El Cid

I was pumped to go to my lbs and pick up a new pair of Wolvhammer boots. Won't be happening though. Not only did they sell out fast, they can't even order any more. There are none to be had, period.

So I looked at my second choice, Lake Boots. On Amazon and Mtbr, reviews were split between good and bad. For the bad reviews, the major complaint was low quality stitching, with bad customer service sometimes popping up. Even among the good reviews, people were using chemical toe warmers if it was too far below freezing.

I'm definitely not taking a chance on Lake Boots, and the ones I really wanted are gone. Can anybody recommend a good clipless winter boot?

elcruxio

I just don't bother with clipless in the winter. I have a pair of Shimano Saint flats in the mail and that's going to be winter gear. I can wear so much more warmer shoes this way

jrickards

If find that the underside of my shoes clog up with snow (Shimano SPD pedals/cleats, Crank Bros may be different enough to make a difference) when I put my foot down and it becomes hard and packed and difficult to dislodge so I just go with winter boots and regular pedals.

bikemig 

+ 1 on the platform pedals and boots and socks. By the way, given that we're neighbors, I'm surprised we haven't run into each other . . .

AngrySaki

One option to hold you over until next year is to byt:
1)a whole bunch chemical warmers (they're pretty cheap, ~ 60c each from MEC),
2)decent booties,
3)a few big wool socks (to wear around your shoe)

It's way more of a hassle, but it should do ok. I would personally go that route over ditching the clipless.

gecho

Maybe try phoning shops in other cities near you. If you are confident in sizing I'm sure many shops would mail them to you. If they aren't too far away you could do a road trip to try some on.

FanaticMN

45NRTH Wolvhammer SPD - Freewheel Bike Shop - Minneapolis - Twin Cities - St. Paul

bruised

Best time to buy a pair online. My email has been flooded with discount codes for the past week....some crazy %'s.

These guys seem to have the full range of sizes 45NRTH Wolvhammer SPD Winter Cycling Boot 2014/2015 - Allspeed Cyclery and Snow Store

gecho

Seeing as OP is in Ontario there should be a few options relatively close. Ordering from the US for people in Canada is generally not ideal due to courier brokerage fees.

elcruxio

It's the "mountain gandalf, mountains!" Separating us. One does not simply ride a bike to Mordor

plodderslusk

If you train hard for more than an hour and sweat a lot on hands and feet (like me) you will get cold no matter what IMO. I have the Lake's and like them a lot. My solution is to make a stop on longer rides and change into new socks. That will usually get me home in OK shape. Sometimes freezing on hands and feet is a prize I am willing to pay for those fast long rides on frozen hardpacked winter forrest roads.

revcp 

Rode my new Saints with Salomon Toundra boots twice in the last three days. Great combination for 15F and lower (I wear Lakes with SPD above that. I think the Lakes are great).

revcp 

Check out RBH VprThrm socks and Stephenson Warmlite gloves.

El Cid

Actually I might do exactly that. I'll even phone American shops if I have to. I don't like the idea of paying those crazy brokerage fees, but maybe the postal service will carry the boots; I don't know exactly what their size limit is.

79pmooney

Tomorrow afternoon I will go to the LBS ("the LBS" is a misnomer here in Portland OR. I think there are hundreds. I patronize seven plus a framebuilder.) Going to look at and buy if they work - Fasterkatt boots with Crank Bros pedals. Key issue is going to be wether the minimum float with the cleats/pedals is little enough that I can live with it. My knees do not like float. In fact, if I don't force my feet to toe-in with my cleats, I'll be in for 3rd party knees soon.

If this works, I will just keep those pedals with the boots and throw them on whatever bike I am going to ride that day. I already have 2 zero-float pedal systems that work really well and happy knees. This would be only for really cold days. Below freezing mid-day is not very common in Portland and below the 25F rating of Fasterkatts quite uncommon, though I have seen 8F in my 15 years here.

Does anyone know of mountain/SPD/2-bolt standard cleats with real no-float? I might have to make a slotted 2-bolt cleat! I will have to start calling my self a sinornithosaurus (flying dinosaur) as I will be using hardwear of the same era.

Ben

fietsbob

Platform pedals , and LL Bean rubber Moccasins Here, step in and go ..

