I’m looking to purchase a winter cycling shoe for my husband or a heavy duty shoe cover that work well under 40F. He’s currently dissatisfied with his current pearl izumi softshell shoe cover + toe warmer combo. Any suggestions?
I would go with nice thermal socks, chemical toe warmer packets, normal cycling shoes, thick thermal booties (Pearl Izumi or similar), and another light thermal shoe cover to go on top. It may sound bulky, but it’s not and it will work better and be more comfortable than some winter cycling shoe.
45NRTH Japanther
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I use Northwave MTB boots for commuting and winter rides when the weather is nasty. Go over the ankle, fully waterproof and windproof, my feet stay nice and toasty inside and it’s a lot less hassle than messing around with shoe covers. They also last a lot longer than shoe covers, which I find tend to wear out quite quickly due to the wear and tear of getting them on and off and walking around in them. Only thing to be wary of is water getting in the top on really wet days, since it can’t drain out, so you need to wear waterproof tights and pull them over the top on those days.
a pair of 45NRTH winter MTb riding shoes will be hard to beat for absolute warmth.
but i have been happy with Sidi Diablo Gore-Tex boots as well and would cover temps down to the 20s.
North wave or Sidi boots. Or, Castelli’s best full shoe covers for winter. And warm socks. I prefer warm socks and shoe covers. The boots are a bit too stiff for my ankles.
hth
Most any shoe, with most any shoe cover + these
http://shop.gydesupply.com/7V-Socks?quantity=1&custcol1=3&color=1&custcol_fit_matrix_field=1
Heaven
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A good pair of boots beats any shoe, sock, warmer combo out there, and is much less of a pain.
Specialized Defrosters are good, 45NRTH stuff is great, and lake MKZ303 are amazing.
Big fan of the insulated Sidi Gore-tex boots. They make both a road & MTB sole version, but the MTB is preferable for better traction on wet pavement+leaves, etc so I’ll swap out the pedals this time of year.
I have the Lake 303 boots which I really like. They have a heavy lugged sole though so not the best for road cycling.
I haven’t tried these, but based on my experience with the 303, I’d happily order them blind…
http://lakecycling.com/collections/cold/products/ncx-145?variant=10016859077