I'm heading into my first cold weather. I wear Shimano mountain bike shoes (size 46) with SPD clips. So far my feet haven't gotten cold, nor my legs (I wear Nashbar leg warmers with my Ultra bibs). But the temperature has only dropped to the low 40's so far. I may as well get prepared - the temperatures here in New England will be dropping a lot very soon.

I get confused when I look at booties: should they cover the rear of the sole, is neoprene the best material, are zippers better than velcro? Or can I go cheap and cut a hole for my cleats in regular overshoes/overboots?

Is there anything else on this subject I should be thinking or asking about?

Thanks, as always.

PS - Peak colors have passed but the NE scenery is still spectacular. I've had four gorgeous rides in the last four days - two hundred miles. I sure am lucky.

I got the Gore Bike Wear Race Power Gore-tex Thermo Covers. I hate having cold feet so I paid the extra money and got booties I knew would keep me warm from the cold weather and the strong winds we have here. If my feet get cold in these, it is too cold to ride outside. I also have a pair of PI toe covers (that were much cheaper) for the warmer days.

First, get wool cycling socks. Then, when it's cold enough, add either Pearl Izumi Cyclone toe covers or the full booties.

But this is one thing you really should buy at the LBS. It's a fit thing.

Have a look at these, they are very popular in the UK and are a good price. Pro Bike kit ship a lot of stuff to the states.

https://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=C0874

Winter Cycling Forum: https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...Winter-Cycling

Give Voler a look. I do most of my riding up in ny and new england year round and they have some great sales right now on winter riding gear. All their stuff is of the highest quality and service is a pleasure. Free shipping + free return shipping for returns & exchanges.

Yes neoprene.

For temps above freezing I like toe warmers (neoprene that covers the front half of the shoes).

For temps below freezing I prefer booties. I am a cheapskate so I use the Performance ones. They are fine IMO down to about 20 degrees.

Are they true mountain biking shoes with lugs or the commuting/touring type shoes with a smoother bottom surface but still the recessed SPD cleat? If it's the former I've had good success with these:

What's the point of posting/asking at a forum with virtually no traffic?

If everyone asked their winter questions over there, it would have a lot of traffic. But the winter questions get asked in all sorts of different forums instead ... and they get kind of repetitive (what headcovering/gloves/jackets/tights/booties should I get?). The winter forum was created for winter questions ... why not use it? If the OP had gone to the Winter forum before asking his question, he would have likely found the answer to his question there and would not have needed to ask.

Why I didn't post there?

1. I never noticed there was a "winter cycling" forum.
2. It seems to me that everybody post all sorts of questions in this forum - I personally would vastly prefer to see relevant questions posted in the appropriate forum, especially "bicycle mechanics" and "training and nutrition."
3. My observation is that questions in those forums don't get much traffic

I also didn't bother to search - there have been four postings with "booties" in the title this year, including one in "winter cycling" (and two in "road cycling"). This was simple brain fade - I didn't think of it. I should have, although those threads probably would not have addressed MTB SPD shoes, which seems (to me) like it might affect the responses.

I think people should post wherever they're more likely to get useful answers.
The fact is that some of the sub-forums are virtually dead.

And yes, pretty much all the possible questions about road biking topics have been asked at some point or another. Should BF be closed?

I like the large camel back insulated. Good in summer with cold and winter with warm.

Sorry about the above- I thought it was bottles...not booties. Disregard.

Not pretty, but they work.

https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...1556500_400041

I am going to try out my Gore Bike Wear Gore-Tex booties tomorrow morning. Will elt you know how they work out. Temperature will be in the mid to high 30's for the ride.

I have the pearl Izumi barrier booties but they don't keep my piggies warm. Nor do wool socks, plastic bags, etc. The doc says I don't have raynaud. Only thing that works for me in cold temps is the chemical toe warmers. Not cheap but that's what I have to do. Wish i had not spent the money on the booties! I hope your mileage varies...

How effective are booties?

If putting plastic bags over your socks on a scale of 1 to 10 is a 1, where would booties be?

9

For really cold days, I put on lycra covers, then plastic, then booties to make a 10 ...... chemical warmer optional if there's enough room for them to breathe

oh bugger. that means i have to get booties and i have a 2 year embargo on buying anything bike related. I now have booties and bibs on the to buy list.

So when I rolled out of the house this morning it was like 33F. The booties worked well, for the first 20 miles at least. Then my feet started to get cold. I think I need to get better socks.

I need new booties, but I'm also on a bike related purchase embargo. My current booties work great, but the zipper is broken on one of them. I'm using rubber bands to keep it on my upper ankle/lower leg. It's pretty pathetic. I figure I can get through one more winter with them. I hate it though.

actually I recently saw these...
https://www.sockguy.com/product2067.html