Is it too early to talk about winter cycling shoes?

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I know it's only August, but as I start pulling on arm warmers for my morning rides, my thoughts are increasingly draw toward the fate of my toes. Every winter they freeze - last year to the point of mild frostbite - during rides under 30 degrees. For those from warmer/sunnier climes, that's about 1/4 of the year hear in Massachusetts (at least it feels that way some times). If I tape over all the vents, and use two layers of shoe covers plus those little toe warmer packets, I can get through most of winter, but only up to about 1.5 hours (in dry weather). I'm almost certain the problem is heat lost through my cleats.

This year I'm planning to tackle this head on by splurging for some true winter shoes. I'd prefer something compatible with road cleats so I don't have to mess around with swapping pedals, but I have a set of Eggbeaters if the MTB ones are better. I'm not commuting, just riding, so walkability isn't an issue.

Fit is often a problem for me, as I have wide toes but a narrow heel. Shimano road shoes fit great, but all those Euro brands squeeze me stupid. I've heard mixed things about Shimano's "winter" MTB shoe.

Lake seems to be the industry standard, but I have no idea how they fit (and finding uber heavy winter shoes in store is tough). Their MXZ303 looks absolutely bombproof. Heavy and bulky, sure, but I bet it's toasty. No idea if it's overkill.

What do you folks ride, when you ride winter boots/shoes? It seems that having some insulation between my foot and cleat will be important, and is the missing link in my system now.

[TBLS]

I have the mtb lakes, fit true to size similar to a light hiking boot. Keep me warm for 90 minutes or so with good socks in 30ish weather.

If you have cold feet with two pair of shoe covers and a heating packet, I would expect a moderate but not a significant improvement

[KonaSS]

Take a look at 45Nrth's shoes as well. I haven't tried them but some have said they are better than Lakes.

[christian]

I have the last generation Lakes with a road shoe three-bolt mount. They've stopped making those and now it's MTB-sole only.

The Lakes are almost too warm. It needs to be at most 25d for me to wear them. Above that, my feet sweat.

[ceolwulf]

I use my normal shoes with preferably wool socks, and a set of neoprene Louis Garneau shoe covers. That's fine till a few degrees below freezing. Much colder than that and I switch to skis :)

[carpediemracing]

A couple thoughts. Many years ago I bought winter shoes a size large (42 instead of 41). Mistake. Winter shoes are bigger for a given size, for room for stuff like thick socks and such.

I bought heated insoles. I need to exchange them as they're a bit large. Friends have used them with booties successfully in lower-than-I'd-go-out temperatures.

I have yet to use both. Right now in the few times I ride outdoors when it's cold (other than races) I use my regular shoes and SideTrak booties. I'm okay down to about 25 deg F, I don't think I've ridden outside when it's colder than that in a while.

[JStonebarger]

45Nrth's Fasterkatts are very nice. Pricey, but nice. They say 25* and above, but I could see going colder still.

[norcalbiker]

We don't use winter cycling shoes here. However, we do use winter cycling socks. :banana:

[FastforaSlowGuy]

We don't use winter cycling shoes here. However, we do use winter cycling socks. :banana:

I was in San Diego (a touch south, I know) this past February and chuckling at the guys riding in hats and jackets. It was cool in the morning (mid 50s), so I had a cap and arm warmers. When I was done laughing, I started getting jealous and wondering why I live where I do.

But your comment raises another possibility: electric socks. Don't laugh, I hear these things are getting okay-ish. They all seem built for skiers (very tall), but I'm curious if anyone has RECENT experience with them either in cycling or another activity. I know the old D-cell ones were junk, but I'm curious about the new breed.
http://cozywinters.com/foot-warmers.html

[11.4]

I've done both the Lakes and the Fasterkatts, plus plenty of others. The Lakes fit wide and there's an uber-wide option as well. Generally they are big for the size, by a good full Euro size, but if you put a couple heavy socks on before they go on, you may be using that extra room. These boots are really boots -- heavy and your heels will give you a lot of heel rub on the crank arms. I could never get warmed up to them (pardon the pun). If you do need to ride something like that, you probably have to do some walking too, so I'd go the MTB route. Having to walk a mile because of glare ice on the road version with most road cleats is not pleasant.

