[Closed] Winter boots, where are we these days?

45nrth great boots. I have the japanther.

I've been using my 45nrth's for 4 winters now and they've been excellent.

Bontrager OMW

Do look carefully - my (ancient admittedly) Lake winter boots are waterproof and insulated upper.

On uninsulated sole with hoofing big SPD plate and access hole. They are both wet and cold from below...

An uncannily timely thread as after almost ten years my Northwave Celsius boots are also approaching the end of their days! I am genuinely sad about this as they have been completely bombproof but are now starting to wet through in the fabric sections and taking forever to dry so following with interest to see what the alternatives are.

Bontrager OMW

+1

I'm on my second pair of Specialized Defrosters. These are 3 years old, previous pair lasted 7 or 8. Completely waterproof and warm enough for me in all but the most extreme conditions.

Just got some Northwave Himalayas. Can't yet vouch for their waterproofing yet but they are the warmest boots I've ever had. Ridden in sub zero for a couple of hours with some thinnish merino wool socks and never noticed my feet. Might be a bit extreme as they are more like 'fat bike' boots in a 45nrth kind of way. I have some Shimano MW7's which i really like but was starting to suffer when they got wet. They take ages to dry out. I sized up on the Northwaves and they have lots of wiggle room in the toe box but feel nice and fitted.

I have tried MW7`s. Great at keeping feet warm but useless in the wet. As said they take ages to dry out, and i also found them to be a bit bulky and heavy. I am close to clicking the button on a pair of Sidi Zero as they look less bulky and i use sidi shoes everywhere else.
Staying warm is easy, unless its wet. Keeping cold water out of whatever shoe seems to be the golden ticket. I have tried neoprene gaiters, a friends has tries spatz, i am about to go back to waterproof socks and overshoes. Last resort will be £200 on the sidis and overshoes with a tight neoprene cuff.

could've done with this thread last week as have pulled the trigger on some Shimano MW5's.

I've snapped the boa equivalent on my NW Celcius...what an awful design for winter that is. have ordered a new closure system - so hopefully the shoes won't go to waste. Didn't find them quite as warm as the manufacturer claimed though.

I keep seeing the Planet X cheap and cheerful ones on offer. Has anyone real world experience with these?

Re: deportvillage... they’re one of those places that say they have stock but don’t always. Bought some shoes everything was fine. Bought some drivetrain stuff, only half of it turned up and had to chase multiple times to get refunded.

Re Deportvillage - they weren't shipping to the UK yesterday when I tried to buy a hydration bladder.

I've the MW5's for just over a year. As my first pair of winter boots, they've been a game-changer for me. Warm enough and water-proof enough for my feet to remain comfortable in anything the UK weather has had to throw at me, both on and off road, for 1-4 hour rides.

They were reasonably cheap too, under £100 IIRC.

There may well be better, or more long-lasting, boots, but these have been an excellent introduction to comfortable feet in winter riding for me ...

I have tried MW7`s. Great at keeping feet warm but useless in the wet. As said they take ages to dry out, and i also found them to be a bit bulky and heavy.

I have sent my new MW7s back to Madison today as they aren't even vaguely waterproof. After one 12 mile, all paved commute home, I poured a third of a pint out of water out of each boot*. This weekend on a normal, wet Welsh ride, I got home with socks soaked through. If it isn't a warranty issue, it's a 'not fit for purpose' problem. I never experienced this with my old Northwaves and normal shoes with neoprene overshoes would be more effective at keeping out water, if not being quite so warm.

*Obviously the water is getting into the boots, but not getting out, so they are waterproof somewhere! I'm wearing trousers outside the boot top, so it's not running straight in.

Mavic crossmax thermo something are pretty good at the light end of the spectrum. I don’t think I’ve ever had wet feet that I couldn’t obviously attribute to having got wet legs first.

