So I suffer from cold feet and one of my riding buddies mention switching over to flats to enable my feet to move a little more and hence keep better circulation. I’ve also read that the clip/pedal attachment acts as a cold sink and draws heat out. Anyway, seemed worth a go so I’ve fitted flats to my fatbike to try.

My question is, can I get away with using normal spd boots on flats? I assume I can but don’t know if the boots will actually grip on the pedal pegs? Also will the ruin the soles of the boots? Finally if I do find this setup works, I haven’t seen any winter boots made for flats, do they exist?

What shoes? anything with a plastic sole will probably result in a lot of pain. I found waterproof socks are good and you could always put something between the insole and the cleat plate. Most of mine have something in there anyway.

How do you think flats will help you move your feet? I can wiggle my toes in my spd shoes even with winter socks on.

On SPDs I used to get very cold feet. Swapped to flats and even with wet socks in fine.

Goretex walking boots or shoes work fine on flats if you’re still cold.

Normal SPD shoes tend to be less insulated than a pair of 5.10’s/2F0’s. Winter spd boots make quite a bit of difference. A cheaper alternative is good socks and overshoes.

*bookmarks thread*

I was going to ask something similar. I ride flats more often than not these days (even in Summer) but my 5.10s soak up water like a sponge; not great when riding through winter puddles. I want to get some winter riding boots but would like to stick with the 5.10 Stealth rubber. I’ve not seen a great number of options. Suggestions?

I’ve just switched my hardtail to flats after trialling some on my full suspension and now have a similar problem.
I saw these in decathlon and thought that they might be worth a punt?

Apart from a very brief flirtation with SPDs , I am still a flats only rider. But these are my thoughts as someone who suffers cold feet when riding.
Until last winter, I’d ride in my Teva links whatever the weather, swapping ordinary thinnest riding socks for slightly thicker ones , or dry socks if it was wet in winter. My feet were very cold.
This time last year, I waded in and bought some 5:10 a whole size bigger. Yes they do feel odd in summer with thin socks, but they allow me to wear my ( let’s be fair they are a bit thick overall) dry socks, with a thin sock under them. The difference is very noticeable and I can ride in temps well below freezing with much less cold feet.
Another minor point perhaps, which I think helps, is that even though the rest of my body doesn’t feel cold when riding in winter, using a base layer / long sleeved jersey/ jacket combo, I’d get back to the van after a ride and notice that my belly would feel very cold ( Anyone else get this ?). The addition of a thin fleece windproof fronted, old Karrimor, gilet helped stop this and I’m also convinced this helped with feet temp, probably by aided circulation.
Maybe the random ramblings of an old man, but things which have helped me.

I think that the cheap, soft soles on boots like that would get torn to shreds by the pins on my flat pedals. Could be a false economy unless you resoled them with Stealth rubber 🙂

Good point on core temperature.

^some good tips there thanks. I did wonder whether more/better socks is the answer, but the other problem with my 5.10s is the ridiculous time they take to dry out after a soaking, hence why I was thinking of a more weatherproof shoe but still with the sticky sole.

The Five Ten ‘elements’ range are the nearest thing Five Ten do, they’re essentially the same shoe, but without the mesh panels/fabric outer, more of a vinyl/synthetic type material, they’re not waterproof as such, but most splashes don’t get through, downside is that apparently they hold water worse than the normal versions once it’s got in.

I’ve found my feet are warmer having switched from Shimano MW80’s to AM41’s and flat pedals with the same socks. I think it’s simply that my feet are moving and flexing more without me having to think about it. The AM41’s aren’t weather proof but the lace cover does a good job of keeping a lot of water out.

I would get good quality shoes specifically designed for flat pedals. Spd shoes are not great for flats in my experience. With either pedal system, the shoe is as (if not more) important than the flat.

What about Giro alpineduro boots – haven’t they got a cleat cover type thing so they can be used for flats ?
I’ve fancied some of these but the price has put me off

Anyone had any experience of the Five Ten Impact High? If that’s reasonable weather resistant it could be a good choice for winter.

