cachehiker

Is anybody using these? Or can anybody get a good look at them?

https://www.altrec.com/shop/detail/20156

What do you think? Are they worth $40? How thick are they?

I have some Lake MX255's purchased a full size large to accomodate thick wool socks. The insoles in them are about 3/16" thick under the ball of the foot. I'm sure I could accomodate another 1/16" or so worth of insole but I'm uncertain about room for a full 3/8" thick insole.

I've been looking at the Toasty Feet insoles as well. They don't appear to have any arch to speak of though. Am I right? I need one and that's why I've been concentrating on the Superfeet. What about the thickness? I haven't been able to find any information about the sizing either. Is their men's insole trimmable down to a size 8?

The overall intent it to hit the 15º-30ºF range with shoe covers, 25º-40º without. I love them but the Lake's currently fall about 5-10º short of that goal. My 661 Dually spd's already get me down to freezing with covers and I'd prefer to have the Lakes doing more than just "a little better".

ginsoakedboy

I've never seen these insulating ones, but I've used other Superfeet Performance insoles with good results. They look almost identical to the regular green Superfeet insoles that they sell for hiking boots and in ski shops.

I would think the sizing is like the other Superfeet products. They make a range of sizes (A-G), so you pick the right size for your foot, and then you usually only have to do a minor amount of trimming to fit them to your shoe.

Suggest maybe you go to REI or someplace similar and look at the regular SF green "performance" insoles to find your size and get an idea of what the insulated version would be like.

If you pop for them, please report back with a review.

HardyWeinberg

I have grey noninsulated superfeet inserts for my bike shoes. I'm not sure they are as functionally useful, arch-support-wise, as for general walking around (or running) shoes, but I like them, anyway. They seem to be longer-lasting than the shimano insoles.

I do think a 'feature' of the grey ones relative to the green or orange ones is that they are thinner if biking shoes are supposed to fit tighter. If the insulated ones are substantially thicker, I don't know if that would be an issue or not.

cachehiker

OK, here we go. Mark at the local full service outdoor store actually called Superfeet and talked to them directly. Just try and get that kind of service at the Sports Authority. The principal difference between the Wintergreen Cold Weather Insole and their Maximum Cushion Green Insole is a thin layer of Outlast insulation. I decided to go ahead and order them and buy a couple of more base layers too.

Well, they're here and I measured them. Beneath the ball of the foot they are 0.185"-0.190" thick. The old insoles were 0.145"-0.160" thick and obviously not intended to hold in any heat. I might line the bottom of the shoes with some aluminum tape as well. In any case, I'll let you know how much improvement they offer when I make my next frigid commute.

climbhoser

I'm surprised Lakes with thick socks and booties isn't enough at those temps.

I get the Smartwool mountaineering socks...so thick they feel like shoes in their own right...and put some Pearl Izumi Am-Fib booties over my old Answer MTB shoes. Toasty down to 0degF and below.

dave.lloyd

Cachehiker:

How do you like the Lake MX255? I'm about 99% sure that part of my cold toes problem is that my Northwave MTB shoes are too tight in the toebox. Do the Lakes seem wider than most shoes?

cachehiker

Cold feet are just a recurring theme with me. Both physically and metaphorically. I'm always looking at what body part gets cold at what temperature and looking to fix that problem first. Right now it's my feet and my eyes. If I improve them both by 10-15F then it will be my torso that gets attention next, probably in the way of a heavier Showers Pass jacket.

I'm already using some heavyweight Smartwool socks on the coldest days but my Sugoi Resistor booties are more wind and water resistant than warm. My PI Amfibs are road booties and don't fit over most mountain shoes, especially those with big Vibram soles that were intentionally purchased a full size large. I'll have a larger pair of Amfib mountain covers on the way here soon.

I like the Lakes for cold weather commuting. They have waterproof uppers but they aren't insulated. You have to supply your own insulation which is fine with me and my drawer full of various hiking and backpacking socks. They look like regular work boots until you take a closer look.

I was told by the LBS guru that their sizing is almost identical to Shimano. That seems correct in my book but I usually take a size 40.5 in Shimano's and their product line often leaves me in between sizes or looking at features I really don't want like ratcheting buckles on mountain shoes. Arrrgghh! I've destroyed two of them to date. Give me regular old velcro straps or give me death!

climbhoser

My AMFIBS are roadies, too...I just got 'em big enough to fit my mountain shoes! They work super duper...no more cold feet.

ehsiung

I have a couple of pairs of Toasty feet and yes, you are right, no arch at all, they are flat as a pancake.

cachehiker

My Superfeet insoles arrived and I trimmed them to size and put them in. There might not be a big difference between them and other thermal insoles but the difference between the Superfeet insoles and what was definitely a non-thermal insole is noticeable.

Before installing them, the Lakes got me down to the mid to high 30's without shoe covers. When standing on ice cold ground, it seemed like the warmth was just disappearing into the earth. On Wednesday, a GF and I met for a drink and a dessert at Ruby Tuesday after she got off work at 10PM. It was about 15F and I decided to wear the bike shoes (that look like work boots) just to see how they handled it. After finishing our order, we went outside so she could have a smoke and we could say goodbye. After 10 minutes in the cold, she couldn't stand it any longer and my feet were still toasty warm. Much much better.

On Saturday, I rolled out to do my Christmas shopping on the tour bike at 25F. I brought shoe covers just in case but wanted to see if I could get by without them. Lo and behold, an hour and eight or so miles later I arrived at the local tavern for a brew and a Philly steak. My feet were cool but not uncomfortably cold. Same thing after another hour and stopping to get groceries on the way home. I would consider that a solid 10F improvement. I also stopped and bought a pair of semi-inexpensive safety glasses to help keep my eyes from watering. No only did they help with that, they don't seem fog up as easily as my other glasses do too. Gotta love that.

Adding some decent shoe covers should get me down to 15F without being uncomfortable which is spot on what I wanted to achieve. I call that two thumbs up.

ginsoakedboy

The review is much appreciated. I will consider a pair for my winter footwear. I've abandoned my clipless pedals in favor of platforms for the winter riding season. Even with studded tires, the bike still gets squirrely in the loose snow, and I find that I don't like being locked to the pedals in those conditions. The platforms allow me to ride with any regular shoe, and I ordered a pair of the Sealskinz "Chillblocker" neoprene socks that should arrive today.