The Fasterkatts are narrower, slightly too narrow for me and I have a narrow foot. They are brilliantly designed. If anything, their specialty is not so much pure warmth as dryness. Think of the Lakes as a Minneapolis winter shoe, the Fasterkatt as a mid-Atlantic winter shoe. Neither one would be ideal for Colorado, where a lighter shoe would suffice. Boston can be pretty wet in the winter and the rain and puddles can be more of an issue than air temp, so the Fasterkatt is definitely one to consider. Buy early, because last year they sold out very early in the prime sizes. Here's hoping they have a wider version this year.

I've tried a lot of other winter shoes such as Northwave Fahrenheits, Sidis, Gaernes, and so on, and none are that effective in really cold weather. One problem I found with them was that they didn't offer the same structure and support that a good summer road shoe did.

What has really worked best for me down through the 20s and into the teens are Endura shoe covers, a pair of shoes a half size large, and a warm drymax sock with lots of wiggle room inside the shoe. The shoe covers are neoprene, beautifully made, warm, and do a good job of keeping your feet dry. Giving your feet plenty of room is imperative to warmth so you actually want a rather loose fit when starting out -- hence going oversize from your summer fit. If it's a really miserable wet day, it's easy to stop and swap some fresh dry socks, certainly easier than trying to gear up to protect against the wet and just soaking your feet with perspiration anyway.

Breathing in the shoe is really crucial. If your feet get wet from perspiration, they chill, they macerate (get soft skin, cracks, blisters, peeling, etc.) and you are miserable. Many manufacturers try to fix the wrong problems with winter shoes and only make it worse. By and large the typical winter shoe is bulky, wobbly, a sweat box, heavy, basically a lousy fit, and doesn't keep the water out. I think the Fasterkatt is a great new design that tries to be smart about winter shoes. The Lake is a last-ditch solution if you just can't keep your feet from turning blue. Otherwise, not much happiness here. That's why I switched to those Endura shoe covers and why they've been more successful than anything else. At about $40, they're not even expensive. Worth a look.

[Louis]

Yes.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

Yes.

Lived in STL for 5 years. I don't miss those summers. There is no way to accurately capture to choking humidity that accompanies those temps.

[Bradford]

Winter shoes are the best thing I've purchased in years. I picked up some Shimano winter shoes on closeout last year and they were such a huge benefit to me commuting through the winter that I can't believe I waited so long.

From 40 to 60 degrees, I wear them with heavy boot socks over cycling socks. In the 20s and 30s, I add toe warmers. I haven't had cold feet since I bought them.

The cuff on the Shimanos bothers me for the 3 seconds it takes to put them on, but I love everything else about the shoes.

I switched to Frogs on all my bikes last year, so I can't help you with any road-specific recommendations. But do go ahead and pull the trigger on winter shoes, you won't regret it.

[oldpotatoe]

[QUOTE=FastforaSlowGuy;1606582]All deleted cuz

Yes, it's too early.

[markie]

I had Lakes and finally wore them out over seven Winters. I switched to the 45NTH Wolvhammers last year.

I prefer the Lakes almost all the time. The lakes felt lighter and less stiff in the ankle area. I could use them for my hour commute down to 0F with just a regular light Summer wool sock.

The Wolvhammers are great when it is super sloppy, or when you mess up a stream crossing and get you foot ankle deep in water. They do not let water in at all.

But I wish I had something that covered the distance between a regular sidi and the Wolvhammer. I did not feel that way with the Lakes.