Time Atac Spuds are in the Bin for when I bother to screw them On

you have 1 marked with a * and one without ,the release angle depends on which foot you put the * one on .

there is just a wee-bit of Float.. spring bar is flat the bronze cleat is almost flat too, thats the angular float. not Much.

My touring shoe has a hourglass slot to not force my feet into any fixed place , knees happier that way.

Slot cleat on old Sidi 'Roo Road Shoes and the Back In The day Cross Boot stick up above the sole they are ride or take them moff shoes , now
Sold the Road ones never wore them great things in the 80's.
the synthetic tongue Age deteriorated on the CX shoes so they went in deep storage.

El Cid

Today I made about fifteen phone calls to different bike shops. No distributor in Canada has any Wolvhammer boots, so I started calling shops around the Detroit area (since my brother lives right across from Port Huron, and anyway he owes me). No luck though.

So I found a shop, Behind Bars in Mineapolis, with exactly one pair left in my size. Shipping to Canada would be highly unusual, and I'll find out tomorrow if the owner is willing to do it. If not, I will board an Amtrak train in Port Huron and ride it to Mineapolis. The train fare would be more than the boots, but I'm not going home empty-handed. Actually I'm at home right now, but you know what I mean.

AMusingFool

If you can't get the Wolvhammers, I've been very happy with my Northwave Extreme Winter GTX road boots.

AMusingFool

Take a look at Tririg Mercury pedals, maybe. A bit different, but zero float and use three-hole cleats.

CliffordK

Those look like sweet boots. A little much with the soles though.

Around here, it is generally warm enough during the winter. I'm not planning on a lot of sub 30 riding, but a bit in the mid 30's. The big issue is RAIN.

My new Specialized Defroster boots arrived yesterday. I took them out for a short spin this evening. So far, so good, although it will take a bit to break them in. No rain yet, but they look like they'll do well in the rain.
The Shimano SPD Multirelease SH56 cleats are supposed to be zero-float. I haven't tried them as they didn't sound like they were tight enough for my needs, but you might try them out.

achoo

I've gotten good use out of my Shimano MW80s. The fit is right in line with normal Shimano fit.

Things I've noticed about my winter boots:

1. They're MUCH better than "normal" cycling shoes and booties at keeping your feet dry. There's no leakage at all up through the bottom of the shoe from the cleat holes. The ankle cuff also does about as good job as you could expect of keeping water from seeping down, as long as you remember to wear tights that you can put on top of the cuff. If you wear stirrup tights that go down inside the cuff, water will still seep down to your feet. I've had it take over an hour in a good, hard 35F rain before my feet started feeling any wet at all. Yeah, they were still soaked at the end of 3 1/2 hours out in that, but so was everything else on me.

2. They're not quite as warm in dry conditions as normal cycling shoes and booties. Makes sense - there's only two layers with the winter boots - the boots and your socks. With "normal" shoes and booties, there's three layers. Unfortunately, I can't size up my booties and wear thicker socks with them because I'm already pushing size limits with my 13EE feet, and 48s are just about the largest size I've seen winter cycling shoes/boots. Lakes (and others) do come in 50, but those are too big, and I don't think I've ever seen winter shoes/boots in 49.

modernjess

Order from Freewheel in Minneapolis, have them shipped, FREE to your brother.

Free shipping on Wolvhammer boots - Freewheel Bike Shop - Minneapolis - Twin Cities - St. Paul

79pmooney

Most of the winter boot are only the narrow 2 bolt setup. This includes the 45 North boots.

I tried the Crank Bros pedals and they scared me! Release is WAY, WAY too easy! I took them back and got the XT pedals and the "xxx (O forgot the letters) 56 cleats. Didn't feel secure so I tries the stock cleats that came with the pedals. With the cleats rotated to match my other cleats, my knees have been happy and with the release set dead-tight. I feel quite secure.

Edit: I like the "float" that is quite guided by the pedal. When I look down, my feet are at the angles my knees need, just like they were on no-flat pedals. I do not get that with free floating pedals.

Ben

El Cid

I think I remember them being out of size 41 boots. Anyway it no longer matters; the owner of Bars Behind just called to say he'll ship his last pair. He just made my whole winter!

I can't even say how happy I am, this cheesy smiley will have to do. ��