best waterproof boots

Got a pair of lake 140s but theyre crap, even with a rubber sealing cuff around the top to prevent. water from creeping down the top of them. Thought these were supposed to be waterproof as made of neoprene ,they aint. Anyone else have anything better?

paulmart, I will second what your saying, i bought a pair and thought they were faulty so my LBS changed them and the new pair were every bit as bad

I’ve sworn by Northwaves Gore Tex MTB boots for the last 4 or 5 winters .

Just got some NW Celsius from CRC. Very pleased so far. I am a wide 8.5, and got a 44. Fits very well.

Here’s my review of the Northwave Celsius.

Northwave Celius GTX Winter Riding Boots Review

Thought these were supposed to be waterproof as made of neoprene ,they aint.

Neoprene is only waterproof if it has no seams, or the seams are sealed. It just insulates well when wet.

For all waterproof boots, you need to wear tights over the top of the ankle gaiters to stop water ingress. But the Lake’s ankle gaiter is just crap, its way too baggy.

I have just ordered some specialized defrosters to replace my lake 140’s, I just hope the size 49 are big enough, it doesn’t half restrict choice having big feet. For those with normal feet you would have to have a good reason not to just buy shimano mw81.

Just chucking my ten-penneth worth in. The NW Gore-Tex ones are the business, just check the reviews everywhere and you’ll see. Had mine a while now and absolutely no issues, only positive things to say, so highly recommended.

Shimano MT90 boots, Berghaus Glacier ankle-gaiters, Altura Attack-X over-trousers.
Dry feet, unless you’re wading through rivers.

TBH, i rarely go for the full combination, its got to be properly horrid weather to justify it.

ps. once I have got my cleats fixed in position I also seal the cleat hole up by dripping wax from a candle in there, also helps keep everything a little bit dryer and warmer.

I have a pair of Lake MXZ300 Boots which are absolutely bombproof and water proof with regular application of Nikwax. Very very comfortable but only for use November – March or they’re too warm.

They replaced a pair of Spesh Defrosters which I never found warm enough for frosty winter rides.

MSP – don’t expect the defrosters to be waterproof or warm.
If you do get them wet expect them to take a least 2 days to fully dry out (that’s on top of a radiator).

Great for most of what we get in the UK but not the extremes.

I’m on my 2nd pair of Northwave got 4 winters out of the 1st pair laces are a nuisance , as MSP says as long as you wear waterproofs over the top of the Cuffs then you’ll have dry feet 😀

Defrosters are cold so go a size bigger and extra socks.

Anyone tried the Shimano MW81 Goretex boots? How do they compare to the Northwave ones?

I’m about to push the button on a pair of Shimanos cause I thought they looked like they were made of better materials.

Any thoughts???

Shimano MW80s here. They’ve done quite a few winters, wet ones and cold ones, and work for me.

Defrosters with short (below the cuff) merino socks, Innov8 running gaiters and tights over the top works for me. The trick is to not let water wick onto your socks from your tights.

Defrosters are a bit of a misnomer though. Not warm at all.

Been riding in the peaks today and the boots were as soggy as an otters pocket as usual
despite using a rubber ankle cuff to stop water from dripping in and also siliconed around
the cleat holes! Gonna bite the bullet soon n get some shimanos.

I bought some MW81’s recently – and have had about three rides on them now – two on the road and one off road (in cold, mega wet conditions).

I’ve been mtb’ing for the best part of 20 years and have never had dedicated winter boots, having bimbled along with normal ‘racey’ mtb shoes and overshoes.

WOW, what a difference. Combined with On one merino thicky socks they are truly luscious. Warm and dry cosy feet. They are really well made, feel really solid. The fit is great for my feet, and historically I’ve not got on with Shimano shoes – they tend to be too narrow and have an odd shaped foot bed. The MW81’s are perfect though – nice and wide but not cavernous.

They also are great for any off the bike walking, with a grippy sole. They have a softish plastic/rubber pad on the outsole under the arch of your foot – which is handy for pedal grip should you miss the pedal at first attempt on getting back on the bike.

bibtights go over the boots neporene collar so that water from the tights sheds over the boot rather than dripping down inside and I can’t fault them.

Really can’t believe I’ve not used them or similar before.

Second the MW81s, wore mine all through last winter and this, can’t fault them.

My new MW81’s were great until the monsoon that awaited them yesterday. After an incredibly wet 2 hour ride, I could literally pour water out of them. I reckon most came in through the cleats and down between leg and ankle gators.

But in the cold and moderate wet they are very good and super toasty in -6 degrees.

