I need a pair of shoe covers. What's good for riding down into the teens with MTB shoes?

I've decided to "not" get a pair of Sidi Winter Cycling Boots with a new set of Dura-Ace 7900 Pedals to ride this winter
(along with plans for a new wheelset). Just doesn't make sense to put so much beauty on a bike just to gunk it all up
and subject it to the hazards of cycling in the suburbs & streets of New York City. I'll save the pretty stuff for the Spring.

I'm going to keep my current cheapie Wellgo MG-8 road SPD pedals and use my
Shimano MT-41 MTB Shoes and my Carhartt Wool Work Socks for several reasons.

No need for blingy shoes/pedals in poor weather/conditions.
More stable footing during stops on snow/ice covered roads.
Won't be riding near as much as I usually do,
so performance is secondary to protection from the elements.

I'm using a pair of Louis Garneau Neo Protects over size 48 Shimano MT52's. I've been down to 17F with them and a single pair if DeFeet Wooly Boolie socks. After about 40 minutes my feet start to get cold from the cleats. Luckily my commute is only 45 minutes.

I never had a pair of booties last more than half-a-season, until I bought a pair of Endura MT500s. They're on their third season now--possibly their last, but I'm still amazed I got more than one season out of a pair of booties. They're Euro-sized, so order one size bigger than you think you need.

Sugoi Resistors fit over my winter MTB shoes. Waterproof and fairly durable. I don't usually need to zip up in the back, and can slip my foot into them without having to take them off the shoes.

https://www.rei.com/product/725342

Shimano PRO Ventura shoe covers. They're going strong in their second season and have few signs of any wear.

And I've gone through two or three sets of booties a season in the past.

Would have recommended the Performance Neoprene booty but I see they've changed the design for the worse and raised the price. It's really too bad. The old ones had a zipper at the back, a thin rubber sole for durability and a substantial fleece lining. The only problem with them was that you needed to order them 2 sizes larger than your shoe.

Other booties wear out way too fast.

I've been really debating between LG and Gore.
I'll definitely will need more than 40 minutes of warmth.
I'm assuming that in the hi-20's & low-30's, it's still warm enough for you?

I think LG gives the best value of all the manufacturers.
Almost all of my gear is LG.

Endura makes good stuff.
I have MTB socks by them.
3 years later and their still great.
Thousands of miles on them.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. More important than waterproofness for me is winstopping & warmth retention.

It's not the LG bootie letting the cold in. After 40 minutes the peddle and cleat start to act as a cold sink and work up through the sole of the shoe. I have some toasty feet insoles I need to try if some of this snow will melt off.

I’ll ride down to 10f and find that rain covers will keep my feet warm down to about 40f. I wanted to avoid having a winter set of cycling boots, so I needed to find a way to insulate my existing summer cycling shoes.

My cycling shoes are light weight and well ventilated. Rain covers and Smart-wool socks help keep my feet warm down to about 40f, but colder weather is a real issue. I had a Boot Glove cover for my Alpine ski boots that was gathering dust, so I inserted it between my summer road shoes and my rain covers. They keep my toes warm to 10f and would probably allow me to cycle in colder weather if I wanted.



https://www.dryguy.net/BootGlove.php

Boot Glove is a 5 Mil N2s Neoprene cover that straps around the shoe, covering the toe, tongue, and sides of the boot. I removed the strap that runs under the sole of the shoe, it interfered with the cleat. I used a small square of duct tape to hold the Boot Glove over the toe, but it wasn’t really needed, the rain cover holds the Boot Glove in place. I use the rear strap of the Boot Cover, mostly to help stretch the Boot Glove over the buckles of the shoe. I then put on the rain covers and go cycling.

My cycling shoes perform normally without the extra bulk of heavy socks. This will allow me to keep cycling this winter in Chicago.

Michael

I used to have a nice set of LG booties. They were plenty warm, down to probably 10-15 F, with a couple of pair of wool socks.

