How to stop water getting into your shoes

jibberish
jibberish Posts: 151
edited January 2014 in Commuting chat
Hi guys

I've finally invested in some NorthWave Arctic boots for the winter. They're waterproof but this morning all the rain got into my boots from the top via my socks.

Anyone got any handy hints for how to prevent water getting in?

Jibb
«1

Comments

  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    This is pretty much impossible. Good luck getting the boots dry BTW. I have a pair of Northwaves, they keep feet warm but not dry.
  • jibberish
    jibberish Posts: 151
    Thanks - I was wondering if that might be the response. I was hoping maybe there would be some kind of sleeve you could put over the top of the ankles just to make the "top" of the boot higher up and further away from the puddles.
  • asprilla
    asprilla Posts: 8,440
    Mudguards are your best option. Stopping the spray onto your shins tops most of the water that ends up in your shoes.
    Mud - Genesis Vapour CCX
    Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
    Sun - Cervelo R3
    Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX
  • jspash
    jspash Posts: 107
    NOT with these, that's for sure!
    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/end ... s-ec036952
    The Endura Dexter Overshoe is a water repellent cover for all kinds of footwear and cleats.

    Not only do they NOT repel water, but I think they actually attract the stuff. By the time I got to work it felt like my feet were soaking in two warm bowls of soup. Not looking forward to dressing for the ride home. I wasn't able to convince my colleagues that draping my gear over the heaters in the office was just something they would have to get used to. Nope. Didn't go for it one bit. :lol:
    2014 Planet X RT-57
    2015 Genesis Flyer
    2018 Canyon Endurace CF SLX Disc 8.0 Di2
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    jspash wrote:
    NOT with these, that's for sure!
    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/end ... s-ec036952
    The Endura Dexter Overshoe is a water repellent cover for all kinds of footwear and cleats.

    Not only do they NOT repel water, but I think they actually attract the stuff. By the time I got to work it felt like my feet were soaking in two warm bowls of soup. Not looking forward to dressing for the ride home. I wasn't able to convince my colleagues that draping my gear over the heaters in the office was just something they would have to get used to. Nope. Didn't go for it one bit. :lol:

    Days like this i ride in with a spare set of shoes and a full change of kit. :lol:
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    I have a pair of the Northwave Arctics which I mostly use for cyclocross in very cold weather; they're great, but if you get them properly soaked they take a good 24 hours on a warm radiator to dry out. Today I was wearing my ancient and decrepit Specialized Defrosters, which get just as wet but dry out far more quickly.

    The best bet for you might be some sort of plastic bag gaiter, attached to your leg with electrical tape. If you're wearing tights with straps under your feet and/or long socks, there's not much you can do because the water will run down through the fabric.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • UndercoverElephant
    UndercoverElephant Posts: 5,796
    We have a shoe-drier in our cyclists changing room. Spoiled? Oh yes!
    Sun - Rain - Snow
  • jibberish
    jibberish Posts: 151
    A shoe drier????? Very posh indeed. We have an air conditioned office so we can't even hang stuff on a radiator.
  • rhext
    rhext Posts: 1,639
    Mudguards help a lot, if you've not done that yet.

    Was discussing this very issue with a mate of mine over the Xmas period and he said he'd had some success with taking a pair of Marigold rubber gloves, cutting off the hand part and using the wrist part as a sleeve to go over the neck of the boot (so you pull it up your leg, put the boot on and then pull it back down over the top of the boot). Might be worth a try.

    Must confess, I'm in the 'choose some shoes that dry out easily' camp!
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    Wear the bottom of your trousers over to top of the boot.

    The rubber glove idea sounds good but make sure the colour matches the rest of your kit or bike. Then patent the idea and run a crowd funded marketting campaign and make millions by selling people the sleeves from rubber gloves.
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • jibberish
    jibberish Posts: 151
    That marigold trick sounds as though it's definitely worth a shot. I can't bring myself to put mudguards on - just doesn't feel right. :-)

    I can't devote any time to a Kickstarter for this. I'm going to make my millions by inventing a raisin magnet. Any time you got a bowl of muesli with raisins :x in it, you wave the raisin magnet over the bowl and it pulls all the devil's dangleberries out.
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Mudguards + overshoes and I can happily do an hour in monsoon rain and still have dry socks. More so on my track bike, probably due to the tighter geometry.

    Fortunately we have clothes drying cabinets at work should water win the battle.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Mudguards, sealskins socks, footloop of your tights outside the boots, overshoes. Takes a fair while for that lot to give up!

    The limitation is when your tights get saturated - then the water runs through the fabric and into your shoes that way.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    this ...
    Duct-tape.jpg
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • DrLex
    DrLex Posts: 2,142
    Sadly, today was another commute where NW Arctics were paired with Gaiters to make it through the various flooded sections. Not a great look, but on the plus side, dry socks and free wheel washes.
    Location: ciderspace
  • Agent57
    Agent57 Posts: 2,300
    Mudguards will help, and be doing other cycle commuters a favour.
    MTB commuter / 531c commuter / CR1 Team 2009 / RockHopper Pro Disc / 10 mile PB: 25:52 (Jun 2014)
  • linzi
    linzi Posts: 3
    Somehow yes! It will help commuters.
  • twist83
    twist83 Posts: 761
    DrLex wrote:
    Sadly, today was another commute where NW Arctics were paired with Gaiters to make it through the various flooded sections. Not a great look, but on the plus side, dry socks and free wheel washes.

