LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

tanya g · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:45 pm Subject: Winter / Summer Boots

I want a pair that i can use for both winter and summer... (I appreciate I will probably need boot covers for real winter still..).

Want is the recommendations?

Mikes post (they seemed a little too winter and that i would need other ones for summer)

Ricks post (they seemed a bit cluncky)

Anything a little slicker but warmer?!

Mikey-two-Names · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 4108

Horses for courses - that's why I have several pairs of cycling shoes. The winter shoes are definitely for cold temperatures only, they would be unbearable in summer.

I think a good compromise would be a set of normal summer cycling shoes, together with warm fleecy overboots. Look at overboots as consumables, as they will tend not to last very long. If the shoes are slightly roomy and have a good lace system, then you can also adjust size a little more and in winter have two pairs of socks on to help with warmth. I think this will work for most conditions, but not for the really cold stuff like Saturday.

I'm only surprised you'd pass up the opportunity to own two pairs of shoes, I didn't. Specific recommendations - no, I think you just need to go and try lots of pairs on and find some that have the right cleat fitting, meet your style and budget, and most of all are comfortable and fit well. Bit like skates really.

tanya g · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:02 pm Subject:

Originally I was thinking of some like toms... but he was freezing on sat BUT he didn't have any overshoes on...

I need to reduce stuff in my house not get more (otherwise I'd be happy to have four or five pairs of cycling shoes!)

I like these or these

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

Got some with some tread or you will still have trouble walking in them. Even my "race" shoes have some. That's one advantage of SPDs they are narrow enough that you can have treaded soled shoes.

BTW I find cycle shoes are a bit like skates. They are quite hard and need to be a good fit for long rides or they can rub. Don't buy off the net unless you are sure they are your foot shape/size.

Mikey-two-Names · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 4108

The cleat decision is a whole new minefield. I would probably go for mountain bike style, as these allow recessed cleats and shoes that you can still walk in relatively properly. Alternatively there are road style cleats, these are big plastic wotsits that protrude from the bottom of your shoe, and make you sound like you're walking in high heels. They give much better power transfer and you're less likely to get a hotspot from them because of the larger surface area of the cleat.

I use the older style Look Delta cleats because I rarely need to unclip on my recumbent, and I have almost no walking at all. They are just that little bit more secure when accelerating from the lights, unlike SPDs. I occasionally unclipped under my max power and dinged my feet against the seat with SPDs, even with the release spring set to maximum tension.

sol · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 3:15 pm Subject:

My Shimano threaded sole shoes are fine in the summer and winter. On the ride last Sat I only wore a pair of thin wool socks in them and was absolutely fine. And I can walk in them. Think they were £40 from Bikehut
http://www.rei.com/pwr/product-reviews/Cycling/Cycling-Footwear/Men-s-Mountain-Bike-Shoes/Shimano/p/735336-Shimano-MT40-Sport-Shoes-Men-s.html

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

I would think you get a lot more pull on a recumbent than an upright. It's difficult to get a big pull without shifting your weight on an upright. So it's sprints where you feel the urge to get high out of the seat that you might come unclipped. Not really on uphills where you don't want to be wobbling.

I have never come unclipped accidentally except where I wasn't clipped in properly and I have my tension set very light and I am not a lightweight. If you ride toe in (not sure why you would unless you were pigeon toed) then SPDs shouldn't be a problem on an upright.

Mikey-two-Names · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 4108

Yup, SPDs or similar are great, just have different strengths and weaknesses to other pedal types. Sorry if I made them seem less than ideal, I was just trying to lay out the differences and explain why they aren't quite as good as road cleats for my particular set of needs.

Riding fixed on the road, then I use SPDs, because they are better for this purpose, IMO.

andyman · Joined: 05 Apr 2006 Posts: 1945 Location: Suffolk

Cyclestore.co.uk have some good offers on shoes (and other stuff actually) including these (rather clunky but actually very light) boots. Or better still these winter ones
Worth a look as they might have some that fit the bill.

Adrian · Joined: 10 Jul 2007 Posts: 908 Location: Tatem Park

Ok - I'll throw something into the melting pot which has helped me which is related to using a bike as a cross training tool for skating.

I've commuted using mountain bike shoes for the past 15 years or so, through the whole year (it's my main form of training). So I am in favour of moutain bike shoes against pure road shoes for the recessed cleat & ease of walking thing (as covered elsewhere). I've mostly stuck with Shimano SPD's, but the one really great find I had about 3 years ago was the Specialized Body Geometry style shoe.

The reason I've found these such a help for my skating, is the angle they set your foot at. I'm talking across your foot from the inside to the outside (not front to back). I used to really suffer through the winter with my skating in relation to my edging muscle on the front of my shins - the muscle that Matt CW had an operation in earlier this year. Since using the Specialized shoes, coupled with using a lot of out of the saddle work on hills, and accelerations, which works that muscle, the problem has been greatly reduced. I have found it to be so much help, I really wouldn't use another brand of shoe now, unless they had the same feature.

I use the basic Specialized Mountain Sport shoes all year round (on road & mountain bikes), and use Seal Skin socks over normal socks on cold and wet days. But you could use over shoes as Mike suggested. They may not have the "bling" of the other shoe brands, but the functional advantage for skating, for me wins it hands down.

Mikey-two-Names · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 4108

Andy's link above is to some Spesh Body Geometry winter MTB shoes, btw.

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?productID=11628&categoryID=218

Spesh "Body Geometry" is also good for me, though like most things it may not be the right fit for your own particular body. We're all different...

tanya g · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:46 pm Subject:

I think I'll get these for 130 bit pricey but hopefully they will work

Tom · Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Posts: 482 Location: Holland Park

tanya g · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:06 pm Subject:

I might go for a ride tonight... and see if my new boots warmers work... that will be a big factor in any decision.

BigSteev · Joined: 04 Jul 2006 Posts: 282 Location: London

These FTW