Looking at a pair of Northwave Celsius or Shimano MW7, each hat shy of 200 notes. My concern is I’ll only be using them in the winter, but then if it means my feet don’t freeze it’ll be money we’ll spent.

Alternative is a pair of over shoes.

I’m in deepest Bavaria and winters are cold and long. Saying that I’m not a masochist going out in a snow storm at minus 5….

Are over shoes effective? Prices seem to vary wildly from 20€ up to 80€.

I’ve tried a few overshoes – in the end they all seem to slip off the toe in the mud. If you manage to stop that happening then they will keep your shoes clean. I’ve never managed it mountain biking and I tried long and hard with several types.

I use my mountain bike winter boots for mountain biking and road riding in the wet/cold. But the thing that keeps my feet dry the most is my leggings / trousers going over my socks and the top of the winter boots. Then the water wont run down you leg and soak your sock and make your feet wet.

Still running a pair of MW80’s I bought years ago – back when you could pick a pair up for around £100 if you looked hard enough – I reckon I’ve had them about 8 years. They only really get used for three or four months a year in the UK, so they’ve lasted pretty well. It probably also helps that I’ve switched to flat pedals for MTBs so only ride in SPDs on drop bar bikes these days, but with lockdowns and what not I’ve mostly been riding the gravel bike over the last few months as it’s more than capable enough for most of the local terrain.

Having used overshoes commuting for a number of years before swapping to full winter boots I would say that the winter boots are so worth the price. Not only will they last longer but they are warmer and dryer by far. I used to find that the over shoes would leak after constant bending either that or split not to mention them leaking through the big holes in the bottom. With the bottom holes it seems as though the water would wick up wards and then on to the shoe.
The winter boots are warm and stay completely dry. I have a pair of Northwave raptor artic GTX ones. A tip as above make sure that you tights/trousers are on the out side of the cuff. This makes a huge difference to the water running down your legs getting in.

I’m happy enough with overshoes here in shandy drinking SE Engerlund, but overshoes are only effective up to a point (IME).

Their biggest problem is always water, if they’re a porous material (neoprene) they will keep feet warm but they cease to be effective once saturated, if it’s cold and dry your golden, if it’s cold and damp you might be ok, if it pissing down, lots of standing water and/or snow then they’ll get soaked through fast and be less useful…
Thin, rubberised overshoes can keep the water out, but they tend to be thin and can tear easily (and have zip closures which won’t last forever) and at -5*C and down I’d not expect them to keep feet warm enough.

Expect most overshoes to last one winter and then be more or less shredded beyond use.

Proper winter boots have the advantage of being designed for the job, and yes you’ll only be usi g them half the year, but they’ll also extend the life of your summer shoes as you won’t be soaking those and/or putting wear on them during the winter months.

More up front cost but they probably work out about on par/cheaper than a fresh pair of overshoes every year…

Overshoes are great for road riding in the rain, but no comparison to a good pair of winter boots for when it gets cold. Like others I use winter boots for both road and off-road in winter – you spent a lot more time on your feet, so why trash your road shoes?

Never feltvthe need to buy winter shoes, over shoes have always been fine. Having said that Bavaria always looks cold.

Why not both?

In my experience overshoes just aren’t warm enough. Also found water would get in through the cleat slots. If walking or putting a foot down I found mud got squeezed in under the overshoes, making a real mess inside.

Also found water would get in through the cleat slots.

Silicon sealant is your friend

I’m in the UK and have used winter boots for years. Current boots are NW Arctic, which I’ve probably had for around 4 years. As above, you need to stop water running in the top. Also, if the ground is proper cold/frozen, any standing around for more than a few seconds and you can feel the cold seeping up through the soles. Or is it the warmth seeping out through the soles?🤔. And once your feet are cold they don’t want to warm up. Anyway, this year I’ve got some thin(ish) thermal inner soles (basically a layer of foil between two thin layers of felt) which have helped massively. Never got on with overshoes for the reasons given above.

I have NW Artics – road and MTB and erm need to wear overshoes on top plus merino socks.

I don’t have Raynards or anything either.

Jumping on this…. looking for some SPD MTB shoes for my bike after using flats for a while… when did cycle shoes get so expensive?! Ideally, yes wanting a winter shoe too, so looking for ideas on this also.

Winter boots for me in central Scotland.

Just got tired of the faff with overshoes – they’re either fiddly to get on or don’t work properly IME. Also buying new ones every year sucks.

Winter boots are fine for me here in southern Scotland, with reynauds too.
Downside is they keep you warmer and wet, rather than warmer and dry, and take ages to dry out. Will need at least two pairs, and that’s alternating one on the hearth and one on.
Overshoes less good but can be used on consecutive days

I’m taking a punt on a pair of Hump Ignite Thermal overshoes for my local riding from home shizz saving my expensive to replace Northwave for off road all dayers ( if there are going to be any before Spring 🙄)
At under a tenner on offerI thought I’d give them a go. I’ve tried everything else including lambswool insoles, merino deep Winter ( hah!) socks etc etc, I find what usually happens is I start off with warm feet and cold hands then after about an hour it swaps around 🤔 I ride clip less which I’m told doesn’t help?
I guess ultimately I shouldn’t be such a tight git and just wear the Winter boots 🙄

Don’t forget to size up when buying so you can wear thicker socks. And another vote for using winter boots + overshoes, the perfect combination for when it gets proper cold 🙂

Been using PX MTB Das Boots for about a month, combined with a thin pair of socks plus a pair of neoprene socks, they keep my toes lovely and warm. So much less faff than overshoes and will last a lot longer.

