 3D printed in Indianapolis

• 4× the life expectancy of brass