Winter Boots SPDs

photonic69

Hi All.

Looking for winter boots for commuting. Fed up with neoprene overshoes wearing out all the time and with the faff of fogetting them in the morning if it's dry and then getting soaked feet on the way home. Needs to be MTB SPDs as walking in other cleats is a no-no. The area around the bike shelter is treacherous in the winter when it's wet and slimy. Also the path behind the house where I need to wheel the bike etc.

Looking at these:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-mw7-mw701-gore-tex-spd-shoes-2019/rp-prod177971

and those:

https://www.merlincycles.com/northwave-celsius-xc-gtx-winter-boots-2021-200006.html

or maybe these:

https://www.merlincycles.com/northwave-magma-xc-core-winter-boots-2021-201106.html

Anyone with experience of either? I hear that some can be a bugger to get dry if they get that wet. Rain soaking in through the top down the legs etc. I have full length mudguards and flaps bet still get wet feet.

Thanks

pblakeney

One tip is to put your leggings over the boots/overshoes so the water runs down and off instead of in at the ankle.

shirley_basso

I have tights (Pearl Izumi onfab something) which have a waterproof cuff which is specially designed to allow water to flow over the top of your shoes. They are a bit restrictive for really hard rides, but perfect if the weather is horrendous.

kingstongraham

I've got the SPD-SL equivalent of the Celsius and really like them.

I can't remember if I've ever needed to since I had them, but the best thing for keeping water from running down your legs into your overshoes/boots is a pair of marigold gloves with the hand bits cut off so you can put your feet through and have a tight fit around your leg, with the arm bit over the top of your boots.

davep1

I got some from Planet X for about £70, reduced by 30 something -

Planet X Das Boot Extreme Weather Off-Road Cycling Boot 2 Bolt SPD 45 Fluro Yellow - can't find anything like it on their site at the moment.
They aren't totally toasty, but have been wearing them on my off road commutes down to -3. I have to admit, they don't look too cool, but I'm too old to worry about. Warm and dry feet are priceless.

photonic69

oxoman said:

I got the previous version of the northwaves and can't fault them. The newer ones have tabs front and back to assist getting them on. Use mine for comutting, cyclocross/ MTB and only got wet feet once and that was down to a flooded road. 2yrs old and still scrub up almost like new. PX ones ok but not as warm.

That's great to hear. What is the sizing like? I'm usually a UK 10.5 (EU 45/46) though my last Shimano shoes were a 47!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Another who bought a pair of PX Das Boots ~2 years ago, having thought about dedicated winter shoes for a few years.

They are my goto shoes for commutes over winter and outside summer, when heavy rain is expected. Comfy, quite well insulated, but breathe enough to use in all but heatwave summer.

I found they sized small, had to send 43s back and replace them with 44s. This had the extra bonus of leaving plenty of room to layer up two pairs of socks (neoprene plus cotton) when sub zero.

richys

I have the older versions of the Northwaves too. Absolutely brilliant in winter. Keep everything nice and dry and the neoprene cuffs do a good job of keeping the water out (ideally with tights/trousers on the outside as pblakeney says.

I normally wear size 45 shoes, 46 Sidi summer shoes (quite tight) and 46 Northwaves. Plenty roomy enough with my wide feet for some thick Woolie Boolies too.

kingstongraham

I take 46 in Northwaves which they call 12 uk.

I take 46 in asics trainers, which they call 10.5 uk.

And 10 generally. I've no idea.

Dorset_Boy

I have an older pair of Northwave boots (SPD-SL) version that i use for my winter rides. If the roads are wet i use a gaiter over the top to stop the water running down into the boot:
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/gripgrab-cyclingaiter-rainy-weather-ankle-cuff?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=100384190&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=base&gclid=CjwKCAjw2OiaBhBSEiwAh2ZSPwgl9ijkkKDCMWJwq_K3PPeHtO3rIY9I1yVxmNhj4eXmCevt59bQ_xoC8_gQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

photonic69

Liking the idea of the cuffs. Didn't realise such a thing existed. I've used gaffer tape in a particularly heavy downpour!!

Question is the GTX (goretex) version or not?

kingstongraham

Dorset_Boy said:

I have an older pair of Northwave boots (SPD-SL) version that i use for my winter rides. If the roads are wet i use a gaiter over the top to stop the water running down into the boot:
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/gripgrab-cyclingaiter-rainy-weather-ankle-cuff?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=100384190&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=base&gclid=CjwKCAjw2OiaBhBSEiwAh2ZSPwgl9ijkkKDCMWJwq_K3PPeHtO3rIY9I1yVxmNhj4eXmCevt59bQ_xoC8_gQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

They're actually not that much more expensive than Marigolds.

rwoofer

I've been using Fizik Artica's for 4 years. Really easy to wipe down and no water inside.

photonic69

Went for the Shimano ones in the end and some calf gaiters for the tops. I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks for the help/comments (which I appear to have ignored lol)

navrig2

Buy the make that fits best. I ordered Mavic boots. They looked great but squeezed my feet so badly I could not have worn them. Sent them back and ordered NorthWave - no regrets. Get a GTX pair for better water proofing.

thegreatdivide

rwoofer said:

I've been using Fizik Artica's for 4 years. Really easy to wipe down and no water inside.

I bought a pair of them in a 43.5 only to find out that a 43.5 in Fizik winter boots is huge - even with two pairs of socks on. Then missed out on the return window - so I've got a boxed, unused pair in the spare room.

I'm currently wearing Fizik Terra Artica X2 which have been great for winter offroad, but they're not fully waterproof like the R5s.

photonic69

So my Shimano MW7's arrived today along with some new cleat, calf gaiters and Haribos. They really look the business! Happy days! Just wearing them around the house to check they are the right size. Seem to be OK with just my normal thickish socks with room to spare so probably fine with thicker merino winter socks too. The calf-gaitors (Velotoze) are just bands of Latex. Reminds me of clubbing days of yore (but I wont go into that now!) They are a little loose as I have skinny ankles and calves. Some impact adhesive and a knife should sort them out.

edward.s

Bit late to this, but you made a good choice! I've been using the previous versions of the Shimano MW7 for 3 years all through the winters, and they have been faultless. I'm a 46 in pretty much every shoe, cycling or otherwise, except I am a 47 in all 3 pairs of Shimano shoes I have, they do seem to come up small.

Medium weight merino socks and not doing the shoes up too tight so you have good blood flow works well for max warmth for me. Avoid constricting blood flow by cramming in thick socks or tightening up too much and they'll keep your feet nice and warm.