So … after a wee ride in -8°C temperatures this weekend with half charged heated happyhotfeet insoles, waterproof trousers, two pairs of thick socks and a set of Shimano XM9 boots, it is obvious that my feet are still going to get freezing this year. I know that SPDs are never the best thing when wanting to have warm feet but, does anyone have any recommendations for really warm winter boots that are SPD compatible?

45nrth wolvehammers
bontrager old man winter

What makes them warm @Ton? It really seems to be the toe area that gets cold, so I’m thinking lots of inner fleecy lining and a thick sole between the SPD and the inside of the boot. If they don’t have that, I’m not sure they’ll fix me tootsies.

Bontrager OMW.

They have a separate insulated liner boot.

SPDs will always be an issue though. You’ve effectively bolted a big metal heatsink to your feet

Two pairs of thick socks and heated insoles? Have your feet got enough room in your boots? Your toes being cold would indicate that the blood supply is being restricted.

As Ton says, the Wolvhammers are about as good as you’ll need in this country. My wife has used them at -20C in Finland which is about their design limit. 45Nrth also do insulated gaiters.

There is enough room in my boots. Lots of wiggle. I just really suffer from cold toes. No idea why. Never used to be the case. I reckon spending a couple of years in a warm country about a decade ago got rid of my natural ability to shrug off cold (I’m Northern!).

Had Northwave Extreme GTXs for the last few winters.They have worked well for me. Will change them for another pair (the bright hi viz ones) next year.

Wiggle room is essential for air to warm up in the toe box. My Shimano MT91s are two sizes up from my summer shoes. Two pairs of socks and foil backed ski boot footbeds also help. Even then, the cleat still transfers a bit of chill through the sole.

The 45nrth wolvehammers look good. I was looking at them (or something similar) in Charlie the bike mongers last week. I’d try them if you are having cold feet.

With your current set up, if your feet are still cold then you would Probably benefit from some overshoes as you probably can’t get any more layers in.

Also, what insoles do you have? Can you add any silver blanket size soles underneath your insole?

Can you fill in the holes on the spd plate with sugru or silicone to stop cold air and water getting in? No idea if that will make a difference but can’t harm trying.

Those wolvehammer boots look really wide, do they rub on the crank arm?

Northwave Himalaya are excellent. I rode in ski resorts last winter at -20degC. As always, the socks are as important as the boot. For really cold conditions, I wear a standard thin cotton sock inside good wool socks (eg Woolie Boolies). The gaiter hooks on the Himalayas are also an excellent addition and a set of snow gaiters has allowed me to comfortably carry/push the bike through deep snow when necessary.

What cleats you got on scotroutes to create this large heatsink

Not an issue with my old man winters or the wife’s wolvehammmers it’s never been cold enough to get cold feet in them in the UK.

Different kettle of fish from Shimano winter boots/northwave Celsius/spesh defrosters/diadora winter boots. Entirely differently working shoe.

You are wearing merino socks, right?

And the socks aren’t too tight and cutting off your circulation?

I have perma-cold feet in anything other than merino socks. Them and a pair of Shimano MW5s and I was toasty at -6C.

Lake 304 or 400 or 45Nrth Wolvhammers. I have some earlier Wolvhammers which I’ve worn down to -30C which is at the extreme end of their capability. You really need to oversize to allow for thick socks and wiggle-room.

And in my experience as a Reynaulds sufferer, keeping the blood warm on the way down seems to be the key. I now wear long merino socks over my tights to provide more insulation. When it’s really cold I wear a thin inner sock liner too.

Road I wear Sidi boots. Off road Specialized defroster. Both a half size up from my regular shoes. But it’s the long merino socks that work for me.

Two pairs of merino wool socks! A pair of thick micro crew inner socks and a pair of high hiking socks outside that. Both smartwool. My inner soles are happy hot feet things on max heat. I like the look of the old man winter boots with the separate thinsulate bootie thing but I’m a bit worried about sizing as I’m already up at a 48 in my Shimano boot. All of these boots are super expensive, so getting them speculatively is a big challenge for my northern wallet.

I’m 42 in Shimano MWs, 43 in my OMWs.

I periodically keep looking at “seriously cold winter gear” including winter shoes, but a few things hold me back…
The cost
Would I really choose to do regular 2+ hour rides in the South Downs hills when the “feels like” temp can be often colder than -5C during cold snaps, if I had thermal gear?
The turbo trainer that lives indoors

I might take a punt at those new PX ones, but as written earlier in this thread, at this point they’re untested and £70 is not exactly cheap on my disposable income.

Sell the turbo trainer, buy the boots.

+1 for room in winter boots, my Spesh Defrosters are fine on sub zero road rides with medium thickness merino socks, I think it comes down to the space for the toes to move and heat up some air in the boot.

I’ve got Northwave GTX “Artic” boots. The artic just means they’re the same as the normal ones except have a fleece liner.

I still tend to wear a sealskin type (aldi) waterproof sock off road for added protection, I’m going to wear a thick sock anyway, it may as well do two jobs, after 7 years the northwaves might have a pinhole leak in the toe area that leaves my toes clammy, but TBH it could just be sweat. They do benefit from a liberal dose of reproofing spray so it could be a small leak that’s mitigated by just keeping the surroundings water repellent.

Gripgrab gaiters over the top. Effectively makes them waterproof to everything short of total immersion at which point water finds it’s way up between the two flaps, onto the tongue and up under the gaiter.

like anything I think the solution is layers and keeping dry. On the road I find thick socks, summer shoes (tape over the sole vents) then overshoes works perfectly well. The north waves just combine all three layers in 1.

Hot hands foot warmers. Used them for first time last week. Pair of thin coolmax socks. Foot warmers stuck to bottom of sock under toes.Then a pair of merino wool socks. Not particularly thick. I ride in Shimano MW7’s. Granted it wasn’t -8, probably hovering around freezing but I deliberately aimed for frozen puddles to make sure my boots got wet and cold. Toes and subsequently feet were toasty for a 3 1/2 hour ride. They lasted about 6 hours before they cooled down. Could easily carry a spare pair with you too. Halfords are doing them, I think a bulk buy works out at 80p a pair. I think they are thin enough to stick to liner gloves too and when it gets really cold i’ll be giving that a go.