AlanS

I live in Colorado now and ride down to about 25F on dry roads, only. I've been using the Pearl Izumi neoprene shoe covers (with wool socks), and they keep my feet fairly warm. My only complaint is that they look dorky, and the Velcro that closes around the ankle is rather pathetic.

I'm thinking about investing in some clipless, road-oriented, winter shoes. I'm considering,

(1) Northwave Fahrenheit GTX shoes (about $175)
(2) Mavic Frost ( about $200)
(3) Northwave Extreme Winter GTX Boots (about $260)
(4) Sidi Diablo GTX winter shoes (about $350)

I'm leaning toward the Northwave Extreme Winter GTX, just based on what I can glean online. Any opinions out there? Will an expensive road shoe be any better than a neoprene shoe cover, in practice? I'm at that delicate age where I don't want to look like a dork.

Here's a picture of the Northwave Extreme Winter road shoes:

bruised

Hello Sir!
I'm in desperate need of warm winter footwear and noticed your recommendation for these overshoes. I'm wondering what type of shoe you wear under these for the coldest riding conditions and just how bulky they are compared say with a heavier winter snow boot?
It's my first year winter riding and I have everything pretty much nailed down except for my feet! I fat bike ride in deep snow, regularly dismounting to push through drifts and the like. Temps frequently hover around 0F, often -20 / -30 with windchills.
I've been using an insulated snow boot with a -20 rating but they do not keep my feet warm. I've tried chemical toe warmers and they do nothing to help.

So I'm wondering if these are a viable option and what they'd work with (underneath) for low, low temps...

Or if anyone has a handle on a different (affordable) option, please let me know. I've investigated a lot of stuff. I liked the look of the heated insoles that someone mentioned in another thread, but then when I read the reviews on Amazon they were badly slated - lots of 1 star reviews saying they don't work well or the stopped working etc.

I even considered the very expensive Wolverhammer boots, but they've also had a lot of bad press on the MTB forum, people saying the soles split and they fall apart.

Of course the problem with boots is that once you've determined that they don't keep you warm enough it's too late to send them back, as they get scuffed quite quickly on the bike. (I'm a size 14 in boots so they rub the cranks!).

Thanks!

erig007

^ If you don't need cycling specific shoes then no need to spend extra in order to keep your feet warm.
Neos explorer are pretty much hardsole mukluks, with proper liners inside you should be just fine at 0F.
Here are some wool liners:
SOREL | Shop Men's Liners to Increase The Warmth In Your Boots

Here are the warmest socks i know. May requires to go 3 size up in shoes (the lighter one, first link) and are very warm (those don't restrict blood flow as much as socks layering)
Large Sz 11 12 U s Socks Warm Knitted Wool Sheep 100 "Winter in The Russian" | eBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-size-1...item35e19527ee

Daniel4

You'll have to decide if you want overshoes, where you can wear your runners or dress shoes inside, or a pair of boots. The difference is the size.

I bought a pair of dry-guys overshoes from Canadian Tire for about $24. But they were too small and Dry Guys doesn't make them anymore so I had to return them and get my money back.

Then I found a pair of Neos at Tent City. For $70, I'll just settle with what I'm wearing right now, summer hiking boots and double-wool socks.

scoatw

Don't call me sir I work for a living. As stated previously, I wear LL Bean snow sneakers as my winter footwear. They keep the toes warm down to about 0f/-17c to -5f/-20c or so. They fit good inside the NEOS overshoes. You could wear any shoe you wanted with these. I use power grips to hold them in the pedals. The overshoes will easily handle anything down to -20f/-28c or more. No additional liners are needed with these.They use the Navigator model on the Iditarod Trail Invitational so what does that tell you?

