Winter Boots for Flat Pedals
 

The Gortex hiking boots I have from North Face and Salomon are mid rise and non-insulated. At 0C even with thick wool socks, my toes get numb after 1/2 hr.
Then there is the gap between my pant inseam and top of boots.

Any suggestions for winter boots that are not so bulky to use in flat pedals. The other issue is I’m normally a size 9 2E.

Toes going numb after 1/2 hour at 0 °C? That seems unusual to me.

You probably want boots that are not quite so porous to air flow. There are many brands. But warmer boots will be generally more bulky.

Or get Hot Hands chemical toe warmers.

Relatively loose shoes, that can trap air and allow foot for some movement, work generally work better than tight in the cold. The same is true for the rest of the attire.

Another problem, that I ran into though often, was of slipping on ice when walking to or from the bike. You have some choice of winter tires that prevent slipping, but it is much worse with the shoes. At the time when I was looking, the only shoes and boots with some nonslip reputation, available in the US, were by Hush Puppies and they have worked for me. I have both their shoes and boots. Now, there is another Canadian brand in the market, Wind River, that may offer even superior performance on ice. Here I refer to shoes in which you can walk in the building interiors as well. Obviously, there exist also spiked boots in the market, but they are not good in the interiors and may interfere with pedals.

I saw these 45Nrth Ragnarok Tall boots online. Is prob overkill. They look more like skidoo boots than for cycling. But they can be used for flat pedals.

If you buy something winter and bike specific, you will be paying premium for the narrow market. Flat pedals principally allow you to look into boots made for a wider market with a better performance to price ratio. However, if you are comfortable paying premium, these 45Nrth will likely work, at least on the warmth side. I paid $85 or something for my Hush Puppies boots, S/H included, but this was outside of the season.

Are you using the hush puppies on plastic or metal flat pedals. Don’t the metal pins tear up
the soles.

My pedals are Shimano Saint, metal and pinned. They have a choice of 2 lengths for the pins and I use the shorter ones. My Hush Puppies boots are Beauceron Ice+, actually now even cheaper. The soles hold up fine. This is now my 3rd season with these boots. Looking at the soles, there is not a single pin mark on them. I had some winter boots that suffered a bit from the pins in the far away past and the soles there were of jelly type.

I was using electric socks they worked well but my big size 13 feet made them really tight. cheaper then new boots.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 if you wanted them you just need new batteries I will give them to you.

I use these, and don't use pinned pedals in the winter:
https://www.marks.com/en/windriver-m...5Bwidth%5D=REG

I ride a little over an hour each way to work at and below -20C

I use Whitewoods cross country ski boots. They're well insulated, windproof and waterproof, and have kept my feet warm on winter rides down to single digits below zero Farenheit for over a decade. They're affordable, and if you don't mind the little duck bill thing sticking off the toes, they work perfectly for winter cycling. The tread is even a soft winter compound that grips pedals well in very cold and slick conditions.

https://www.amazon.com/Erik-Sports-W...a-888159881915

Purchased a pair of Uggs Felton winter boots today. Use for double duty when off the bike. Quite roomy so I’ll wear with thick thermal wool socks. Need a little extra height so that I can tuck the cycling pants into the boots.

I wear waterproof Keen hiking boots, mid height, with wool socks. I've given up on cycling-specific footwear for my winter commute, as I find it expensive, fragile, and not so great for walking. The hiking boots are fine below freezing, though it's usually not that cold here. 40F and rain is common.

same here they are my rain boots too.

got some for me & my Son for a Patriots playoff game. they work good for all kinds of wintery fun. roomy & waterproof. Columbia
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...69c481b806.jpg

see post #39 here for the specs

Men's Columbia Sportswear Hiking, Snow Boot NO Steel Toe Size 13 BM 3726-010 2.00 Grams Omni tech

I believe the updated version is called SnowTrekker now.

cool. I was looking at their lower boots/shoes. I'd rather not have something so large if I can avoid it &* if a lower shoe can still provide the same amount of insulation. I don't see "200 gram" listed on others, or any for that matter :foo:

fwiw, found some lighter, insulated, waterproof mid shoe/boots. mostly for warmer winter rides (30s-40s F). looking forward to a lighter cycling experience. hoping they work out. I'll still keep the current boots for blizzard shoveling & roof raking, when my feet are buried under deep snow, for over an hour & rides in the frigid 20-30F degree range. anyway that's the plan before receiving them

I used to teach XC skiing to little'uns. As you can imagine, for me there was a lot more standing around than skiing, and my feet would freeze even at mild (warmer than -5C) temperatures.

The solution for me was chemical toe-warmers - remove them from their plastic pouch and stick them to the insoles of my boots near the toes, and my feet would be warm for hours. I don't know if this is practical for OP's use, like would be a bit of a pain for daily commute x2 directions..

these Men's Firecamp™ Boots came in. took them for a cold nature walk, trial run
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...00b94b5dd4.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a71406ec4d.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...455f939e09.jpg
what I like about them

• waterproof
• insulated
• very light
• price
• comfortable walking
• sizing as expected

tried them w/ thin toe warmers & 1 pair work socks, seemed fine. I think there's room enough to tape a hand warmer too. the color wasn't my first choice, but I can work w/ it

I'm like a 12 1/2 (US) but all my regular shoes are 13. my killer winter boots are 14. those must have 2 sets of socks & I normally use them on the coldest days w/ toe or hand warmers. anyway the sizing on the 13s on these new boots is consistent w/ my other shoes the same size. I could use a set at 14 w/ double socks on the worst days but I already have boots for that, so I'll hold off

looking forward to trying them on a bike very soon
EDIT: they worked well on the bike in the 36F degree range. the ice was crusty & wet

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...99f9d31793.jpg

Well, but how about their performance on ice? The majority of winter shoes and boots in the market have been failing, though situation gradually begins to edge up thanks to the systematic testing with the results declared on the Canadian Rate My Treads site. There was also recently a CBC Marketplace program on that testing. I exclusively use boots with Vibram Arctic Grips soles in winter now and I started even using shoes with such soles in travel during other seasons as they are great for hiking on slippery rocks.

oh interesting! they seemed pretty good on our patio w/ a glaze of freezing rain the other day

Just got a pair of Keen waterproof boots and put the flats on. Excited for the first snow ride with this set up. The boots are ridiculously comfortable.

Which Keens are these?

these look good Men's Anchorage III Waterproof Boot

but quite a few choices

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e9eb6289d.jpeg