BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

You should get boots if your tootsies get cold. Shoes don't cover as well. I have some Shimano boots made for mountain biking that work well but I think you'll be happy with any cycling boot. I've seen them at Trek.

Yeah, I guess all of those are more properly called boots. They all have at least an ankle gaiter.

I have actually never been in the Trek store. I probably should have thought to check there since it's not very far from home. Thanks!

Dirty harries carry the Lake boots. After two year i am very happy with them.

Now that i think about it they have several different to choose from.

Oh, Marv, I remember you telling me that now. Dirty Harry's is what I was thinking of. I don't know where I got Top Gear from; I think someone was telling me about something totally unrelated that they had

thick also carries the lake boots and some other winter spd boots, but they dont keep much in stock. they'd have to order it for you.

Yeah, unfortunately, I'm trying to avoid having to order them without trying them on. I need to figure out whether there's a place that will have a decent size range in stock

I don't know about trying them on, but I fully endorse my shimano mw-81 winter boots. Warm, waterproof, and they have a tall neoprene cuff to keep the water out. They have been great so far, I wear them most days when it's under 45 or so.

Benzo, good to know. I have at least tried on Shimano shoes before and have a decent guess at what size I need, so if I don't have any luck elsewhere, I have been thinking about taking my chances with ordering a pair of those. Do you know if they run about the same as other Shimano shoes?

I really like the look of those Northwaves anyone using them I like to know more about them, when I was shopping or boots 2 years ago some of the dealers said the Lakes are warmer than the shimano, I like to know how the Northwaves compare. My only issue with the Lakes are they get too warm on days above 35 degrees.

Have you thought about these:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr/shoes/mtb-shoes/defroster-mtb

Great shoes and in the past Pro Bikes has done a deep stock of them. I bought them half a size big. Between those, wool socks and Endura shoe covers I've solved my cold feet problem.

I have heard great things about the Lakes and Shimanos but if you have to try them on you might want to look at other options.

I bought a pair of these last year. They look nice but I never got around to cleating them.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/clothing/shoes/product/review-shimano-sh-rw80-cold-weather-road-shoe-37313

Chris, I had not looked at those, and they look pretty nice. I might drop by Pro Bikes and see if they have any in my size. Thanks!

boostuv, those look nice too. I think the Shimano ones I was looking at are pretty similar to those, just mountain instead of road.

I would steer clear of the Lake shoes. I

know myself and a lot of others have had

issues with them just falling apart.

I have the specialized winter ones. they

are good.

My first pair of SPDs are mt bike style Lakes. I got them in 2005. >10,000 miles later, they are in great shape. I was recently wondering when they were going to fall apart since I have wide feet and it took a few years for them to become truly comfortable. I have been fortunate to have bought a decent pair, but they are certainly not winter boots/shoes. My Keens have been less durable.. Probably cause I just slip them on instead of untying them...

@pearmask They are not as warm as the other shoes you are looking at. But you can try them on and I've found with a layering system they work very well. Mine have held up for 3 years now.

oh.... good thread!

I seriously had no clue that this type of SPD even existed!

I bought one size increment larger on the shimano shoes.

Just a general word on cold feet. You need to make sure that your footwear is loose enough to allow for proper blood circulation or your feet will get cold even in the best winter boots. Most people mistakenly add an extra pair of socks thinking that will keep your feet warm, when in reality what you are doing is cutting off the blood flow in your now too tight shoes. You may want to first try a pair of shoes that are a half size bigger than what you normally wear with a wind barrier (neoprene toe cover/bootie) if spending $200 on specialty boots makes you queasy.

^Very good advice. It took me a while to learn that last winter. My main pair of clipless shoes is on the large side, so I actually do okay with them and a pair or two of wool socks down to 30something° when it's dry and I'm moving quickly enough to generate heat, but when it gets wet and/or hits low 30s or 20s, all bets are off. I got a pair of shoe covers, but they don't seem to be all that helpful for me.

I have ridden almost daily for the past 15 years with running shoes and neoprene toe covers between shoes and sock. Toes have not gotten cold at all, even in single digits. I did score some old being thrown out wet suits last year with the thought I might make more of these but have not. They are slightly thicker than my covers, but should work fine.

