Hey all,

I hail from Minneapolis and bike a good 14 miles a day. We're just now starting to hit that cooler weather stride, and I'm wondering if anyone from a similar environment has any input?

Typically I don't bike with clips, just use my good ol' Saucony's and occasionally some boots that have good tread (but they aren't meant for biking and I'm worried they're going to wear down fast). I'd love something a little warmer.

Thanks in advance!

I commute in Minneapolis also. I use platforms with Five Ten shoes.

The shoes finally wore out though after 6 years of use, so I replaced them with the now discontinued Teva Pinner 2 shoes. If you can find the size a pair of the Teva Links are coated in a waterproof material for these shoulder seasons of ours. Personally I think a nice wool sock will cover the shoulder seasons.

During winter I use a set of winter boots with the same platforms.
Columbia Men's Snowblade Slip Waterproof Boot Cold Weather Boot, Black/Charcoal, 10.5 M US | Amazon.com
These are the boots I went with, I wanted something that I could easily slip on when leaving in the morning and slip off when I got to my office. As for wearing out boots, it depends. I used for a very short time a nice pair of duck style boots for my commute and I noticed the bottom did start to get a little beat up from daily use from the platform pins.

Lastly you could find a used set of Lake boots and not put the cleats in, those would work fine for the winter months, or line your shoes with plastic bags/bread bags if you want to go on the cheap.

I'm in SE Michigan, it gets pretty cold here. I've noticed that different people have very different ideas of what "cold" and "appropriate dress" are. I've seen people wearing the same thing I am and saying it was "only good to about 45 degrees F" when I ride the same thing down to 20.

I ride in the summer with a pair of mountain shoes (SPD clips). When it gets down below 50, I'll put on running tights and maybe a compression top under my T shirt and shorts. Down around 40 I'll switch from the poly ankle socks to full length thicker socks. When it gets much below freezing I'll switch to warmer shoes. I have in the past used high top hunting boots which are cheap ($30 or so) in the department stores towards the end of deer season. I also buy hunting gloves, blaze orange, for $20 around the same time.

I just spent $300 on a pair of Lake MX303 shoes and half lobster gloves, but I won't know how effective they are until January probably.

Wool socks with keen sandals works for me. Or hiking boots, regular or winter with some insulation.

During the autumn I use the same shoes I do during the summer, I just switch to wool socks.

I wore sandals all summer, and as the weather gets cooler I stretch a pair of neoprene overshoes on top. That'll be good until the weather is consistently below freezing, and then I'll go right to boots.

I'm from West-central MN with a commute similar in length, ~16 miles (one way). Next week is looking like mid-30s in the morning and low 60's in the afternoon/evenings. I will be using the same Shimano SPD shoes I wear in the summer, but with shoe covers. Covers will be on in the morning and off on the return trip home in the evening. Once the morning commute either drops below freezing or the evening commute starts to get closer to the 40s, I will pull out my Fasterkatts.

Put me down for Keen sandals and hiking boots. As the temperatures start to dip I'll add socks and shoe covers to the sandals. Thats good to about 25f/-3c. Once the daytime temperatures get below 45f/7c. Then I switch to the LL Bean snow sneakers. They keep my feet comfortable down to about -5f/-20c. Good versatile boot thats going on its ninth winter. And they fit in my toe clips.

Today I was reading 99 things a bikepacker should consider and one of them was during light showers a wool shirt is a better option due to ringing out 90% dry and the 10% will evaporate. The argument is also that a rain jacket you will start sweating in no matter what.

+1

I live in Minnesota to, but seem to have warm feet. Even with regular clipless shoes with vents things weren't a problem until about 40 degrees, then I just started neoprene shoe covers.

I recently bought some Chrome shoes for flat pedal riding, I would be the Kusk "Storm" (waterproof) would be a great shoe for colder weather with no vents or holes and sealed off, as long as you're not going below freezing. Wear some wool socks to make them warmer perhaps:
Storm Kursk Black Sneaker | Classic Bike Sneaker | Chrome Industries

If your feet get really cold and you want some really warm bike-specific boots, 45nrth does that:
https://45nrth.com/products/footwear

(I think Lake does as well).

I think they're designed to be worn with or without cleats, though I'm not 100% sure.