Jarery

I need some new fall/winter/spring shoes. I'm in the pacific northwest so ones that wont get too soaked and take a week to dry out would be nice. They don't need to be waterproof as I have and dont mind using shoe covers. I was looking at some specialized sonoma shoes that fit quite well, allowed me to walk better than my road shoes, but were a suede leather that may not do well in wet.

Any good suggestions for winter shoes in the rainy northwest? Comfortable, able to walk on wood floors, and dry fast?

My pedals are time atac's on a Kona JTS cyclocross bike. I have carbon soled road shoes for my road bike, and sandals for the summer on my commuter, just need something to solve my winter commutes.

All suggestions welcome !

alfanator

Fenders with long mud flaps. You are most likely gettng wet from the spray more so than the rain. Oh and wool socks

Jarery

Thanks for the reply, ....but no, I already have fenders and mudflaps, and in an hour commute in pouring cold rain, they dont prevent your shoes/socks from getting soaked and at a couple degrees above freezing, frozen toes.

degnaw

I think alfanator had an emphasis on long mud flaps - i.e., you should fashion your own mudflaps that go down to about 3-4cm off the road.

Jarery

I have LONG mud flaps. And wide ones, that is not what i was asking. I have been commuting 12,000 km a year in the rain, my bike is set up for rain, fenders, disc brakes, LONG mud flaps. All i asked was a good recommendation for new shoes. I do appreciate the concern about mudflaps and fenders, but i got that covered, I'm just looking for new shoes

Ken Wind

I ditched my clipless setup, and I got a pair of Keen Blackcomb boots. They are waterproof, rated for -25F, and they cost around $100. They have been great so far, but their aggressive tread keeps the boots from being perfect for cycling.

If you must use clipless, then the Lake MX265 boots might work well. They should be considerably cheaper than their MXZ301 winter-specific boots, which are arguably the best clipless compatible winter boots made.

alfanator

HardyWeinberg

I do feel guilty walking on wood floors w/ the cleats, but I find excellent PNW function in my shimano mtb shoes. Normal shoes for walking, basically.

Mesh uppers provide drainage and good airflow so I take them off at work and pull the insoles and they are pretty much guaranteed to be dry at the end of the workday.

Socks are another matter, so I leave a spare pair at work to ride home in if the ones I rode in with don't seem dry enough at the end of the day.

Ken Wind

I just checked the Lake website, and they have a number of new winter shoes available.

Jarery

Those lakes look nice, although a bit pricey. And then the hard part is finding them for sale around here Thanks for the link !

tballx

I have the Sonoma's and the Lake MXZ302. I'm kind of in your frame of mind now and looking for something in a 3 season shoe. What I've found that would work so far is the Northwave Celsius and the Shimano MT60. Both are gore-tex lined for the rainy days. I tried on both and I liked the feel of the MT60s much better than the Northwave. Though I'm more attracted to the Northwave since high tops would fit nicely under my rain pants keeping out more water.

BengeBoy 

My secret weapon for winter Seattle commuting:

Specialized BG Defroster Mountain Bike boots. About $160.

Definitely will stand up to several hours of riding in the rain.

You will want to switch out to regular shoes when the temperature is above 50 degrees.

Jarery

The BG defrosters I agree would most likely be too warm, same with the northwave. After busting up my hip from commuting when there is black ice, I no longer commute when it gets below 3-4 celcius.

Those shimano mt60 look about perfect. Now i gotta find some local. Thanks

tballx

Good luck finding any local. I had to go with wiggle.co.uk. They ship worldwide and with the British pound collapsing, the price was awesome. It about evens out with the higher cost of shipping though.

Jarery

Ya thats what I was afraid of. Unfortunately I hate buying shoes online sine sizing is so critical. I'll see how the weekend shopping goes