anybody got an opinion on which are better? im sick of getting cold feet. admittedly its mainly when on the road but i still get cold feet off road. no combination of socks and sealskin socks are doing the trick. and i dont really want to spend a fortune

on the road overshoes are fine.

if you do any walking at all off road then winter boots every time.

If you have narrow 45 sized feet I have some Shimano MW80’s I’ll be selling cheap in a day or two as I’ve just got some Lake frankenboots.

Winter boots for me. I use my mtb winter boots on my winter road bike using touring pedals so OK for mtb cleats with a bit of a platform. So much better than over boots though do use those when not so cold and want better performance.

this is the thing i dnt tend to walk off road. i consider getting off and pushing admitance of defeat. i dont have narrow feet either unfortunatley. but i use mtb shoe on road bike an all so the pedals and cleats are the same.

Winter boots every time here plus home made neoprene gaiters to seal the ankles when it’s wet.

I thought winter boots were expensive and not really worth the money untill i bought some! I thought having cold feet and spending 20 minutes painfully defrosting them in the shower afterwards was just part of MTB’ing.

Bought some Northwave Celsius Artic for ~£140 and some DHB roubaix tights and now winter riding is almost fun.

I have both, some shimano winter boots and a pair of MT500 over shoes. The overshoes keep my feet much warmer and probably drier, but they are a bit of a faff getting them on and off. I too don’t do much/any walking so the walking comment doesn’t affect me much, only time will be infrequent bits in the Lakes.

Definite (overshoe) plus point is keeping shoes clean/dry on multi-day rides.

adminburden – Member
this is the thing i dnt tend to walk off road. i consider getting off and pushing admitance of defeat. i dont have narrow feet either unfortunatley. but i use mtb shoe on road bike an all so the pedals and cleats are the same.

I have used overshoes for 5 years or so now I reckon. Unless you are walking loads on rocky ground, then I wouldn’t worry about them being unsuitable. They do get chewed up on rocks, but for most conditions they are fine and they won’t fall apart immediately if you do have to walk for a bit.
I bought some replacement overshoes for the 2010 Dusk to Dawn and still haven’t started using them as the ‘really worn’ pair that I was intending to ditch are still going strong, although they do look quite worn out on the underside.

Unless you are completely submerging your feet, I find that overshoes do the job really well. Some parts of Thetford get very puddly after prolonged rain, which isn’t helped by the undulating nature of the paths. Even after a decent ride in the wet there, the water might only just be starting to get through the neoprene.

They also work well for cold, dry rides – keeping the wind off and the heat in.

They do look a bit stupid, though.

They do look a bit stupid, though

This is true however, don’t look so bad on a road bike/CX ride but do look a bit weird on an mtb…

I’d say it’s down to money. A good pair of over shoes are 20 quid, but decent winter boots head towards 100.

@waswas – i’m interested in your mw-80s (depending on price and state) drop me an email.

Both for road riding when really cold.

I suffer from cold feet and hands, (odd choice moving to Sweden one might say), however I use over socks when its plus ten with road shoes, winter boots for wet and cold days, and both winter boots and overshoes for zero and colder conditions. This seems to work well.

Oddly I find mountain biking in boots OK in zero temps as I guess I’m simply more active on the bike.

I prefer winter boots for MTB because as soon as I have to dab a foot down in a load of mud I find the overshoes get pushed up off my shoe and start to fill with mud. It all goes downhill from there. If it wasn’t for the mud problem I’d have stuck with cheap neoprene overshoes.

On balance – winter boots or both. Biggest problem is finding a pair that work for you then keeping the water from entering at the ankle. Once that happens you may as well be wearing shoes.

Totally non plussed by my new Specialized Defrosters: hard to get your feet into, “sealing” round the ankle might as well not be there (although most mtb boots are similar)not at all well insulated and rather uncomforatble to walk in. Oh and they take days to dry out once wet inside

I thought having cold feet and spending 20 minutes painfully defrosting them in the shower afterwards was just part of MTB’ing.
+1

I have been using the Shimano winter boots for the last four or five years and they have also made winter riding almost a pleasure. If it is proper sludgy out or it is really cold (-15 to-20)then I sometimes put a pair of overshoes over the winter boots. In the first case it means the shoes stay clean, and I can put the overshoes in the wash, and in the second my feet stay positively warm.

I’m not sure if they still make them but a few years ago before the arrival of winter shoes a lot of the pro level roadies around these parts were using overshoes with a 9V battery powered heater over the toes.

I’ve found having winter tights on helps prevent the ‘running down into socks effect’. Sealskinz socks work a lot better with the tights on

A good pair of boots is a lot less faff than overshoes. I’ve been using Shimano winter boots of one kind or another since the original red DH boots and always found them enough to keep warm. Got some overshoes too, but very seldom use them. Push the boat out n buy some boots, you won’t regret it.

Overshoes are a lot less money and work better than winter boots. All the people who I know with winter boots still get cold feet as the water tends to get in at the top of the boot. Overshoes work by trapping a layer of water that warms up rather than making the boot water proof. They do wear out and mine look at bit, no extremely tatty but they only cost £15 and last for 3 winters riding every week. With overshoes you do not have to pay for extra cleats.

I am sure a pair of winter boots would be lovely but tatty overshoes work for me and are a lot cheaper.

my feet suffer terribly with cold.
I use both i.e. winter boots covered with overshoes.

Went out last Saturday with MW80’s on and thermal socks and my feet were the coldest they’ve ever been. Last night I was out on my road bike with overshoes on and feet were still cold but better with overshoes.

Have a look at Prendas. Excellent quality and delivery.

I have these; When cold and dry, when cold and wet.

Lots of people here mentioning water getting into boots via the ankles so I’ll repeat what I wrote above. Home-made neoprene gaiters about 4 inches long completely seal the boots and for the last couple of years my feet have been dry and warm at the end of EVERY winter ride.