[BobbyJones]

After some winters of suffering, i received HotTronics Footwarmers as a gift. They worked incredibly well, but weren't perfect when used with my summer shoes and PI booties/ covers. My hands and feet don't dig the cold at all.

After a stint with some Lake 303's, I unearthed an old pair of Performance Neoprene Booties. These are a decent weight neoprene with a fleece inside, and a full rubber sole with a cleat cut out. The neoprene / rubber sole combo made all the difference in the world opposed to the newer shoe "cover" style of bootie.

I now use my "summer" cycling shoes, the HotTronics and the booties in combo and can stay out all day (7+ hours) in sub-freezing temps.

Edit: Here's a link to performance (http://www.performancebike.com/reviews/performance/power/pwr/product-reviews/Specials/Weekly-Specials/Prepare-for-Fall-Clothing-Sale/PERFORMANCE/p/10__0082-Performance-Neoprene-Bootie.html). You may want to see if you can find a pair!

[zachateseveryth]

I have the Shimano winter mtb boots and they're fantastic. They're good for me down to about 25 deg with just a regular weight wool sock. Colder than that and I'll run a thicker sock and/or chemical warmers. They're also super water proof, just don't submerge them in a creek crossing.

Sizing is true to the rest of Shimano's line-up but you might want to run a size up for a bit more room for a thick sock.

[unterhausen]

I really like my fasterkatts even though they screwed up the zipper. I hope they redesigned the shoe, once I figured out how to use the zipper the shoes were great. I still harbor some resentment that the people at 45nrth got snotty about those of us that had trouble with the zippers, same thing happened with the wulfhammers, but they apparently forgot all about that. I wouldn't recommend a pair of 2014 fasterkatts to anyone. The contortions I have to go through to get the zippers to mesh are pretty ridiculous and have nothing to do with pulling the wrong way on the closure.

I just looked at the instructions, and I have to say that they are still totally wrong about the zippers. Look elsewhere is my advice

[FastforaSlowGuy]

Those 45 NTH look great but appear to run narrow according to reviews. Maybe they'll launch a wide version.

[saf-t]

I suffered through any number of commuting winters with heavier socks and a variety of neoprene booties before I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Lakes. Realized shortly afterwards that I'd been an idiot, and should have done it a lot sooner.... Narrow heel and wider forefoot, but I use a slightly heavier sock and they seem fine.

[unterhausen]

Those 45 NTH look great but appear to run narrow according to reviews. Maybe they'll launch a wide version.

I generally wear shoes that are too big for me, and my feet are swimming in my fasterkatts. I have problems with my feet, and my pedaling style is such that my shoes don't really have to be tight in order to work well. The only thing is that the top of my foot arches up. Shoe isn't tight, but zippers aren't made to go around corners and they failed. I can get them to close, but it's a ridiculous 5 minute procedure.

The cool thing about these shoes is that they are virtually waterproof. I had to walk through a swamp with water up to my ankles on one of my rides, and my socks didn't get wet. And I rode multiple 200 km rides in sub-freezing weather with them and my feet never got cold. So I'm a fan of the shoe.

[chiasticon]

have tried the shimano winter mtb shoes and the mavic winter road shoes. the mavics work MUCH better for me. however, i didn't size up when i bought the shimanos. having extra space around your socks is a good thing, especially in case you need to double-sock or add warmers. compressing your foot too heavily constricts blood flow, making your tootsies colder. anyway, the mavics are great. i can get away with just them and a thick wool sock down to about 32 degrees. i'll throw shoe covers (slipstreams) on too just to be more visible (high viz yellow) because we're talking in the dark of winter here. but i doubt those help much with warmth. sub-freezing, i'll throw a chemical warmer in. i'm usually good for up to three hours or so in 20ish weather with that. colder than that, i usually stay home.

only downside: they both feel like hockey boots to me. nowhere near as free feeling as a lightweight set of summer shoes. but my feet are warm!