Talk to me about cycling boots

[pll]

Do any of you have cycling boots (Lake, Sidi, Northwave) for cold weather riding? Once the temperature drops below 50, my toes get cold fast even with wool socks and toe covers. Yesterday I tried a nice set of booties from Gore I bought and, while they kept me warm, it was a pain to clip in. Admittedly, I am clumsy.

Any opinions on the Northwave Fahrenheit? The review I can find are good and the price is high (like all cycling shoes), but not outrageous, at least compared to others.

[Crankin]

I bought a pair of the Gore Alp-X cycling boots last winter. I found them on line for a huge discount in January. They are like hiking boots with cleats. I bought them on She Fly's recommendation, and they have been great. I don't ride in the dead of winter, but I wear them when the temps get in the mid forties. However, I am pretty sure they only work with mountain style cleats. I have Frogs on my newest bike, and I might be wearing the boots today, as my toe covers or booties do not fit well on the mountain style shoes. I just use booties, wool socks, and chemical warmers if I am riding my bike with regular Speedplay X pedals. Last year I switched out the pedals so I could use the winter boots, but now I won't have to.

[OakLeaf]

If your booties are interfering with your cleats, you should be able to enlarge the hole - if there's a seam binding and you don't feel comfortable replacing it yourself, it should be pretty inexpensive to have a shoemaker do it.

A friend of mine has the Lake boots and really likes them. But I'm pretty sure they're only compatible with 2-hole cleats.

[redrhodie]

I just got Lakes yesterday. I've only used them twice so far, but so far, I LOVE them! They're pretty light weight for a boot, and my feet were very warm with just one pair of wool socks. It was 32º yesterday morning. And yes, just 2 hole cleats. I would order up a size. I'm a 40 in most cycling shoes, and I got a 41 in these. They are very comfortable, and the popular choice among the serious winter riders around here. They also come with a packet of wax protection, which I haven't applied yet, but it was nice that it was in the box.

ETA: These are the ones: http://www.amazon.com/Lake-Mens-MXZ302-Cycling-Shoe/dp/B0048EJZ6Y/ref=pd_sbs_shoe_2

[gnat23]

SIDI Diablo lover here. The sizing already takes thicker socks into consideration. Goretex means that NO water or wind gets in. The higher ankle is nice to keep dribbles out.

As soon as it gets below 50degF, it's my only commuting shoe!

-- gnat!

[Becky]

SIDI Diablo lover here. The sizing already takes thicker socks into consideration. Goretex means that NO water or wind gets in. The higher ankle is nice to keep dribbles out.

As soon as it gets below 50degF, it's my only commuting shoe!

-- gnat!

What Gnat said. I wear my normal Sidi size in my Diablo boots. If I needed super-warm, I'd look at either the Lakes or Pearl Izumi's Barrier GTX boots. I love that I can wear the Sidis when temps are moderate but it's windy/rainy. For very cold days, I steal a pair of DH's wool socks to go over my wool socks.

My only quibble is that I have skinny girl ankles and I can't quite get the neoprene cuff tight enough.

Timely thread- I just switched my road bike to SPDs so that I can wear my Diablos :D

[nscrbug]

I'd be interested in hearing thoughts on the Northwave Fahrenheit, too. I currently wear regular Northwave road shoes and I LOVE them! So when I started to consider getting a pair of boots, I immediately leaned towards the Northwaves because I know their road shoes fit me well. I would like to be able to wear a regular (not overly thick) wool sock and be comfortable. My feet/toes tend to not like super thick socks. Actually, my feet don't really start to get cold or numb until we do rides where the temps start out in the 20's and top out in the 30's. Anything above that, and I'm generally okay with my current set-up of 1 pair of regular wool socks, my normal road shoes, and my PI toe covers.

Linda

[Marquise]

I found Sidi Hydros for half price last year. My regular Sidis are size 39.5, while my Hydros are men's 40 (no half sizes) and they're much bigger. Plenty of room for warm socks but they're much warmer even without heavy socks. Can't keep my feet warm without them when it's low 40s or colder.