[CR]Cleats made out of built-up leather?

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Avocet)

From: <PBridge130@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 00:33:32 EDT
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Cleats made out of built-up leather?

I scored a pair of Pavarin plastics, but their lightness/flimsiness isn't inspiring any great confidence in me.

Has anyone experimented with making cleats out of built up strips of leather? I vaguely recall seeing people using cleats like that in the 70's. Off-set and layer strips of leather so that there's a graduated thickness for ease of entrance into the pedal, and, once the build-up is complete, cut a slot into the leather?

I figure the leather slot would wear bigger and bigger, but it might be possible to reinforce it with a row of nails on each side? Plus, the built up leather would help protect my nice new Dettos. Or would it just wear so fast as to be impractial?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Peter Bridge
Westminster, CO