I picked up a pair of Five Ten Diddie Schneider in the sale from CRC earlier this year, and have been really happy with them. They’re ideal for the ype of riding i do, have been pretty much waterproof (as much as any shoe can be with a massive hole that your foot goes in through), are toasty warm, and feel pretty much indestructable. Online reviews said they were heavy and uncomfortable, but I’ve not noticed either of these at all. They seem to be out of stock most places now, but still available in a few sizes on amazon US. Think I paid about £35 for them.
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Ten-Mens-Diddie-Schneider/dp/B008XES5QQ

I have a pair of Northwave celcius boots and always got cold feet in the winter even with Woolie Boolies. Last year I ran 2FO flats with sealskins and a thin pair of wool socks underneath and feet were much warmer. That said it was a mild winter down South so not exactly conclusive

2FO’s are more water resistant than Impacts/Freeriders and dry out far quicker. They do let water in due to the front being a mesh panel, could be fixed with some tape.

I’d love some proper winter spd boots, but that’s unlikely to happen. So instead I use cheap neoprene overshoes and merino wool socks with my usual spd shoes. Don’t do the straps up to 11 like summer, just back them off a tiny bit and that helps too.

Anyway, you’ll need proper flat shoes for flats. Anything else will be destroyed and /or slip off. As above, I would have thought that sealskins with flat shoes are best as you can’t fit an overshoe.

I’m surprised there’s not more of a market for this kind of MTB shoe to be honest. I’ve used SPDs extensively in winter and it gets a bit boring when the cleat gets iced up. The grip from proper flats and shoes is so good I’d much rather use them in the snow and ice…provided I can find a pair that will keep (most of) the water out.

How about a 5.10 approach shoe with a gortex liner, eg Guide Tennie GTX Mid? Same stealth rubber on the sole.

The blurb talks about bike use too. edit- just general purpose rubber compound blurb
http://www.fiveten.com/us/outdoor/approach/guide-tennie-gtx-mid-black-red

How about a 5.10 approach shoe with a gortex liner, eg Guide Tennie GTX Mid? Same stealth rubber on the sole

Bear in mind softer compounds can result in less grip than harder compounds in very cold temperatures (not sure if the UK experiences low enough temps for that to happen tho?).

The Giro Chamber comes in flat and SPD types. Not an outright winter shoe but they look wipe clean and they’d be nice with some Sealskins socks in I bet. I’m waiting for my Freeriders to die so I can try a set.

I think that a major issue with sealskins type socks, is that whilst they keep feet dry, well I find they are fine, with bib tights under shorts so they go over the sock tops on muddy wet ground days, or with goretex over trousers covering the tops on real rainy ones, Is that they don’t offer much insulation and once the lining membrane is cold, the very thin inner liner is poor at keeping that layer from cooling feet, which is why I like a thin layer inside them again.

Bear in mind softer compounds can result in less grip than harder compounds in very cold temperatures

I was out at the weekend and whilst it wasn’t the very coldest snowy day I’ve ever ridden in, I had absolutely no issues with the grip of the Stealth rubber.

I’d avoid anything nonspecific for flatties, last year I got some Decathlon walking shoes for possible wet or rough conditions on the C2C. Soon as I tried them I knew I’d made a mistake, the soles slipped badly on pedals. Why does nobody make a reasonably robust, waterproof and grippy shoe for winter? Seems a no brainer to me, this is mountain biking, not playing down the skate park

Another one that comes up every year. I use Salomon snow-shoe boots on flats on my fatbike in the winter. I’ve found it’s fairly important to have something with decent grip (i.e. not an almost-treadless “sticky” sole) for the inevitable hike-a-bike in the snow and ice. Gaiters to cover the tops of the boots will stop the ingress of snow and slush.*

*my winter riding might be different to yours.

I had some Salomon insulated boots resoled with dotty stealth rubber for winter duties and they are super toasty, too warm for most of winter if I’m honest but
any decent pair of gortex boots resoled would work a treat.

EDIT: these uns..

[/url]2014-03-03 16.46.03 by pat5barnes, on Flickr[/img]

Where did you get the boots resoled?

Where did you get the boots resoled?

‘Our Soles’

I’ll get my coat..

5:10 VXi elements with seal skinz socks for me.
It all gets wet but the elements dry out really quickly and the sealskinz keep me feet warm.