These are bulky. The Explorers weigh 3.3lbs and you feel it. That's the price you pay I guess for comfort over painfully cold toes.
I have no experience with Wolverhammers, or Lakes or any other winter cycling shoe. But I would be suspect as to their performance in those kind of temperatures.

erig007

The Neos explorer are the insulated one. My mistake.

harolddelaney

I like to wear regular MTB clip-in shoes with shoe covers that don't really do anything and two pairs of wool socks. Once I can't feel my feet anymore (about 30 minutes into the ride), I like to stop at the gas station and get some of those feet warming chemical pad things which give me about an hour of warmth. Then my feet get really cold and start to hurt again, but I just ride it out at that point. Pretty much a flawless system, folks.

arsprod 

A +1 for the LL Bean snow sneakers (which I learned about from scoatw). I wear them down to about 15F and then cover with a pair of Foxwear oversocks, basically just a pair of large Foxwear socks. For snow and below 15F temps I also use Neos but have the Villager, no insulation. They fit over the Bean shoes with no problem just remember to get the correct size, probably a size larger than you'd normally wear, when you order the Neos

Roadbikedude

I got a pair of Shimano SH-MW81's and they are toasty warm without sweating your feet. Worn them down to 0F or couple hours and still toasty warm. One thin sock and one wooly one. Size 47 for my size 11 feet. Riding in the snow is a blast and a great workout. Off to ride on the lakes tomorrow!

PaulH

Another vote for Neos. Warm, dry, and quick and easy to put on and take off.

duckbill

Giro Alpineduro, best winter cycling boots I have owned. Warm and comfortable and much better then the Sidi winter boots I have been wearing the three years previous. Not bad for walking in for a no flex Vibram sole.

Noonievut

I ride in temps as low as -20c. I use mountain bike shoes that are sized up, and then I wear warm, wool socks and use chemical toe warmers. Neoprene booties over that. I can ride one hour and my feet are warm (they are actually warm...as opposes to "not cold"). Such a simple cost effective setup for someone who rides now-and-then. Would want to use the toe warmers daily for commuting, however.

keepamonte

I have been pleased with my specialized defrosters, both road and mtb. I rode the mtb ones with temps from 32-40 with intermittent rain on gravel with a medium merino sock for 3:15 and never though about my feet the entire ride. Did a 1:45 in I 30 degrees on the road this morning with the road ones and were toasty.

pyze-guy

Whats the coldest you have used them? Been eying those but havnt seen any winter reviews, only from autumn. Hows the fit compared to non-cycling shoes?

erig007

https://www.bikerumor.com/2015/01/03/...cycling-boots/
https://twentynineinches.com/2015/01/...alpineduro-15/
https://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/gir...es-928138.html

Canker

I finally broke down a bought a pair of Lake MX145, their lighter winter mtb shoe, this year and it has made a world of difference. I had been doing the regular shoe + thick wool sock + chemical warmers trick and that was ok down to about 40 for me, I have crappy feet, but below that I would quickly become more and more miserable. With the Lake's I'm still trying to figure out the right sock and/or toe warmer setup but I the worst I've had is chilly toes and in the teens. This weekend's ride started in the mid 20s and finished at about 30f and my toes were actually too warm most of the time.

duckbill

The weather here some days have been in the -20C to -30C with the wind chill factored in. On the one day at -30 I used a chemical warmer for my toes. They fit well for my foot. I have a wide foot but a narrow heal and my regular shoe size works for these shoes. I find my feet stay warmer with a good pair of wool cycling socks, (Capo brand), but not too thick so my circulation is hindered. The only fault I have found with the Alpneduro are the laces. I have already replaced the original pair. I am now looking for good hiking / work weight replacement shoe laces. The boot is water proof but you must wear a gaiter to keep water from coming in from the top.

pyze-guy

I have read those reviews, which is why I asked the OP. I meant cold, -20C/-4F range and below.

pyze-guy

Thanks.

Kaminokaze

These work on well on the cold wet winter rides in NorCal

Daniel4

Bought a pair of winter hiking boots at half price for $75. As I was preparing for the winter season, I knew I didn't want to spend in the $200 range like all those winter biking shoes and hiking boots were selling for. And I had wasted $54 on Louis Garneau booties. I was wearing my summer hiking boots up until last week.

keepamonte

I just did 3+ hours in my Specialized Defroster mtb shoes in really crappy weather. It started about 32F with a feel like of 22 and dropped to 21F with a feel like of 14F d/t wind. I wore a medium weight merino sock and was toast warm, in fact I would next time use a lighter sock to reduce the sweat! I'm really happy with these boots!