They aren’t especially warm- I’d say tending to ‘not ventilated’ rather than ‘insulated’- but the trade off is that they feel a bit less clumpy to ride in than the equivalent shimano boots.

Just need to clean and oil the zip occasionally to keep everything running smoothly. Zips on shoes isn’t my favourite decision but this one seems ok.

I just bought a new pair of Lake MXZ303's to replace my old worn out ones. They are really good, Never had any issues with cold coming through from the cleat mount. Same goes for water.

One of the best investments I've ever made. It makes biking in the winter much more bearable.

I really rate my Lake MXZ303s for UK winter conditions, right up to the point today where I crashed off my bike on an icy track and tore the boa dial clean off.

Defrosters, warmest I've had and with the best ankle closure. Not keen on the current colour and they can squeak if rubbing against cranks with clear tape.

After problems with the first pair of Northwave Raptors shrinking I recently got a second pair, since they were a size bigger and half price. Stiff, very comfortable, no sign of shrinkage. Bit of a gap around the ankle, which I've got GripGrab Gaiters to remedy (annoying to get on but highly recommended). However it really shouldn't be that difficult to design the ankle without a gap, my old pair were fine and Specialized managed it. Also had the SLW2 jam up with mud, just needs cleaning out but not experienced this with a proper Boa in eight years.

Also happened to get a pair of discounted Fizik Artica X5. Comfortable, very nicely made, great to walk in with a proper rubber sole. The ankle is quite stiff but seems to be slowly breaking in. I had to stitch the tongue behind the zip in place because it just slid round to the side. Pair about 160g heavier than Northwaves. Not particularly stiff considering they're apparently carbon reinforced. Zip leaks slightly but nothing that's going to get feet wet. I expect problems with the zip in the long run. Slightly behind Specialized and Northwave for warmth. Cleat slot too far forward IMO.

Are Shimano MW5 sealed at the cleat? Heard maybe not but perhaps someone can confirm.

I got some Shimano MW7s a couple of months ago. Nothing to compare them to other than normal cycling shoes but they’ve kept my toes toasty down to below freezing. I did get them a size bigger so I can fit a walking sock and a waterproof sock inside.

I've got some defrosters just recently because I've been suffering big time with cold feet. Not feeling the warmth at all..so either need some seriously warm socks or go extreme winter boot. Been checking out Lorpen inferno expedition socks(£65!)..if they don't work nothing will!

Defrosters and waterproof trousers for me is keeping me completely dry. Sometimes I add a pair of socks for added warmth. This week - well below zero all ride I added a chemical hand warmer to both foot on top of the foot / toes. Toasty warm all ride.

Anyone else stuck Yeti gaiters on MTB shoes, or is it just me?

Sorry to jump in on this thread but I've just had a pair of NW Celsius boots delivered from Wiggle. I'm usually a UK size 9/EU 43 and that is the size I ordered. I've never had an issue with size 9's and sometimes got away with a size 8 or 8.5 but these are very tight and particularly narrow. Are NW generally as small and narrow fit?

Will just return and get the next size up but just wondering if I might need the next size beyond by the time I've put a couple of pairs of socks on.

Thanks.

Another vote for Bontrager here - they are built a bit like snowboard boots with a semi-rigid outer shell, and a removable insulated bootee which goes inside. I tried quite a few combinations before these and have been really impressed.

Are NW generally as small and narrow fit?

Yes.

Are NW generally as small and narrow fit?

Yes.

Another yes from here. I've got a pair of size 44 NW Raptors on my desk, ready to ride home in. (Replacement for the dodgy waterlogging MW7s). I'm normally 43, but even the size 44 NWs are quite narrow, to the extent I may not be able to wear thick socks. (Possibly not necessary, if memory serves me right about my old NW Celsius boots.)

Yup,I also went for NW Raptor Artic GTXs (two sizes up) and a set of Grip Grab Gaiters.