Ha ha at Our Soles.

I find ‘baggy’ 5:10 trainers and a thick pair of walking socks (plus thinnish pair) can be just the thing when it’s cold, or walking socks with shoe covers on to keep the wind off.

Toasty toes and hands are amongst life’s pleasures. 🙂

5:10 impact vxi are pretty good at keeping your feet warmish. Combined with a thin sock then either merino socks or sealskinz over the top they’re pretty decent. Downside is a very stiff sole, which takes a bit of getting used to. They come in flats or spd. I ride them spd (winter only, mavic in better weather), was out at the weekend in very low temps 0-2deg average and feet were fine with that setup.

Free rider elements are ok but water stills gets in around the laces and they take days to dry out.

Busy day at work today so only just checked this thread, wow, didn’t expect this response 🙂 Looks like I’m not going mad then and there is a real need for this type of shoe/boot that isn’t being filled well in the market.

Currently I’m using Specialised Defrosters, 2014 versions. They are ok but they haven’t kept my feet warm over the last couple of winters and I’ve only stuck with them as they cost me a packet. Was going to use these at first as an experiment just to see if having my feet able to move a bit more helped. My concern was with the sole of the boot not being ideal on the pins but as long as they were good enough for a couple of rides that would be all I needed to try it out.

Strange with how popular flats are now that there isn’t many winter boot options out there!

I bought some of the new Shimano AM7s for winter duties. They don’t have the same grip as the 5:10s but have better weather proofing.
I used to ride the old SPD AM45s, they were excellent, so thought I’d give the new AM7s a try.
So far so good.

Another benefit of flats in winter is that cleats are more likely to ice up/block up. I’ve actually been on rides where my flats got covered in ice-mud and I had to smash it off with a rock but that’s pretty damn rare.

andyjh – Member

there is a real need for this type of shoe/boot that isn’t being filled well in the market.

Absolutely. 5 10 have had a crap token effort with the elements but it’s nothing like what’s needed. They’ve been talking about doing a proper winter flat shoe for ages but it’s never materialised. Sombrio’s old purple X-Shazam was pretty good but the new one looks like it has vents added.

You can put a sticky sole on anything but does that make a good flat pedal shoe? Feel is important too and that comes from flexibility, sole construction etc. You won’t know til you try and that’s a big expense if it doesn’t work out. Even some purpose-built flat shoes are pretty bad (and there’s a big element of taste here; frexample I found the new 5 10 Impact VXI to be terrible, lacking in feel… Sam Hill liked his signature model so much he refused to wear it and they’ve had to make him a new one based on the old Impact. But other folks like it).

Personally I’ll go with Five Ten Freerider (old model) Elements, in a slightly bigger size than I need, and then waterproof socks and merino inside that. It’s a compromise but they work how I want on the bike, and that’s the most important part imo. The weatherproofing could be better but I can deal with that, I can’t live with a shoe that doesn’t work on the pedal.

I’ve got Shimano MW 80’s which keep me pretty warm even when water goes in over the top. They’d be warmer if I had a size bigger and room for thicker socks but I can can get away with 2 pairs of thin woollen socks. Now I’ve started using flats more I’ve got some AM41 which I did get a size bigger so I’ve got plenty room for merino sealskins with another thin pair of merino socks inside them. Kept my feet toasty this weekend despite lots of hanging around. So you should be able to keep your feet warm whatever the pedals with right kind of shoe and plenty of room for warm socks.

Have a look at the OWN FR-01, look pretty darn good , but expensive.

I ride flats all year round – been using Salomon trial running shoes for years. They’re gore tex so keep the wet out and with a thick pair of merino socks they’re good throughout the winter.

They have to have the right sole though – the soft contagrip ones (XA 3D/GTX or something). But being soft the pins eventually wreck them – current pair are 3 years old and the soles are just about shot. Still nice and grippy on the pedals but a bit ice-skatey when walking in mud.

The Vaude Moab Mid STX AM are claimed to be waterproof, and it looks like they have put a bit of thought into the design of the sole,not sure when they are available though
http://www.vaude.com/en-GB/VAUDE-Bike-Shoe-in-Green-Shape/