new shoes or winter boots?

This is going to be my second year riding through the winter and I don't want to repeat the frozen hand and feet experience of last year. Ok, so it doesn't get as cold over here in England as it does in some of your States, but I swear I thought I was going to lose my extremities last year...
I guess that my Scott mtb shoes (which I use on and off road) are too small for winter socks as they left me with no air gap for warmth. My DH uses overshoes for both road and mtb riding, as well as Seal Skins socks. His overshoes get in a real mess offroad and I'm afraid they might affect my already very poor unclipping ability.
I have had my shoes for about 4 years and I love them. So, do I buy a nice warm pair of winter boots to complement the Scotts or do I get a new pair of all rounders with enough space to get more layers inside?
Any advice welcome!


If in doubt, get off and walk...

I can't comfortably fit thick socks in my cycling shoes either, but here is what works for me in cold weather.

I use a pair of Pearl Izumi shoe covers - mine are old, but they are the equivalent of the AmFib shoe covers. If it's really cold, I add toe warmers (stuck to the bottom of my socks). The toe warmers I use are called Heat Treat Toe Warmers. Here's a link to the product description on the REI web site, just so you can see the details: http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...ory_rn=4500521. Maybe you can find these (or something similar) a little closer to home!

--- Denise

Given a choice, I personally would go with the winter boots/shoes. We are having the same chat at my house and we are shopping on ebay for some winter mountain biking shoes.

Just my 2 cents...

I did the overboots and they did not work for me.

Ruth

Winter shoes are _so_ expensive...I really wanted them last year, and I'm in Florida!

The toe warmers are great, but they only last an hour or two for me.

Nanci

After a ride yesterday with thick socks and toe box shoe covers (which end up as a muddy mess), I have been thinking about winter boots, too. I found the following reviews helpful and concluded I would want the Gaerne Eskimo MTB boot:
http://www.trailcentral.com/communit...d.php?tid=1319

They are expensive and might be easier to find in England <sigh> at http://www.wiggle.co.uk/

If anyone has any experience with these, would love to hear about it. Same goes for tips on how to keep my hands warm.

The UK may not get "really cold" (cold enough though) as such but it does get wet, wet feet are usually cold feet in the winter.
I wouldn't bother with toe covers/overshoes for offroad. I use Shimano MW02 winter boots, they are Gore Tex lined and keep my feet toasty warm - which is a miracle as my feet are always freezing.

They go down to quite small sizes as well. There are also Northwave Celcius boots which a few of my friends have and rate but I think they only go down to a UK 6/ EU 39. Both pairs of boots are widely available in the UK and both come in road specific versions as well.

Merlin have the Shimano ones for about £80:

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/acatalog/Shoes.html

If you can its worth trying to track some down to try on as I ended up going up a size tobe able to fit in thick socks comfortably.

There is a HUGE difference between regular biking shoes & winter shoes. The regular shoes are made to ventilate, and winter shoes are designed to keep that cold out. They have insulation & are much, much warmer with some type of layering construction. Check out Sidi, Diadora & Lake for good winter mountain biking shoes.

The BEST shoes for the winter are Lakes - I can't say enough good things about these. They're not cheap, but they are worth every penny (or schilling ;) ). Last year I went out riding in these shoes in -5F temps :eek: .

Most of our riding buddies have invested in these shoes. I would HIGHLY recommend them to everyone...

SheFly

PLL - Wow, those are some niiice winter shoes!

I've never wanted to spend the money on a real winter shoe - so on the road I will wear over-booties, toe covers and the like. I don't have a problem clipping in with those on the road, but the few times that I have worn overbooties on the mountain bike, I have trashed them and torn them up and made a mess of them so bad that by the time I'm done with them I can't unclip cause there are threads falling off and getting in the way.

I have a pair of mountain bike shoes that I can put heavy socks in i.e. wet gore tex ones for really wet riding and when it is not wet, I wear a liner sock and a woolie boolie type sock. This works okay, but my feet do get a little cold!

I broke down today and ordered a pair of Sidi winter shoes. Well, they are more like boots. I figured that I won't have to buy have as many chemical heat warmers, so I'll probably end up breaking even after two winter riding seasons. I ride every day -- only excuse not to is icy/snowy/unsafe weather conditions -- so comfort is a necessity.

I found the Gaerne boots in Ital Tecno but they are sooo expensive... I have decided to get a pair of Sugoi Bosui socks instead. Maybe the Chicago winter will convince me later on. It's the first winter I try to keep some regular rides.

SheFly: in what kind of weather do you ride with the Lake boots?

Velobambina: I look forward to your review of your new Sidi boots (congratulations!).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pll

SheFly: in what kind of weather do you ride with the Lake boots?

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I live in New England, so ride in these shoes all winter long - wet, slushy, snowy and COLD. I find that wearing a thin wool sock in these shoes is all that I really need. I used to wear regular bike shoes with oversocks, thick socks, etc., but none of that compares to these shoes - I can't say enough good things about them.

Here is a link to the Lake web page - I have the MXZ301s: http://www.lakecycling.com/category.aspx?categoryID=36 If you do a search, you should be able to find them for a bit less than MSRP, but this is the best $$$ in my opinion - warm feet are key to keeping my core warm on cold days!

FWIW, Bikeman.com (in Maine) has them listed for $169.95!!! That is a great deal, and this is a good vendor to deal with as well. (http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/p/SH-LAKEMXZ301)

SheFly

DOH - and right after I posted, I found the same shoe at Performance for $149.99!

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true

SheFly

Shefly -- Are those Lakes SPD compatible?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Velobambina

Shefly -- Are those Lakes SPD compatible?

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Absolutely! That's what I use with mine....

i have a pair of lake mtb shoes. they are spd compatible, but they are a year old, i assume the new ones are also compatible. they keep me pretty warm in cool weather, but when it gets cold they don't. i also have a problem keeping my feet warm in anything. thinking about getting a pair of covers to put over them also. they are a very comfortable pair of shoes though.

Thanks everyone who replied. I have decided to go for the winter boot option - shimano W101, which I have found in my size for a decent &#163;60.00. Hope not to have to use them too soon, but with nights drawing in it may not take very long. Will kepp you posted!

Ehecksher - the Shimano W101 are definitely on the small and narrow side you may need to go up at least one size. I had those before my current boots in a 38 which is my normal shoe size (about a 5) and they were so small they made my feet even colder and almost crippled me :mad: , I gave them to a friend who has dinky size 4 feet and she likes them.

Try before you buy, if you can't make sure you wear them around the house in thick socks for a good while to see if they are comfortable or not - don't put cleats on them till you are sure.

I already made that mistake and have replaced my new boots with new new boots in a size 38, as I too have dinky size four feet! I have been walking around in them in thick socks at home. They still feel narrow, though...

Em

They are narrow, they also don't "give" much, the leather is quite firm. The newer ones are a lot softer and a bit wider (but more expensive).