    Same here I got a bit wet walking from the front door to the car ;)

    My excuse is I live in Long Sutton and since Long Loads bridge shut a commute would involve an extra 5 or so miles or cycling down the A303 which is not advisable. And the Lime Kiln road is pretty awful.
  • dazzTurning
    dazzTurning Posts: 67
    When you come to a big puddle of water, stop peddling and keep the cranks parallel to the ground. It keeps both feet the furthest point from the water. May help a bit
  • DrLex
    DrLex Posts: 2,142
    twist83 wrote:
    My excuse is I live in Long Sutton and since Long Loads bridge shut a commute would involve an extra 5 or so miles or cycling down the A303 which is not advisable. And the Lime Kiln road is pretty awful.

    Tallbike.jpg

    Thankfully only witnessed this morning's son et lumière from afar; kept speed low so as not to catch it up...
    Location: ciderspace
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    This, my legs stay dry 'behind' the mudguard with pedals level, not if I'm pedalling, also move out more from the edge of the road as it usually lays wettest.

    meantime dry socks for the office and just put up with putting on wet (but warm) gear for going home, it's only water and as a result of billions of years of evolution the human skin is pretty water resistant!
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • goonz
    goonz Posts: 3,106
    DrLex wrote:
    twist83 wrote:
    My excuse is I live in Long Sutton and since Long Loads bridge shut a commute would involve an extra 5 or so miles or cycling down the A303 which is not advisable. And the Lime Kiln road is pretty awful.

    Tallbike.jpg

    Thankfully only witnessed this morning's son et lumière from afar; kept speed low so as not to catch it up...

    Good luck putting a foot on the floor at the lights.

    To be honest I have cycled with overshoes and no mudguards and the shoes still got soaked; if anything even more soaked. The best thing you can get are full mudguards. If you do go for overshoes water will always eventually get in but perhaps taping the top with duct tape may keep from water seeping in immediately.

    When you get to work remove the insoles and wipe the insides of the shoes and then stuff them with tissue or paper or old rags. Soaks up the water much quicker than leaving them to drip dry. Can usually get all my gear dry this way by the evening ride. Nothing more demotivating than putting your dry feet back into wet shoes.
    Scott Speedster S20 Roadie for Speed
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    Cinelli Mash Bolt Fixed for Pain
    n+1 is well and truly on track
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  • jeepie1999
    jeepie1999 Posts: 78
    I wear my pair of berghaus yeti gaiters over my cycling shoes. They're meant for mountaineering, but they work well on the commute.

    With these I usually keep dry feet and can use my spd cleats.
  • Fireblade96
    Fireblade96 Posts: 1,123
    Remember which part is the path, and which part is the Thames:
    11816533793_0fa3d95669_n.jpg

    (I turned back this morning and went along the road)
    Misguided Idealist
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    I find if I put the bottom of my tights/leg warmers over the TOP of the cuff of my winter boots (rather than tucked in) the water tends to wick outside rather than inside. Not perfect but it helps
  • shmooster
    shmooster Posts: 335
    jedster wrote:
    I find if I put the bottom of my tights/leg warmers over the TOP of the cuff of my winter boots (rather than tucked in) the water tends to wick outside rather than inside. Not perfect but it helps

    It works if your tights are waterproof, which the OPs aren't. :)
  • antonyfromoz
    antonyfromoz Posts: 482
    Has anyone tried these, or anything similar, and did they work to stop water getting into your winter boots? http://www.goreapparel.co.uk/MTB-Shoe-G ... lt,pd.html Otherwise it's going to be the rubber gloves when I start wearing my NW Artics...
  • jibberish
    jibberish Posts: 151
    shmooster wrote:
    jedster wrote:
    I find if I put the bottom of my tights/leg warmers over the TOP of the cuff of my winter boots (rather than tucked in) the water tends to wick outside rather than inside. Not perfect but it helps

    It works if your tights are waterproof, which the OPs aren't. :)

    Ha!
  • jibberish
    jibberish Posts: 151
    antonyfromoz wrote:
    Has anyone tried these, or anything similar, and did they work to stop water getting into your winter boots? http://www.goreapparel.co.uk/MTB-Shoe-G ... lt,pd.html Otherwise it's going to be the rubber gloves when I start wearing my NW Artics...

    Those look perfect.....if a little bit on the spenny side. So it's either £50 or the marigolds.
  • antonyfromoz
    antonyfromoz Posts: 482
    Or there's always this option: http://www.biketouringtips.com/showTipC ... tipID=1806
    :D

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