Rowan

Then the BBB Waterflex might be OK for you.

Mithrandir

Pedal harder.

Rowan

fify

Wesley36

Not booties, but I have had good experiences with Sealskinz socks. Last spring I did a 200km brevet (225 after I got lost...) in the pouring rain, the temps for the day were between 3 degrees C and 0 (ie just above freezing), but my feet were dry for the first 100+km. However, after that the water started leaking in. The good thing was that the water that got in was quickly warmed up by my feet, and I did not have trouble with cold feet.

https://www.probikekit.com/ca/clothin...ing-socks.html

Daytrip

Cycling in heavy rain is like getting hosed down from three or four directions. You're going to get soaked on a ride of any decent length. Live with it, or don't do it.

surgeonstone

That is what I have come to terms with. Truly waterproofed anything equals internally waterlogged from condensation....which is ok as at least then I am warm. It is for this reason that if it is above 75 F, I just wear my regular clothes and let the rain soak me. I just tell myself that my post ride shower just began a bit early.

Butcher

I have the Sidi Hydro's and use the Pro Tarmac H20 booties. After a 60 mile ride in the non-stop ride, my feet were dry [ok damp from sweat but not wet]. The great thing about the Sidi's is there are no holes under the shoe, water cannot get in [from under the shoe]. The only way I have got a lot of water in the shoe is from the top running down my leg. As long as I do not ride in a down pour, I am dry.

ZippyThePinhead

We are generally pretty blessed in the weather department down here, but there is a lot of air going over a bicycle shoe, and most of them are designed to let some of it circulate over the feet of the wearer. Everyone is different. Yesterday it was 50-ish when we started, and I wore my Defeet wool Blaze socks with my usual road shoes, but my toes were cold almost immediately, and stayed that way for a long time. Dunno why, wish it wasn't so, but what can I do?

Daytrip

I just got a pair of Sidi Hydros and they're nice, but for what they cost, they should be. Last winter I experimented with using chemical toe warmers in my low-end Garneaus, and found that it was better to put the summer soles in than the winter ones. I think that because the chemicals need air to work, you're better off with a little ventilation. Of course, you can't have ventilation and water resistance, but you're not going to get that with shoes like that to begin with.

Commodus

I already did, you gotta get rain pants that go down over the overshoes.

I use these: https://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cyclin...pants-mens.jsp

They are very waterproof, but I don't like them for other reasons. They go down over the booties, and stop rain from getting in the top. There are lots of truly waterproof booties out there...

pershing

If you want to waterproof your feet only, you could look into goretex socks. https://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satel...SessionWrapper

I personally have not tried this yet but will be looking into getting a pair if I can find a decent deal.

djb

rain pants fitting over the top of rain booties such as my MEC ones generally do the trick for me. Im due for new rain pants as mine arent so good anymore.

I dont see the issue with the bottoms of the booties letting in rain, mine fit over my shoes reasonably tight and rain doesnt get it from below, I mean, the bottom of my shoes are plastic and the booties go over the edges anyway, and the rain doesnt fly up , so its never an issue.

*As for drying out soaked shoes, last summer I tried for the first time the trick of stuffing rolled up newspaper into my soaked shoes and it REALLY is effective for sucking moisture out of the shoe material. So much I had to change out the newspaper after a few hours, it really really works and is much much more effective than just having shoes in front of a fan (although both is great)

on this note, rain booties and pants will over a long ride (and temperature dependant) mean damp on the inside BUT I'll take this over completely soaked shoes, especially if one has to ride the next day.

Good rain booties and reasonable rain pants work pretty well for hour long rides. I still hate riding in the rain, cant imagine living in Seattle, Vancouver, or the British Isles....

Inertianinja

as an update:

i haven't found a satisfactory solution from all these, and obviously responses like "you're just going to get wet" and wearing waterproof socks aren't going to help.

so i'm going to try the pearl izumi overshoes and give them an extra coat of waterproofing spray to see if i can get the result i'm looking for.

banerjek

Your attempt to avoid inevitability is doomed to fail Trying to stay dry when spending hours having water dumped on you is an exercise in futility...

Eclectus

I have a couple pair of Sidi boots, road and MTB, Gore-tex. For rain, I have some scuba booties, from Mike's (Nor-Cal suba shopt) tops cut off to fit outside and around the boot tops. Under rain pants. My feet stay dry. The combo works great.

