Winter footwear for flats?

With the temps dropping again it reminds me I need to sort some decent winter shoes out. I ride flats and my current 5-10s are like sponges (waterproof socks help to an extent).

Everything I look at is either too breathable or not particularly insulated. What are the current favourites?

Shimano SPD winter MTB boots (I think XM9 are the current model?) with the blanking plate left in. Sized up with a couple of pairs of socks underneath.

I had thought of spds with the plate left in but wasn’t sure if it was a ‘thing’?

Thanks for the tip, opens up a few more options.

Fivten EPS? I’ve got some waterproof Vaude for flat pedals, decent shoes just never my first choice

Love my Vaude Moab STX AM shoes. Into my third winter now (worn all year round) and still as good as new. Not cheap, but they’ve proved to be far better value than all those Five10s that only lasted a year or so.

Another vote for the Moabs here too. Love mine! And the price of the original version seems to be dropping since the new version came out.

Best bike shoe I’ve used is a five ten freerider elements- still pretty bad, but not awful
Best nonbike shoe is a five ten guide tennie, love these- a bit clumpy but waterproof and warm

One of the worst was the Freerider EPS, it’s warm but it’s not even slightly waterproof, so they were great in the dry but literally the first puddle and I had cold wet feet. Probably good for some environments but rubbish in the UK where there’s usually water somewhere, be it a stream or snowmelt or whatever

Came on to recommend what I wear and see that the VauDe Moabs have already had 2 previous mentions. Really do keep feet dry even if you dab in a puddle. And plenty warm enough that I haven’t yet suffered cold feet, even the other night when we all almost died in a blizzard (not really, but it was effing grim). But I also wore them all through the summer and they were just as comfy in the warm weather. Only faults with them is that they are not quite as grippy on the pedals as 5.10s and they are rather stiff and hard to put on (I should probably treat them with some conditioner to soften them up a bit). They feel like they will last for ages.

My FiveTen EPS high are Waaaaay more “waterproof“ than my old Freerider elements.

Still not actually waterproof, but a ten mile commute in pissing rain and hardly any sign of wet feet (wearing trousers rather than shorts.)
The free riders were like I’d been sat in the bath with them on in the same conditions.

Walking boots

Flat-pedal compatible warm dry feet for the winter

I recently bought some relatively cheap Karimor Vibram soled waterproof hiking boots and sliced off the tread where needed.They’ve been great so ,ideally I just now need longer trousers to go over the tops of them .

I bought those Columbia Fairbanks recommended by Ton on that other thread. They’re not as warm as the Bontrager OMW but the grip is very, very good and they’ve so far proven to be waterproof. I managed to find the plain black ones for £69.

Love my Vaude Moab STX AM

I’m with @northwind on the Freerider EPS. Fantastic for cold, dry days. Mostly useless if it’s properly wet. I bought ‘last years’ STX’s in October and have worn them on nearly every ride since.

Pros: waterproof, warm (enough), great quality, ethical company
Cons: bit stiff and not *quite* as grippy as 5-10s but there’s not much in it.

The sole in my EPS’s is almost through now after two years sporadic use. I expect the Vaude’s to last a lot longer.

Shimano GR9 with waterproof socks works for me.

Good luck finding the Vaude in the UK in stock in any popular size.
Even less chance of finding somewhere you can try them on before buying.

5-10 EPS high tops are far more waterproof than other 5-10s I’ve had.  Also the soles on min actually seem to be lasting better than the last couple of sets of freeriders I’ve had.

I’m keeping an eye out for the Vaudes to be in stock somewhere I can get my hands on a pair.  If they are as good, and last as well as people are saying then the price may be worth it.

Walking boots

+1

They’re not 5.10 gripy, but if its that wet its probably a slippy and slidy rather than fast, feet getting blown off the pedals kinda day.

Only downside is I find they get pulled appart but that might be a self fulfilling problem as it means i use cheap boots on the bike to save my nice ones (which might last better).

Not 5 10 levels of grip but my on one shoes have been great in the wet conditions.