PX have a few sizes back in stock, guess because others like me sent their first order back and then upsized.

Winter boots – particularly if you walk the bike at all.

Mine have been on their last winter for years.

That said, I am wearing merino-lined waterproof socks with summer shoes more and more. The rubber soles are better on sheet ice. Was happy for 4 hours in snow at -6C on Sunday.

Been using overshoes for winter commutes for the last 6 years

Finally got fed up with the hassle of putting them on, having somewhere to hang them up at work to dry, getting damaged when walking from the bike shed to the shower room etc..

Have just ordered a pair of Shimano MW7 for £141 was the last pair in Euro 45 which was lucky

I use overshoes, mainly so when I get to work I can walk to the office in fairly clean shoes. This hasn’t happened this year so I may look at boots next year.

The thing about overshoes is that if you do any walking, they will only last one winter in my experience. So that 50 euros by five years makes about the same as buying a proper boot, and your feet will be warmer too.

^ agreed. My Northwave boots are about five years old and have plenty of wear left. The only expense is an annual spray with Nikwax re-proofer.

Overshoes are great for Spring and Autumn where it can be cold first thing, but will warm up. They can be easily removed and stowed in your jersey pocket.

All depends how are you planning them to use.

If for proper offroading over-shoes for me are waste of time. The moment you are off the bike they are lifting from toe boxes of your shoes and exposing you to elements.

If you are planning just road or groomed path riding and on budget, buy over shoes.

But truth to be told, proper winter, shoes is investment for years. You will easily squeeze 4-5 seasons from your winter shoes, even with intensive usage. Unless you are habitual shoes destroyer…

Cheers!
I.

overshoes on a road bike, winter shoes on a mountain bike.

I just invested in my first pair of winter shoes (45Nrth Ragnarok from BikeMonger) and after years of destroying regular shoes through winter and putting up with cold and/or wet feet they’re a revelation.

Pair them with a set of heated socks and my feet have never been so happy, no more cold numb toes.

Can’t speak to how long they’ll last as I’ve only used them 4 or 5 times so far but all is good so far.

For road riding in winter I wear overshoes over my Shimano winter boots, as still get cold feet without them.

As another resident of Germany I can whole heartedly reccommend winter shoes. I have a pair of NW Raptors which are the same as the Celcius minus the fleece liner and before that I had the Shimano MW something or other. To compare the two. The NWs are lighter and stiffer but not as warm as the Shimanos (perhaps the Celcius are warmer)and I find the neoprene cuff starts to soak up the water if it’s raining heavily and transports it into the shoe. Your feet stay warm but they will get wet´in heavy rain. A pair of gators would prevent this and indeed I have a pair of Pearl Izumi bib tights with built in gators and they stop a lot of the water ingress. The Shimano boots were much better at keeping the water out but they did feel a bit cumbersome.
I also have a pair of waterproof over shoes, which I wear with my regular shoes, when I want to do some perfomance orienatated riding which actually work remarkably well but as everyone has alerady said they can get destroyed quickly if you have to do any walking with then on.

has no one said sealskins? 🙂

Actually, seriously, when I had spds on my mtbs I used overshoes but they don’t last long and keep coming off causing faff. Now with flats riding mainly pennines/dales, a reasonable amount in the snow, liquid peat under ice grimness. Fantastic. I’d not argue against getting decent winter boots as I will eventually, but as long as you keep moving when it’s only a few degrees below, the usual 5.10s and decent socks are fine. Just need two pairs as they take a while to dry.

Winter boots every time. Finally replaced my original Spesh Defrosters after probably 10 years use, with Shimano MW7s. Very happy with them although only a few weeks in so far.

Never found overshoes useful even for commuting. Just more faff than slipping on a pair of boots.

With summer spd shoes:

First tried sealskinz socks; which quickly became named sock sponges on account of absorbing water at an alarming rate as it ran down the leg. Cold wet and shite.

Then; overshoes; complete faff and don’t last long.

Finally;

Winter MTB spd shoes; Shimano MW81 goretex with reliable Velcro strap closures (no stupid lacing dials). Work great for about 2/3 -3/4 of the year if ‘tuned’ to suit the weather with different gauge socks. They are just starting to come apart after 7 years but only where the neoprene cuff joins the leather boot, so still okay for spring and autumn.

So just splashed out on Specialized defrosters which get great reviews but do look like something Gary glitter wore 😀

The new Endura mt500 flat shoe overshoes are meant to be good.

https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/product_news/endura-mt500-plus-overshoes-355435

I think that I’d chew through the strap as I tend to ride with the pedal more in the middle of the foot.

I’d personally look at winter shoes instead as I find that overshoes also rub on your cranks and only really last a single winter season if you do a fair bit of mileage off road.