Warbird21

Stupid question of the day, I've never used winter booties before:
I wear a size 9 and have a pair of Adidas 5.10 MTB shoes.
I picked up a pair of Large Pearl iZumi :Barrier" winter booties, that velcro in the back.
They barely fit over my Adidas shoes, I really have to work to get them vecro'd
Do I really need XL shoes covers or are they typically that snug?
They really do keep my feet warm, so the LBS clerk was correct! ( was traveling and didn't have my shoes when I bought them.

DaveSSS 

As long as you can get them fastened they should be OK. MTB shoes tend to be more bulky than road shoes so the next size up may be needed. I have some castelli covers that are really tough to zip, but they work.

cyccommute 

They may work now but over time, you’ll probably find more wear if they are too snug.

I’ve used shoe covers extensively but not Pearls. I have tried them and even the XL didn’t fit over my 10.5 sized shoes (mountain bike). That said, boots are better. They are expensive but they last forever. You don’t have to struggle to get them on over a shoe and they have a little bit better feel on the road when you stop.

Warbird21

Thanks, but what is a boot?

Warbird21

Google is my friend. Yikes, boots are pricey! Probably warm overkill for my riding, which won't be below 40 degree temps. I'll see how long these Pearls last,.

SalsaShark

I think he is referring to a winter cycling boot. They are insulated for cold weather riding and have the ability to mount a pedal cleat.

rumrunn6

or use flat pedals & any kind of winter boot ...


right now I'm fine w/o cleated pedals & shoes during frigid months. someday I'll get something like these these ...

cyccommute 

Yes they are expensive but they will outlast several pairs of shoe covers…which aren’t all that cheap. You probably don’t need the super expensive winter boot that are for close to or below 0°F temperatures. There are lighter versions that work for cool but not super cold weather that tend to be cheaper.

woodcraft

Booties are routinely small & need to be sized up IME, especially over bulky buckles.

If they are too hard to get on & off, they end up staying in the drawer.

cyccommute 

That’s mostly the reason I finally went to boots. Mountain bike shoes with deep lugs are just too difficult to find the right size shoe cover. My feet aren’t that large but the XL neoprene boot cover from Performance would just barely fit if the sole of the shoe was smooth. If the shoe had lugs…forget about it.

Rick

I use the plastic grocery bags to cover my shoes in wet or cold weather. I have a large supply of them saved from shopping trips. I have lived in Florida and California since 1990 so the temperature hasn't dropped down below the 30s very often.

Warbird21

I picked these up cheap, and they are perfect for my moderate winter temp use. I keep them on the front of the shoes, so they're not awful to put on.
I'll choose XL sizes moving forward. I think I paid $20 for these, so a pair per season isn't unreasonable.
I don't really need MTB shoes either - I bought these without any prior knowledge (thought they would be necessary for gravel use). But, I don't think that I've walked anywhere in them in two seasons, only mounted for riding.
Good thinks to know, I appreciate your replies, I guess this is one of those "experience" things you only get one way.

Sy Reene

A number of shoe cover brands only come in 2-3 sizes which is inadequate, seeing as they're also unisex. GribGrab is promising in that they offer 6 sizes, from S to XXXL -- there should be an ideal fit in there for just about anybody: https://www.gripgrab.com/collections/shoe-covers

Hiro11

You're a size 9 and have a pair of size 50 MTB shoes? That's way, way too big for you. For example, I wear 9.5 shoes and 43 or 44 MTB shoes.

Actually answering the question: shoes covers should be fairly tight. Most shoes covers are designed with road shoes in mind, using shoe covers with MTB shoes is always a stretch. If you really wear size 50 shoes (which again I'm struggling to believe), you need XLs.

Warbird21

I have a pair of Adidas 5.10 Kestral MTB shoes in size 9, I think known as the Five-Ten? (I had posted Adidas 50 MTB shoes in size 9, I edited it to correct).
They fit perfectly, but are perhaps a bit too "beefy" for my use only on the bike, I'm not climbing over anything or walking in them.

This was my first experience with clip-in shoes/pedals. Now I know that I really only need a pair of road shoes. I do love the BOA lacing.

Hiro11

Ah, this clears it up. You have a pair of 5.10 Kestral Pros (Adidas may own the brand, but they're just known as "Five-Tens".) These are very nice "skate style" mountain biking shoes that look like regular skateboarding sneakers. Shoe covers are typically made for road or XC-style shoes that are far less bulky. No wonder you're having trouble stretching a shoe cover over them, you're going to have to size up quite a bit.

Warbird21

Yes, when I bought them, I envisioned walking in the them, for casual use in addition to simply training and I found I just did not have that need. They are very comfortable.

rm -rf

It seems that Pearl Izumi booties are quite undersized. There's reviews on their own website commenting on this. I'd get at least one size larger than you expect.

Warbird21

Someone in the DC Cycling facebook group was selling these new CXWCX brand booties for $9, I grabbed a pair in XL
They are open on the bottom (vs just a cleat hole on the Pearl's), have two sewn in pull tabs and a side zipper.
These fit nicely over my MTB shoes and should work equally as well for warmth