Waterproof, gore tex walking shoes, decent ones. They are insulated and have a stiff sole.Also good for walking bits in the mud etc.

Five Ten Tennie Guide boots – stealth sole. Mine are great, same levels of grip as my summer shoes but dry and toasty.

https://www.exxpozed.co.uk/herren-hiking-approachschuhe-five-ten-guide-tennie-mid-caribbean-sea-solid-grey-15b?pup_e=1&pup_cid=89741&pup_id=15B-2991000667831&gclid=CjwKCAiA5o3vBRBUEiwA9PVzaiIx3qROYbJ8sukQlwA6gz2k-zItegKOhUWpHZl6DygkCdW0wWomFxoCssMQAvD_BwE#!?variant=260553

What are you riding? I was up in the hills with haix army boots & knee length seal skins, which was perfect for the conditions.
If I’d been on technical single track then I’d want something more flexible, and haven’t found anything soft that doesn’t get waterlogged.

Vaudes again.

King of the mtb shoe

Thanks for the pointers everyone. Like the look of those Vaudes but a bit spendy though. I usually get a couple of seasons of of my shoes and if they keep my feet warm and dry they’ll be worth it.

ceept I ride Pennines/Peaks stuff all year round so 98% of the time it’s piss wet through and blowing a gale.

Have you tried trousers?

I always put up with cold wet feet until I did some winter bivvy rides and thought I should take a bit more care over staying warm and dry.

I bought some MT500 spray trousers and wore my salomon goretex hiking boots. I’ve got a few pairs of flat pedals, they didn’t work well at all on the set that was on the bike, but were absolutely fine on the Superstars. I left the bottom few inches of the cuff unzipped so they’d go over the tops of the boots. Lovely.

I’ve ridden in the trousers a fair bit since with normal flats (5.10 freerider pro, Ions) with the same arrangement with leaving a bit of flare in the trouser cuffs to cover the bit where your foot goes in. Mostly dry and toasty! Keeping legs and socks dry and the top of the laces covered is 80% of the job, I reckon.

cheap Karrimore hiking trainers from Sports Direct and some cheap neoprene overshoes from Halfords. Works a treat with Sealskinz socks, my feet have remained warm & dry so far this year.

Liking these

I’ve just ordered some of the new model VauDe Moab. Coupled with a pair of riding trousers I’m looking forward to dry and warm feet 🤞

Like the look of those Vaudes but a bit spendy though.

Spendy, yes, but given how well they last, they seem to work out better value than a lot of the alternatives.

A few people have mentioned stiffness, which is also true. That does help with power transfer, in theory. In fact I’ve just put flats back on the gravel bike so I can try riding that in my Vaude’s over winter. They also seem to wear in long before they wear out. After 3 years mine show little sign of wear and are significantly more comfortable than they were on day one.

FiveTen Freerider EPS and Sealskinz socks was toasty warm yesterday. When it’s wetter I’ll add Vaude MTB Gaiters for extra protection.

Well Father Christmas must have thought sod it as he’s just delivered my new Vaude Moab STX AMs.

Stuck with the 44s as I was a 44 in the old 5-10s and they’re a perfect fit. Awkward to get on and off but hopefully they’ll break in a bit.

Fingers crossed I’ll get to test them Boxing Day.

Used these for about 3 winters now, and I fit some cheap covers if it’s really bad. Perfect for me, and I suffer pretty badly from frozen/numb bits due to historic medical stuff.

https://www.exxpozed.eu/herren-hiking-approachschuhe-five-ten-guide-tennie-mid-caribbean-sea-solid-grey-15b?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5pWc0s7Q5gIVyrTtCh2X4wC6EAQYASABEgLFKfD_BwE#!?variant=260553

Five Tens with knee length Sealskins. Works well with knee pads and waterproof shorts. Use two pairs of shoes. Dry one and ride in the other.

What he said ^ but one pair suits me fine, when I’m wearing sealskinz it doesn’t matter if my shoes are wet or not.