As mudeverywhere says,with the cuffs they are a barsteward to get on,but I am hoping that with the Gaiters I won't need to bother with shoecovers now.

Thanks. looks like I'll go two sizes up then.

Sorry to jump in on this thread but I’ve just had a pair of NW Celsius boots delivered from Wiggle. I’m usually a UK size 9/EU 43 and that is the size I ordered. I’ve never had an issue with size 9’s and sometimes got away with a size 8 or 8.5 but these are very tight and particularly narrow. Are NW generally as small and narrow fit?

Will just return and get the next size up but just wondering if I might need the next size beyond by the time I’ve put a couple of pairs of socks on.

My NW road shoes are 44 but I needed 45 for the Celsius boots.

Ive got a some MW7's too, i have had 1 ride with wet feet, but it tipped it down and i rode through lots of puddles, so not surprising really. I did notice that the water seems to track down the inner tongue bit if your trousers and the flap is not fully pulled over. Still feet kept warm.

I have sent my new MW7s back to Madison today as they aren’t even vaguely waterproof. After one 12 mile, all paved commute home,

Odd, I'm really happy with mine. I'd thought that the tongue wasn't waterproof but looked again and it seems to have a goretex back. The neoprene wrap around the angle isn't but then that's no different to the older Shimano W101s. Fit true to size - I wear a 46 in other Shimano shoes, these are sized to take a thick sock at the same size (and still be able to move my toes).

I've hosed them off while wearing them without getting wet feet but as soon as it's running down your legs its going to go through the neoprene cuff

Anyone else stuck Yeti gaiters on MTB shoes, or is it just me?

Yes, have them on my 45Nrth Wolvhammers - used them in the arctic winter a few times. A with walking/climbing boots they need to be fairly stiff boots, otherwise they'll pop-off the front. These are the GoreTex ones but still had lots of frozen condensation on the inside. Boots are only rated to -18C so did start to feel it a bit when standing around on frozen lakes at -25C and below.

On my second pair of Shimano XM9s / SPD walking boot, brilliant, will probably buy another pair when I wear these out in about 5 years.

I’m on my second pair of Specialized Defrosters. These are 3 years old, previous pair lasted 7 or 8. Completely waterproof and warm enough for me in all but the most extreme conditions.

+1 to the above, exactly the same experience with two pairs of defrosters, down to the timescales.

Odd, I’m really happy with mine. I’d thought that the tongue wasn’t waterproof but looked again and it seems to have a goretex back.

Odd, as you say. On a normal (ie not torrential or flooded) wet winter ride in my previous Northwaves I'd expect to have damp feet at worst, not to have to be able to wring water out of my socks, as I did last weekend. Also, a friend has MW7s as well, rides in the same places as often as I do and hasn't reported any problems. Anyway, they've gone and my new NWs kept my feet warm this morning.

After freezing my feet off for 3 hours on NYD and almost having to cut a ride short because of it I've decided to order a proper set of winter boots for mainly road with a bit of gravel and mtb thrown in. I've gone for the Northwave Extreme XC to run with SPDs - I'm usually a 10.5/11 UK and ordered a 46. Size guide says a NW 46 is a UK12 (?) so no idea how they are going to fit!

Received some Northwave Celsius boots today. Size 10 feet so ordered EU46. Tried them on with thick winter socks and they felt sufficiently roomy in both width and height. Quite comfortable to be honest and I like a wide last such as my Lakes have.

But I'm sending them back for two reasons. I prefer the Boa system a) because they're free to replace when they break and b) because they're less fiddly than Northwaves' dials. That little catch to unlock annoyed me after less than 5 minutes of use.

The second reason is I feel that the neoprene ankle gaitor isn't tall enough. I bought them thinking the gaitors would fit under my leggings but they're too short, significantly shorter than the Pearl Izumi WXB shoe covers that I currently use on the road. I think I'll go for the Specialized Defrosters next but not until the summer when they should have dropped in price. For off-road I'll stick to using waterproof socks with my summer shoes for the time being.