Seal the cleats up by dripping candle wax into the hole. Wear tights over the top of the ankle gaiters.

Bathroom silicone sealant also does fine for sealing cleat beds.

With the MW81s, doesn’t the Goretex liner stop the water getting in from the cleats? I only get wet feed with mine if it’s absolutely soaking and it runs down my leg.

Shimano mw81

perfect unless you fully submerse your foot, in which case pair up with a pair of Sealskinz socks

Did everyone with the MW81s go up a size from normal or are they shaped to accommodate winter socks?

null
Take some beating imho!!

My eyes, my eyes!!!!!!

Just drill holes in the soles of your shoes and dont put socks on.

Ive stopped trying to keep feet dry.

Got new seal skin socks, went out on sat in moderate rain, lots of fast puddles. The socks are fantastic at stopping water get through…………..it was like riding with my feet in fekin water balloons. As long as the water is on the outside, they are spot on. If the water is running down your leg……….useless.

Anyone use spesh defrosters? Any good at keeping water out?

Drained about half a pint from my Shimano boots/socks after a lap of the wall yesterday, unless you can prevent it running down your legs then none will be waterproof under those conditions.Probably worth going up a size if you want to wear thicker socks or sealskinz.

Paulmart – see my comments above. They aren’t particularly tall in the cuff, so you may get issues if you wear tights. So long as you can stop water wicking down via your socks then they are great, hence the running gaiters.

>Anyone use spesh defrosters? Any good at keeping water out?<

Yes and most definitely no.

The cuff, such as it is, is all but useless at keeping water out. As others have pointed out they aren’t even efficient at keeping out the cold. If you get them wet inside (highly likely)plan on using them only once a week because that’s how long it takes to dry the bl@@dy things.

I’ve tried every combination going: two pairs of socks, Goretex socks, socks plus neoprene kayak boots. However, once you start riding in continous wheel spray I’ve not found anything that will stop it running down your leg. Winter boots are excellent at keeping water in – once freezing cold water fills them you’re getting cold feet. Seems to me that most of the product designers had brain freeze when they got to the cuff 😉 The answer has to lie with some form of gaiter that will provide a watertight seal around your bare leg – anyone know if any of the running Gaiters do such a thing?

[Assuming you use clipless pedals]

Um…

Why do people never just use overshoes (besides the roadie look of course)?

The Endura Neoprene overshoes have kept my feet bone dry all winter and have the additional benefit of keeping the shoes clean so when you come home all muddy all you have to do is wring the overshoes out in a bucket.

I use them with Lusso Max Repel tights and Giro Merino socks and never have wet or cold feet. None of this collecting water inside malarky! Also far better than Sealskinz which I throughly dislike.

£20 solution? Why not? 😀

To theblackmount, i use a drysuit rubber wrist cuff cut open a bit more to fit my lower leg
with a small hole cut either side at the bottom so i can span a piece of double sided velcro to
Keep it in position. Even using this fully waterproof gaiter idea my sealskinz still get sopping
which makes me think that my lakes allow lakes of water thru somewhere else.

DanW ,how do the overshoes hold up if your on and off your bike a lot ,trudging up
muddy hills and the like, have thought about these before but just thought they would
fall apart in no time.

I’m a big fan of the shimano mw81. Go up a size for thicker or two pair of socks and they will keep you toasty warm . They are never gonna keep your feet fully dry unless you start using trousers, gators and overshoes. I prefer to ride in shorts all year round so water inevitably runs down your leg into your boot, but I quite like that feeling once you have warmed up the water… Got two pairs as they do take a couple of days to dry if they get really soaked.

Overshoes are great on the road but rubbish off road unless you’re prepared to replace them pretty frequently. Even the rubber toed endura ones don’t last if you have to do any walking in them.

I have used both the rubber toed (MTB) and non-rubber toed (Road) neoprene Endura overshoes and thoroughly rate them. Personally I prefer the non rubber toed version as the rubber section rubs on my cranks more easily.

With regards to durability they are great, easily lasting a few winters at least. The tread of my Specialized shoes fits perfectly through the opening in the sole so when on road/ pavement only the shoe tread contacts the ground. I’m ashamed to say I’ve been walking a fair bit this winter up boggy climbs that just aren’t do-able in this weather and the material on the bottom of the overshoe holds up brilliantly. The Endura material is very tough but other brands tend to be a little flimsy. I’m also not a fan of Endura normally but they seem to have got it right with the overshoes. Given how cheap they are you can afford to abuse them more than I have 😀

Finding the Endura overshoes was something of a Winter revelation for me. Sounds silly to say but true. 😀