In really cold weather (single-digits to below zero F) I use some tennie-style The North Face ankle-high shoes with Primaloft insulation. I'm an old-fart, slow-riding diabetic, so I really have to protect my toes. Those of you who are young, but want to keep your tootsies warm and dry, these things will make you happy, I suspect. If you're riding in lots of rain, in cool temps, and below freezing, you either have to figure out what will keep you comfy, or decide to be a hard-ass who relishes discomfort.

Both have proponents. When you're young, you should relish pushing through pain. When you get older, maybe too, but maybe not so much.

I like the Showers Pass Elite Jacket, also a Marmot Gore-Tex alpine parka with pit-zips.

If you are young, who cares if your feet get cold and wet? When you get older, you often look at things differently. I want my feet to be warm and dry. Thirty years ago, it didn't matter.

Inertianinja

i'm really not trying to stay *dry*. especially in real downpours, i probably wouldn't ride.

it's more the light rain / just after the rain days. i don't care if my bike or clothes get wet and dirty. but the shoes - i'd rather they have some layer of protection. or on windy days around the ~55 degree mark, when it's not cold enough for heavy gear, but a little wind protection over my foot would be nice.

really i just want like a condom for my shoes. if they made overshoes out of latex i'd be happy.

neneboricua

Really, look into the SealSkin socks. I use the Mid Thermal Cycling socks. Together with some Louis Garneau "waterproof" shoe covers, I can ride down to around freezing temperatures in Seattle rain. Even though both items are supposed to be waterproof, my feet still get wet, but at least the water is reasonably warm.

The SealSkins socks really are waterproof, though. I can stand in a bucket of water and my feet will be totally dry as long as the water doesn't go over the top of them. The problem is that if you're out there for 3+ hours, water will eventually get in over the top of your socks. Also, your feet will get wet if you sweat a lot since waterproof socks won't breathe quite as nicely.

I combine those items with some water-repleant tights. These Pearl Izumi Ambfib work well for me. The description says waterproof, but that's only true in the locations where there is the softshell paneling, which is the front side of the tights. The back of the tights are a thermal mesh designed to breathe, so water can get in through there, but honestly that doesn't happen all that often. The coolest thing about these tights is that there is paneling around your butt so it keeps your butt almost totally dry while riding. This, together with a bike that has full fenders and you're pretty much set to stay as dry as possible. Just know that there's no way to stay TOTALLY dry.

Inertianinja

I might give them a try. but again, the goal is to keep the shoes dry, not just my feet.

ultimattfrisbee

I decided to punt on trying to make my bike shoes waterproof. I have toe clips on my winter commuter and I wear a pair of Sorrel insulated duck boots with Smartwool socks (or lighter socks if it's warmer). I find the duck boots are considerably less bulky than hiking boots and are totally waterproof and comfortable. After an hour or two of riding, my feet are warm and dry.

I do give up some performance, I'm sure, with toe clips instead of clipless pedals, but I rode with toe clips for years and I think you can get a lot of efficiency out of your stroke with them. I have a pair of O2 breathable waterproof pants which I can wear over underlayers or not. I was out for a couple of hours today in a pretty heavy rain, and stayed drier on the bike than I do walking from my back door to my driveway when I'm not wearing my gear. Still working on the hands, but have ordered some Climitts. Hoping that will be very effective; I've heard they're awfully warm and comfortable.

Of course, if you want to ride your bike shoes in the rain (which I do when it's warm), this isn't a solution for you.

skybono

neneboricua did tell you about "Louis Garneau "waterproof" shoe covers"

simonaway427

Normally, I wouldn't consider Bontrager anything....but I bought these in a pinch from the LBS and they have been absolutely fantastic. I've ridden these in snow, slush and driving rain, and my feet have stayed dry and warm.

Highly, highly recommended.

There's no difference between the road version and the MTB except the bottoms - MTB are more open - I use these as I'm on a cross-bike in the off season.

Butcher

Because the water leaks from the top into the shoe. Mine are terrific as long as the water does not come from the top.

Biscayne05

Can I thread jack?

What would you guys recommend for WARMTH? I've been eyeing the Pearl Izumi AMFib but I'm looking to see if there's anything comparable/cheaper @ the same price point ($30-40).

Adrianinkc

I love these.

Nick Bain

wool