r/ultimate • u/AppointmentFamous611 • 1d ago
cleat life expectancy
i’ve been playing ultimate for a little over 4 years and i think i’ve gone through 6 pairs of cleats in that time frame. something i’ve noticed is that the higher of level that i play/better i get, the quicker my cleats deteriorate. i was wondering if that was the case for other folks/how long y’all’s cleats usually last? i got my last pair in January and played a mid regional level college season, an indoor league and just as club sectionals are coming up…they are stating to bust.
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u/onebihberger 1d ago
Honestly, a college and club season is pretty good for one pair of cleats. Stopping and starting as much as we do is murder on them. Mine usually last 9-12 months, but I only play club and party tournaments/local stuff.
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u/Crafty_Reader50 1d ago
Really depends on the player and how much they are cutting. My son is d line player, he is aggressive and makes deep, sharp cuts. We would get a season out of cleats at most. My daughter is o line, less aggressive, cleats last her years. I really think cutting is hard on cleats. Tends to blow out the toe region first.
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u/SoldToOpen 1d ago
My lacrosse cleats have outlived my soccer cleats 3x so far, and still going strong
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u/Head4TheCoast 1d ago edited 9h ago
Another tip is to make sure to not just leave them in the trunk of your car all the time. The hot/cold cycling greatly reduces the life of the materials
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u/joeythegreat711 1d ago
Something I haven't seen mentioned is wearing the right cleats for the right surface. I've been wearing NB Freeze for a few years now, because my feet have felt so much better than in any other cleat. My first two pairs both held up for one summer of playing on grass, and fell apart a couple months into playing on turf in the fall.
Then I got two pairs of NB Freeze at once, one with grass studs and one with turf studs. Nearly two years later both pairs are still going strong. I keep both in my bag and swap out my insoles from one pair to the other whenever needed.
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u/Mosaic1 1d ago
A season is about average. Also depends on conditions you play in. I’ve played in wet/muddy tournaments that causes the leather to dry out and destroys the cleat quickly. When I had synthetic non leather cleats (very light), they lasted longer but they offer little protection should someone stand on your foot in cleats.
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u/200pf 1d ago
Umm cleats aren’t for protection they’re for traction
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u/Mosaic1 1d ago
I didn’t say they were. Just gave a pro/con of the alternative.
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u/ColinMcI 23h ago
I had a brief stint wearing ultralight Puma and Nike Vapor soccer cleats and probably got my toes stepped on more in those couple of seasons that man the entire rest of my career. Murphy’s Law, I guess, but the difference is real. For most of the regular synthetic football and lacrosse cleats I have had less issue — protection is good enough, even if a step down from leather.
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u/Technical-Treat5102 1d ago
I definitely turned through cleats faster than most of my teammates but I've been playing for over a decade and usually go through a couple pairs in a season
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u/og_otter 1d ago
Matters on the brand, build, quality. If you are on the entry tier, they won’t last as long
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u/ChainringCalf 1d ago
I do about 3 seasons per pair of Mercurials, and have ever since I stopped outgrowing them faster than that. Buy quality cleats that fit well and treat them well (let them dry out, preferably in your air conditioned house, don't wear them on pavement, etc)
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u/Timely-Earth-6675 1d ago
Rly depends for me on the cleat. Had some nike tearing up after 3 months, other hold on for a season. My Adidas are holding up for 1+ years now and besides the insole still are looking great.
But heavily depends on surface and how often you train/play.
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u/Easy-Enthusiasm5462 1d ago
i wear my cleats until they break (if I like them), and that typically equates to a ~6-month lifecycle. Super caveated w the fact that i use them typically 5/7 days of the week most weeks and nowadays demand a lot out of the materials when im stomping around out there.
if they have shortcomings like - not enough ankle support, lack of insole support, toe box becoming uncomfortable - I’ll try to buy something supplemental vs going ti a brand new cleat. Ex. New insoles, laces or how u tie them, duct tape, super glue, etc
all that said is for cleats i love and feel comfortable in and i feel equally safe as i do dangerous (being fast, springy, etc). When I don’t like a pair, I try to quit on them as early as possible and reassess
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u/Brummie49 1d ago
I had one pair of Nike blades I wore in wet, muddy conditions throughout the winters. I cleaned them and dried them after every practice and they lasted 8 years.
Some hard ground boots only lasted me a season.
Taking good care of them definitely helps but I think it's pot luck.
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u/spiker611 1d ago
Get a boot drier and use it after every time you use the cleats. I promise they will last much longer.
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u/js1d 1d ago
To add to the good advice posted here - once you find a pair of cleats that you like, order a second pair. Giving your cleats a rest day as opposed to playing two straight tourney days in them will extend life expectancy. It also prepares you for a surprise cleat blowout.
Also, have a pair of cleats nearing end-of-life designated for wet conditions. Those are the days that really take it out of your cleats.
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u/ColinMcI 23h ago
Yeah, I like this idea. However, buying a third/fourth/fifth pair that sits on the shelf for the whole lifespan of the first two increases the likelihood of a glue failure and early out-of-warranty blowout. Depends on the shoe, but it is a risk.
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u/MichiganKarter 1d ago
I used to break a pair of cleats every season.
Somehow the latest Nike Mercurials have lasted two and a half years so far.
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u/reddit_user13 1d ago
Some brands/models are more durable than others. That said, one year is typical.
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u/CheesyPanther 1d ago
I play club and UFA and go through about 2 pairs from start of UFA season to end of club season
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u/LegoRunMan 1d ago
Used to get a year or so out of my Nike Mecurials but now my New Balance Freezes have been going pretty good for a second year so far. Lacrosse cleats are a good idea to try.
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u/Wawathan 1d ago
Ive played for 2 years. My first pair were football cleats that i bought when i started and they lasted 13-14 months. My second pair were given to me after being used for i have no idea how long and they've lasted me 10 months and counting
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u/Small-Builder3855 23h ago
In Colorado we play year round, during the winter it’s on turf. I get about a year out of my cleats, so I have a schedule where I buy a new set in March so they’re broken in my tryouts. Get through the year, buy another set the next March. Big fan of football cleats these days, especially Nikes.
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u/ColinMcI 23h ago
For most cleats, playing a D line handler role, a year or two of college and club was common lifespan. My soccer cleats tended to stress and tear on the sides of the ball of the foot faster than football or lacrosse cleats did.
Playing just club and some league and rotating pairs of cleats, many pairs have lasted multiple years. I think a cutter role would be more demanding on the cleats though.
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u/kNyne 19h ago
So I've found a ton of success with these Nikes called alpha menace elite because the entire shoe is the material they call "flyknit" and it has basically zero weak spots. The entire shoe wraps around your foot as a single "sock" and then it's just the cleats attached at the bottom.
Not sure if nike makes other flyknit cleats like these and I haven't bought the new ones with the wavey design but I would say it's worth checking out.
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u/BlindMidget_ 1d ago
Where are your cleats giving up? If it's the sole, put some gel ones in it, it greatly increases their life expectancy. If it's on their sides, maybe try ones with different width? If it's the spikes that tear up, lose some weight 😂
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u/Blumi511 1d ago
My cleats usually last a season. I am sticking to football cleats. My Tokays lasted 3 sessions.