They lasted about two months.

If you're out in nasty icy weather and forced to dismount a lot, booties get trashed unless they're really reinforced.

I would also recommend the Endura MT500. I had a pair of Louis Garneaus, but they fell apart in a few months. I am halfway through my second season with the Enduras. After the first season, the zippers were pretty well shot, so I ripped them out and stitched some velcro on. And 100% wool hand-knit socks.

Michael- what size are you running on the boot glove, and what size are your shoes? According to the charts I'm just barely a large, but I'm thinking that the sizing is for somewhat bulkier ski boots. Also, when you say you can ride down to 10, how long is that? I rode 2 hours the other day at 20* and my feet were in pain, but I can ride my 25 minute commute at 0* no problem. Thanks all for your suggestions.

Hi,

I'm in a size 46 (US - 12) road shoe and I'm using a large size Boot Glove. I could equally have used a medium, as you said: these are oversized for ski boots. I'm using a Sugoi rain cover over the Boot Glove, this also contributes to the warmth and provides a good wind break: https://www.realcyclist.com/sugoi-res...:referralID=NA

My longest & coldest ride was 50 miles over 3.5 hours. It was 12f at the start and was about 22f at the finish. My toes stayed warm with zero discomfort.

Again, thanks for all the info guys...I am processing it all!

Thanks Michael. I'm the same size, so it gives me some good solid info.

Just a heads up...usually have no prob with stuff I get from Performance. Having said that, I just recently ordered a pair of their Toesties toe covers, which were on sale and reasonably priced. Wore them once, in slush, and the material just gave out at the stitches. I had to take them off and stash them before I even finished that one ride and I was totally in disbelief that something could fail that quickly. Again, on the first ride.
Of course, Performance credited my account immediately no questions asked...but the sad thing is, man were my toes warm for a little while!

I swear by my Shimano MW80 shoes. Much warmer than shoe covers. My review here:

https://mile-high-mark.blogspot.com/2...w80-shoes.html

and:

https://mile-high-mark.blogspot.com/2...80-review.html

If your MW80s and good socks are warmer than normal shoes, good socks, and shoe covers, you're wearing a different set of MW80s than I have. They're great shoes, and they certainly are a lot more waterproof than shoes and shoe covers. But layering works on feet, too, and socks and shoes are one less layer than socks, shoes, and shoe covers.

The thing I like about the MW80s is they don't get trashed if you have to dismount a lot because of treacherous conditions. Almost all shoe covers rapidly fall apart if you have to walk in them.

Before I purchased my MW80s, I was wearing thin wool socks, Sidi Dominators, and Sidetrak neoprene booties. When it was near freezing, my toes/feet would be painfully numb halfway through my 11-mile commute. With the MW80s I can get to work before my feet even begin to feel cold (wearing the same thin wool socks).

Have you done any colder and/or longer riding with these boots? I would imagine that this boot in combination with a cover may be a sweet setup for those of us that usually ride in "mild" winter conditions but once in a awhile have to endure temps in the teens and twenties (when you could toss on the covers). Just a thought but maybe one I'll follow through on... I'm sick of destroying cover after cover and still having to endure frozen piggies through the winter.

No, I haven't ridden them below 30f (yet). Roads have been covered in ice, and temps were below zero for several days.

My coldest weather setup(tested down to -1F this year) is as follows:

SmartWool Socks
+
Cabela's Thinsulate-lined Gore-Tex OverSocks (above ~20F, I substitute Gore BikeWear *unlined* Gore-Tex OverSocks)
+
Thick-soled Shimano SPD Sandals (old two strap style)
+
Size 12 old style Performance Neoprene/Fleece Booties (over my size 10 feet)

how much room do you have left in your Neo Protects (and what size are they)? I've started a thread in commuting where I'm looking for booties that'll fit over my size 49 Shimano M086L's.