Winter Footwear

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Aryeh
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by Aryeh

I use Shimano RC9 shoes and last year I used Shimano branded toe covers in the winter but it wasn't enough.
So this year I want to buy good shoe covers that will keep me warm and dry or a good pair of dedicated winter road shoes.
Can I get some recommendations?

Bigger Gear
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Location: Wet coast, Canada

by Bigger Gear

The answers vary so much by location, climate and predominant weather conditions. Cold and dry vs warm and wet vs cold and wet all have different needs IMO. Give us some more info please :)

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Mocs123
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by Mocs123

I'm not sure I see "real" winter compared to many, but I have a set of Pearl Izumi shoe covers that have served me well.

Galibier always seems to have good cold winter gear for the money and I see they have an Arctic 3 Overshoe that looks pretty good.
https://www.galibier.cc/product/arctic- ... overshoes/
2015 Wilier Zero.7 Rim - 6.37kg
2020 Trek Emonda SLR-7 Disc - 6.86kg
2023 Specialized SL7 - 7.18kg

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ultimobici
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by ultimobici

Aryeh wrote:I use Shimano RC9 shoes and last year I used Shimano branded toe covers in the winter but it wasn't enough.
So this year I want to buy good shoe covers that will keep me warm and dry or a good pair of dedicated winter road shoes.
Can I get some recommendations?
+1 for winter shoes. See if you can go up a half size to allow you to use something like Defeet Woolie Boolies without impeding airflow. Thee see that way you’ll be toasty!


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C36
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by C36

I haven’t tried winter shoes but as of overshoes, Spatz wear are unmatchable, the very only 100% waterproof be aise they seal around your legs. Having a narrow foot I can put toes warmers or thin overshoes underneath in case of sub zero temp (taking a size up will do the same if you have wider foots).

romanmoser
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by romanmoser

Spatz
And gripgrap

that's it
most brands that do all don't do gloves and shoes covers wel

kervelo
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Location: Finland

by kervelo

Bigger Gear wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:56 pm
The answers vary so much by location, climate and predominant weather conditions...
This.

I am sure Spatz overshoes are great, but they are more like rainy weather overshoes, not for real winter.

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C36
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by C36

kervelo wrote:
Bigger Gear wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:56 pm
The answers vary so much by location, climate and predominant weather conditions...
This.

I am sure Spatz overshoes are great, but they are more like rainy weather overshoes, not for real winter.
You have a point, they are unique facing water, for pure dry environment you would only need material thickness.
Now define real winter Image Canadian winter clearly not, negative temp, it works (here I had toes warmers underneath) and whenever heavy fog, humid roads or rain catch you mid ride… you are happy having foots 100% dry.

Image

kervelo
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by kervelo

C36 wrote:
Fri Sep 30, 2022 10:53 am
Now define real winter...
Here the definition of winter changes almost daily :D We used to have autumn, winter and spring, but during the last years it has been increasingly difficult to tell which one is going on.

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C36
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by C36

kervelo wrote:
C36 wrote:
Fri Sep 30, 2022 10:53 am
Now define real winter...
Here the definition of winter changes almost daily :D We used to have autumn, winter and spring, but during the last years it has been increasingly difficult to tell which one is going on.
I hear you… recall a ride last year, left with a cloudy 3deg and was expecting temperature to drop when climbing so put all the bells and whistles… once above the clouds it was 10deg and ended up with jacket fully open… and on the way back descending I went back to freezing Image.
For those conditions, if not way below zero, I would again go for the Spatz since they got you covered for the rain part that is the worse you could face in winter.

Now for pure cold and dry conditions I am curious what people recommend.

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robbosmans
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by robbosmans

Spatz is nice but be careful because they are quite fragile. A good winter sock is also very important

CustomMetal
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by CustomMetal

I love my northwave boots but also have the Spatz gravlz over shoes
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MichaelK
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by MichaelK

robbosmans wrote:
Fri Sep 30, 2022 10:09 pm
Spatz is nice but be careful because they are quite fragile. A good winter sock is also very important
100% this. Stopped recommending them as customers refused to read the instructions, treat them with care and Spatz would always deny warranty claims.

The new neoprene overshoes from Specialized are meant to be very good, I've seen good things and will be on my winter clothing refresh shopping list.

UpFromOne
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by UpFromOne

These are awesome, and incredibly light:
https://www.ridewill.it/p/en/xlc-250008 ... 38/773456/

Bigger Gear
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Location: Wet coast, Canada

by Bigger Gear

For pure cold and dry I think the key is some form of Windstopper fabric and a light wool blend sock like a Defeet Wool-E-Ator. For winter do not stuff too large of a sock into the shoe. Also, on shoes with big old sole vents, tape up the vents for winter.

For cold and wet I've tried almost everything and at the end of the day, nothing beats a neoprene bootie like Castelli, Sportful, Garneau, BBB etc. The only other ones equal are an older Gore bootie that are full Gore-Tex with a thermal liner. I'm not sure if Gore still makes this exact bootie, I had one pair that lasted for 6 or 7 seasons of awful riding, and I have another pair that have done 2 winters now alongside various neoprene booties. Gore shows the model below, but this version does not have thermal lining. I do not see the version with thermal lining in the Gore lineup now. They now have a pair called "Sleet" which might be the hardcore wet and version now.

https://www.gorewear.com/us/en-us/gore- ... oes-100242

Also full fenders and a nice long flap on the front fender really helps with the water ingress.

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