My favourite shoe brand Lake haven't really dialled the lightweight winter boot yet (not waterproof) although their heavier boots which, although having just sold a pair, are great.

Fit true to size – I wear a 46 in other Shimano shoes, these are sized to take a thick sock at the same size (and still be able to move my toes)

This is a good point for anyone considering the MW7s. I went a size bigger than normal (46 vs 45 normally) and they are very roomy. I suspect the 45s would have been fine most of the time, but it is nice being able to fit a thick hiking sock plus waterproof socks in there now that January is here.

After a similar thread I bought some Northwave extreme xc gtx winter boots but I sent them back. Came up small for me so I'd need the size larger. Also it was the devils work to get my feet through the neoprene collar. These are/were intended for both road commute, gravel and mtb duties (when not on flats). The tension system feels/looks pretty vulnerable if I'm honest - maybe betting in action than in the living room. Sole super stiff though - a priority for road riding comfort for me but maybe less so off road. And as said the collar is still pretty low. I can see why it's not higher after the faff getting my foot in but even so...

I might just keep using the shoes I've got and fiddle around with socks and overshoe options. It's currently -5deg outside and I've not seen +ve temperature since new year so I feel I 'deserve' winter boots more than most but need to find the right pair for me.

Hi there

thanks for all the interesting feedback.

I think I have been put off the new Northwave celsius as it now seems to have become an XC shoe and the sock thing just isnt boot enough!

I think for me a winter boot is a north of england winter so mostly temperatures around +5 to -2 its a more waterproof boot I need rather than a boot for -10/20 dry cold conditions.

To be fair the old Northwaves were waterproof and plenty warm enough, I dont seem to suffer from cold feet too badly and usually just wear "normal" socks never bothered sizing up and never wore wool socks etc.
The Specialized defrosters look good, and from what people here are saying probably fit the bill for what I need. I cant seem to find them for sale in my size....

If anyone has seen old stock Northwave celsius or Spesh defrosters in size 44 / 10 let me know.

Once again thanks for all the input.

To be fair the old Northwaves were waterproof and plenty warm enough

They are, but have a couple of design flaws. First, they don't do up tightly enough around the ankle so water gets into the top - gaiters needed. Second, the "double flap" arrangement can leave a gap over the non-waterproof tongue. Hopefully these issues have been fixed on the newer versions.

I've got the older Northwave Arctic with the flap and some Specialized Defrosters. They seem about equal in terms of resisting water ingress. Both usually end up a bit damp in really wet conditions. Both are easy to clean with a hose. Northwaves have fared well for 3-4 years. Beware of over tightening cleats as the plastic sole isn't the most durable. The defrosters close around the ankles, but I find the material a bit rigid and less comfortable. The placement of the Velcro also seems designed for people with pencil thin ankles.

@NorthCountryBoy If you're size 10 (as I am ) I would 100% advise you to go for size 46 in those Northwaves. The more enclosed air you have around your feet then the more air there is to warm up. Additionally you'll be able to fit thicker socks on which since it's winter why would you not? I didn't test the shoes on my bike so couldn't advise on the amount of heel lift although the 'toe stand test' didn't show too much but this kind of test illustrates where the forces are on the shoe which takes me onto the next point.

Durability. The reel cord has only one cord line between the shoe flap and the dial whereas many shoes have two so I could see that being a point of failure.

Also consider foot width as Northwaves aren't like Lake, for example, who cater for wide feet. Narrow shoes can ruin a ride.

Despite what many people are saying I didn't find it too much of a struggle to get my feet in them. Loosen the cord fully and my feet went in no problem. The Neoprene cuff is stretchy enough.

Odd, I’m really happy with mine. I’d thought that the tongue wasn’t waterproof but looked again and it seems to have a goretex back.

