I’m clamoring down the stairs, both in an attempt to get out of the rain and to hopefully grab the BART train I can just hear pulling into the station below.

Normally, I would be sporting a pair of MTB shoes and my beloved Shimano SPDs, but today I’m “testing” the new Speedplay Zero Aero Walkable cleats.

I had given up on Speedplay pedals a number of years ago, both because I was having trouble with initial setup—mostly my fault—and because I was tired of skating all over the place on their crazy, raised, oddly shaped cleats.

I had a couple of friends who used to carry the Speedplay pedal cleat covers in their back pockets and swore it was totally worth it. They loved their Speedplay pedals for their lightweight, tensionless float, impressive adjustability and dual-sided entry. But the thought of having to carry cleat covers with me every ride, let alone remembering to put them on at the coffee shop had me looking elsewhere for my pedal fix.

Now I was trouncing down those stairs, across the platform and onto my train without a single misstep. The new(ish) Walkable Cleats have solved the ice-rink feeling of the original Speedplay cleats and after a little tweaking from my fit expert I have finally fallen in love with Speedplay pedals.

I still won’t be packing the Cleat Buddies in my jersey pocket, but for my more finicky friends, they come with the cleats if you are this type of rider.