But not all of them keep you as warm as the adverts promise. Above all, winter shoes should keep out the wet and keep your toes warm. We tested nine models.
When designing their winter cycling shoes, manufacturers mainly take two approaches: Mavic, Shimano, Specialized and Vaude extend a classic low shoe upwards with a ring made partly of reinforced neoprene. The main advantage is the fit. The neoprene moulds itself to the foot and hardly disturbs the pedalling movement.
The other manufacturers extend the upper mainly with the material of the upper shoe. As a result, the shoe loses some of its flexibility. All manufacturers use synthetic fibres for the inner lining. You can already recognise clear differences when you feel them. The fluffy lining of the Northwave is reflected in the good result in the insulation test. The lining of the Sidi is noticeably thinner. However, by choosing the right sock, you can still get a lot of warmth out of it. However, only a completely waterproof and draught-proof shoe guarantees permanently warm toes.
The winter cycling shoes in the test:
Exustar E-SM343, http://www.exustar.com
Gaerne G.Artix, http://www.gaerne.com
Lake MXZ 302, http://www.lakecycling.com
Mavic Drift, http://www.mavic.com
Nothwave Celsius Arctic GTX, http://www.northwave.de
Shimano SH-MW81, http://www.paul-lange.de
Sidi, Diablo Gore-Tex, http://www.sidisport.com
Specialised Defroster MTB, http://www.specialized.com
Vaude Termatic RC, http://www.vaude.com
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Stefan Frey
Editor