Odd, as you say. On a normal (ie not torrential or flooded) wet winter ride in my previous Northwaves I’d expect to have damp feet at worst, not to have to be able to wring water out of my socks, as I did last weekend. Also, a friend has MW7s as well, rides in the same places as often as I do and hasn’t reported any problems. Anyway, they’ve gone and my new NWs kept my feet warm this morning.

And just an update. I've been using the new Northwaves for my commuting, since I got them, a few weeks ago. (About 9 miles each way, mainly along cycle-paths, with some large standing puddles in places depending on weather.) I haven't had wet feet once, even this week when I've ridden through Storm Christoph's best efforts. I am assuming that there was something badly wrong with the Madison MW7s, because I would have had wet feet if I'd been wearing them this morning.

If anyone looking to buy some Lakes ( I have opted to try a pair of the MXZ200s) I can thoroughly recommend Salt Dog Cycling as a place to make a purchase.

After a few emails regarding best fit, Richard rang me (on a Saturday afternoon) and talked me through the best way to size winter boots. Interestingly, Lake own the "lasts" that they use to make their boots so the sizing is consistent. Apparently Shimano, Specialized etc  go to whichever factory suits them at the time so there is some variation in size.

Anyway Richard was extremely helpful, first class customer service.

I'm still on the Shimano boots I bought in 2007.

They look trashed, but I still had warm feet after 3h in the muddy snow this morning.

I thought they were expensive at the time, but they have more than paid for themselves in warm dry feet.

They are the version with neoprene round the top. This has never sealed. Gaiters and waterproof trousers if it's a splashy day as the water just runs down inside.

Also happened to get a pair of discounted Fizik Artica X5. Comfortable, very nicely made, great to walk in with a proper rubber sole. The ankle is quite stiff but seems to be slowly breaking in. I had to stitch the tongue behind the zip in place because it just slid round to the side. Pair about 160g heavier than Northwaves. Not particularly stiff considering they’re apparently carbon reinforced. Zip leaks slightly but nothing that’s going to get feet wet. I expect problems with the zip in the long run. Slightly behind Specialized and Northwave for warmth. Cleat slot too far forward IMO.

Update: That didn't take long, zip dead. Will be returning when I can work out how to fill in a customs form.

Lake 303’s here 6 years old, still solid, waterproof, & warm, if huge & clunky. Had the original NW celcius many year ago, they were rubbish, so I stopped wasting money in half hearted attempt at proper boots. I have used the majority of Shimano offering, which are great waterproof boots Ime but crap winter cold weather ones.

Had diadora chills.

Then the Shimano winter boots.

Then the Shimano waterproof walking boots (warm but gets wet easy)

Now on bonty old man winters and the wife has 45nrths -wish we had these availible years ago. None of the normal winter boots come close for warmth

Worn with your waterproof trews pulled over they stay dry for ever unless you submerge them in standing water

Thanks for all the info, there was a lot to think about. In then end I decided to stick to what I know works for me ! Managed to find anothe pair of the classic Celsius, should keep me going for a few more winters.

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So the Lake's MXZ200s arrived and they are a very fine boot. They appear to be very well made with lovely soft leather, reinforced in various places, and they are toasty warm. I went out for a couple of hours today in -2 air temp and my feet were warm and comfortable throughout - I have been out in similar conditions with various other "shoes" and have always been in pain after about 30-40 mins.

Money well spent. 👍

Trying to revive this thread: Could anyone compare the new, BOA-equipped Shimano MW7 winter shoes with the old Shimano MW81 in terms of sizing and fit? From what I've read, the MW7 runs larger and one should size down compared to the MW81. But I've also read a few comments here and there that the MW7 still runs small/narrow as most Shimano shoes.

For reference, I wear US 9 street shoes, US 9 or 9.5 (mostly 9.5) sneakers, Specialized EUR 43 and EUR 44 in the Shimano MW81. So I wonder if I should try my luck with the MW7 in EUR 43?