XC Race Shoes, Colder Weather

ian220476

So, I currently own 2 sets of SPD shoes - Northwave Lizards and NW Celcius boots.

The boots are awesome in teh depths of winter in the rain, mud etc. The Lizards are fantastic summer shoes with plenty of ventilation.

What I'm after is a hybrid. I wnat something like the Lizards but with less mesh on it so I can use it on dry, but colder days. As we move to the winter series races etc I'd like these to become my default race shoes for the inetr months.

Question is - what? All of the shoes seem to have a load of mesh on them.

Any suggestions gratefully recieved. For the right shoe I'll go to circa 120'ish but would prefer to keep it sub 100 if I can

njee20

Just wear decent socks, I use Woolie Boolie's for racing with S-Works shoes all year round, in fact I ended up wearing them all last winter as my Celsius boots had the wrong cleats.

Bit of Hot Stuff on your toes doesn't go a miss either.

IShaggy

Start off with Merino wool socks, and then add some toe covers when it really gets cold.

benpinnick

Shimano XC90s have what looks like mesh, but its actually solid, so much warmer in the wind etc. but still light enough to run in all but the hottest days of summer.

4ndyW

What about the Endura over shoes, i see they do some MTB specific ones. This is what i might look into anyway.

guity

I have been having this dilema for years as I hate getting cold feet but dont want to wear something that looks like a full walking boot. I came across the shimano XC50N's and will almost certainly be trying a pair this winter. It seems odd that more companies dont do a similar line.

njee20

Because it's a bit of a non-issue? Never had cold feet when racing, in any weather.

guity

Not just racing but when out on a training or social ride too. I still wouldn't want to wear big boots or overshoes in that situation and my normal shoes don't fit thick socks in.

njee20

Why not? They're designed specifically for that purpose :roll:

It's like asking why they don't make a t-shirt and shorts that will keep you warm for skiing...

benpinnick

guity wrote:

I have been having this dilema for years as I hate getting cold feet but dont want to wear something that looks like a full walking boot. I came across the shimano XC50N's and will almost certainly be trying a pair this winter. It seems odd that more companies dont do a similar line.

Sorry, I meant XC50 not XC 90. These are what I have. Excellent shoes for not too harsh days.

ian220476

cheers everyone. Seems som split opinions on themerits of said shoe types. As a 'I would like to see some' person I'm going to take a look at the XC50's as a starting point.

As an aside I have also ordered some of the woolie boolie socks (gotta love that name) and will try them out wioth my Lizards. Report to follow.......

njee20

They're incredible, I actually love them.

YeehaaMcgee

4ndyW wrote:

What about the Endura over shoes, i see they do some MTB specific ones. This is what i might look into anyway.

I tried some Endura overshoes, just to keep my feet dry when riding in to work. It's still warm outside, so I'm not fussed about the rest of me, as long as my shoes were mostly dry.
Aaaaaanyhoo, turns out they're completely useless. My feet were soaked after 30 minutes in the rain, and my shoes are ruined.
They're about as waterproof as a tea strainer.

njee20 wrote:

It's like asking why they don't make a t-shirt and shorts that will keep you warm for skiing...

(puts hand up) Sir! SIR!...
I've been snowboarding in a T-shirt, and it was so hot I was sweating profusely
On the plus side, I could lie down in the snow and get cooled down immediately. Strangest weather I ever saw.