of course; i wish someone had told me the same when i bought mine! lakes are the only winter cycling shoe i've had, so i can't speak to any others. i was hoping for the same thing as you, but it seems to be asking a bit too much. this year i'm going to wax mine, because i found after a while in a storm the water starts seeping in. and maybe some of them schmacy merino wool socks. in terms of temperatures, i agree with brad that they're great to -5/-8 , but below that you just want to get wherever you're going and get inside. however, if you know you're going to be out for a while, chemical warmers (ie. from MEC) do the trick nicely.