Finally gave the Fairbanks a proper wet test in the snowmelt/slush earlier this week. I was also wearing waterproof socks and woolie boolies, so it’s not all the shoe, but, they were absolutely ace. It was that sort of deep slush that constantly gets chucked up off the front wheel so frame, feet, even my trouser legs were covered in ice, and basically as wet as if they were being hosed down. They did wet completely through after a while, though no doubt a lot of that came in the top (my riding trousers are too short!). But my feet stayed pretty much dry with the dexshell/shoe combo and never felt wet, and more importantly, stayed comfy and warm despite the wet.
Still not perfect but I’m very impressed, need some longer wet rides to really be 100% about them but I’m pretty comfortable that they’re going to end up my favourite winter shoe, and possibly by quite a lot. Only real downside is that once wet, they take some drying- I thought they were going to stay too wet to want to wear them the next day but with shoe dryers at full blast and in front of a hot radiator they were almost perfectly dry. My Guide Tennies wouldn’t have done that I don’t think.
I think it could be very pedal dependent- I can’t fault the grip or feel at all, in fact I’ve had worse “proper riding shoes”. It’s in the “less than a Stealth sole, but more than enough” camp. But I think quite a bit of it is from the tread pattern working well on the pedal spikes rather than the rubber and that’s always a bit dicier. (My pedals are pretty standard Nukeproof Horizon Comps)
Main downfall was the madison riding trousers tbh, which are built for fat people with short legs! With them covering the boot tops I’d have been drier and warmer, or at least dry for longer.