@pearmask I've been commuting with the Shimano MW-80s for 2 seasons now - rain, snow, muck, whatever, and they're holding up very well. My feet stay warm, but they have 2 drawbacks. 1) You can't install toe spikes if you want extra traction off the bike, and 2) the neoprene cuff is nice when it's dry but lets water in, eventually wicking from your ankle down. Not a dealbreaker at all because they're great most of the time. Get a good pair of boots, and they'll last a really long time.

I just get rid of the clips in the winter and wear plastic/rubber skate/dj shoes and a pair of wool socks. If its really cold, like teens or below I wear a pair of regular bike socks under the wool ones.

Yeah, cburch, that's my current approach. Bike #1 has SPDs, bike #2 has BMX platforms with Velcro strap thingies that accommodate all sorts of footwear including ridiculous pac boots. It works, but I do prefer clipless for longer/faster rides, thus the desire for warmer SPD shoes

gcalvetti, good to know. That thing about water coming in through the ankle part doesn't sound super-pleasant, but I guess pretty much all boot designs are somewhat susceptible to water coming in through the top

helen s, I might need to see if I can craft something like that. That sounds nice. Do you have any issues with your feet getting sweaty (and thus cold) under the neoprene? I imagine it doesn't breathe that well.

It only covers my toes, and the ride is only 30 minutes to work, 40 home (up into Squirrel Hill). I do sweat sometimes, which is weird- feet are fine, torso sweating, fingers freezing!

I usually wear shell pants if it's really rainy to cover the tops of my shimano mw-81 shoes, so I havn't really got any water in them. The mw-81 shoes do have mounts for toe spikes as opposed the the mw-80 which don't.

When I'm riding for a long time in cold weather, I've been using hot-hands insoles, which can last 4+ hours in your shoes.

I also prefer dual platform shimano pedals on my space horse for commuting and fast rides. I don't have to be stuck with either type of shoe if I don't want to be. If I'm clipping in, it's not a big deal to flip the pedal one you get used to it.

+1 shell pants (thank you, REI clearance). I figure pants choice is always going to be key if it's wet — I doubt any boot is really going to make a waterproof seal with your ankle/leg.

+1 miraculous Hot-Hands thingies, too. Sierra Trading Post sometimes has good deals if you buy large quantities of them. Sometimes I feel bad about using them a lot since they are disposable, but sometimes I don't care because they make it so much easier to keep my stupid toes warm.

I actually used to have dual SPD-platform pedals on my Space Horse and swapped them out for dual-sided SPDs because I never used the platform side. It makes perfect sense to have them on a bike like that; I'm just weird. Foot retention makes me happy.

Now I'm thinking about just taking the risk and ordering the Shimano ones... hmmmm

The metal in the hot hand packets is just iron powder (rust generates the heat). So I guess if you're worried about recycling put the contents in your recycling bag or metal dumpster at CJ and something good will happen to it.

Yeah, most of my bikes have SPD pedals now, so I'm rarely using the platforms. It helps that I just acquired a set of chrome SPD sneakers that I got for $55 bucks on clearance.

I've got the Shimano MW-81s as well, and love them. Got them at the Trek Store, and like others mentioned, I went one size larger to fit thick socks. I haven't had any trouble with water getting in. In fact, I use them as my cold weather rain shoes, and don't need shoe covers.

I have the Mavic winter boots and they are awesome. Any dealer that stocks Mavic stuff can probably get them.

Lake is shipping boots again after a season or two off.

Vittoria shoes (not the tire company) makes nice winter boots as well.

Also, whichever brand you buy, do your best to try them on first, or at least order a size or two big. You want to be able to fit thick socks in there and still have room to wiggle your toes. If they are too snug, they will limit circulation which is even worse than having limited insulation.

Ooh, did not know that Mavic and Vittoria made winter boots too. So many optionssss

There are so many choices mentioned here that what can help is if maybe post the lowest temp and how long of a ride that has been done in any of these choices. I'm curious to know the different temp ranges for these boots.

My experience with the Lakes Lowest temp was 5 degrees (don't remember the windchill) for around 2hrs feet stayed warm face did not.

On a different day,around 25 degrees and 6 feet of snow for about an hour, feet stayed dry but they did overheat from working so hard thru deep snow.