Flats for the oncoming winter

sparky543

Not wanting to totally ruin my FiveTens this winter, I'm looking for a good flat to go with my DMR V12's, but I'm not coming up with many bike specific options. Currently the best choices for me seem to be in the trail shoe category and one that stands out for me is the Merrell Refuge Pro GTX (Goretex). This winter, I'll mainly be riding muddy trails and wet forest roads.

Has anyone used these 'multi-sport' Merrells? Could you kind chaps point me in the direction of reasonable alternatives?

Many thanks.

rhialto

I have not tried the Merrels. I have ridden with a couple of different pairs of bike shoes, one hightop the other low, that had Gore-tex liners. In my experience, they don't work very well. As soon as you ride through a deep puddle, or your leg brushes a sodden bush, or you walk through a bog, your feet get wet despite the liner. And with a Gore-tex liner, your shoes will take forever to dry out. I remember walking through ankle deep, soaked grass and my feet getting progressively wetter and I wondered why I was carrying the extra weight of the liners (they do increase the weight of the shoe)!

My suggestion is to wear your preferred shoes and a overshoe. Others will recommend fast-drying trainers and Sealskinz socks. Either way, if you want to keep your feet dry, you have to wear pants/tights that go over your socks/overshoes to prevent water running down your leg and into your shoes.

DodgeT

Don't know if it helps but.. I had some merrell chameleon wrap (not too dissimilar sole pattern) and they were awful on superstar nano's. Wore for about 1/2 mile then went back to the car to change them.

sparky543

Thanks for the thoughts chaps. How about a pair of Shimano AM41's? Are they still considered to be worthwhile for winter trail use? Maybe with a pair of sealskinz?

rhialto

sparky543 wrote:

Thanks for the thoughts chaps. How about a pair of Shimano AM41's? Are they still considered to be worthwhile for winter trail use? Maybe with a pair of sealskinz?

I have a pair of the AM41s. They have a shoelace cover that helps keep them dry in the odd splashing but during really wet weather I would definitely wear Sealskinz or overshoes. I prefer overshoes as they keep my feet dry and warm and my shoes aren't covered in muck when I get home. Mind you, they wear out quickly when I have to carry my bike up rocky trails, which I seem to be doing quite frequently these days :?

The AM41s are flat soled, so the grip on flat pedals is good but the grip on wet grass is bad.

sparky543

CRC have the AM41's for £59.99 (when my size is back in stock). For the price of those and a pair of Sealskinz, might be worth a first try. I'm assuming overshoes for AM41's are easy to come by?

Thanks again.

rhialto

sparky543 wrote:

I'm assuming overshoes for AM41's are easy to come by?

Aye, there's the rub. I recently purchased some Endura Luminites (size XL to fit over size 44 AM41s). They are stretchy so they fit well and they keep my feet dry and warm. Unfortunately, after a dozen rides, some of which involved a fair amount of bike-carrying over rocky terrain, they are starting to come apart where the sole joins the upper.

They would probably last much longer if I didn't have to get off and hike up steep hills but that's not very realistic around here (Lakes) given the routes that I am exploring. I have yet to find a hard-wearing overshoe and am resigned to buying a new pair every winter, possibly more frequently than that. That doesn't mean durable overshoes don't exist - maybe others on the forum have had better luck?