Cycling Shoes for Winter
Bike Shoes with Membrane and Warm Lining
No matter if you ride your road bike, MTB or touring bike in winter, high-quality winter shoes offer additional comfort and warmth when cycling in cold weather. Insulating materials keep your feet pleasantly warm. These are just the right shoes for all those who do not want to stay at home during winter!
Discover our range of warm women’s and men’s winter shoes – some of them featuring the wind- and waterproof GORE-TEX membrane – in all common sizes by renowned brands like ROSE, SHIMANO, NORTHWAVE, MAVIC, SIDI and VAUDE. We stock MTB shoes and road bike shoes for winter. Have a look around!
Why should I wear winter shoes on the bike?
In contrast to traditional cycling shoes, winter bike shoes are significantly more insulated. You can already see from their cut, their often higher uppers and their neoprene cuffs that these shoes are designed to keep away the cold. The materials used, too, ensure maximum insulation and warm feet. In addition, most winter shoes feature a padding or a warm lining to make sure you won’t get cold feet. Usually, winter cycling shoes also have a wind- and waterproof membrane. This is a thin plastic layer integrated between the robust upper material and the warm lining. Micro perforations in the membrane make sure no water or moisture can penetrate the material while water vapour can escape. Cycling shoes that feature a membrane protect you even better from cold, wind and rain. The most popular windproof and waterproof membrane is the GORE-TEX membrane, that is used in numerous shoe models.
Winter road bike shoes – keep riding through winter
Special winter road bike shoes keep your feet warm when cycling through the winter. These shoes not only come with warm materials and wind- and waterproof properties, but they also have holes for three-bolt cleats arranged in a triangle, which makes them compatible with 3-bolt pedal systems like LOOK Delta and Kéo, SHIMANO SPD-SL, Speedplay Light Action, Zero, X-Series (with 3-bolt adapter plate), Campagnolo Pro-Fit, MAVIC Zxellium, Time Iclic/Xpresso and Time Impact.
MTB winter shoes – ruler of the trails, even in winter
Besides developing special road shoes for winter, popular brands like ROSE, GAERNE, SIDI, SHIMANO and NORTHWAVE also offer MTB shoes that are designed for keeping your feet warm when riding through winter, too. When buying a new pair of winter mountain bike shoes, you should make sure they have a wind- and waterproof membrane so that spray and mud cannot penetrate the upper material. MTB shoes for winter feature a sole with two parallel threaded holes to accept 2-bolt cleats from SHIMANO SPD, Time ATAC, crankbrothers, crankbrothers Race, LOOK MTB, Xtreme MTB, Wellgo MTB pedals.
Overshoes as an alternative
As an alternative or in addition to your cycling shoes, you can of course also use wind- and waterproof overshoes in winter and bad weather to protect your shoes and feet. Water will simply run off the shoe covers and won’t even reach the shoes. Most of our overshoes are made from warm and weatherproof neoprene and can be found in the category Overshoes.
Which fastening system would you like?
To ensure a perfect fit, the shoe manufacturers have invented different fastening systems. Depending on the type of system, they allow for adjustments on the fly or offer very good heel retention for even better power transfer to the pedal.
Velcro straps: Velcros on your winter bike shoes allow for precise adjustments, can be adjusted on the fly if need be and do not get caught on branches as quickly as other systems.
Ratchets: Cycling shoes with ratcheting buckles allow for an even more precise adjustment. For this, a plastic wire is threaded through a closure system and adjusted precisely to the millimetre. Thus, the closure system cannot get caught, while keeping the foot in place inside the shoe and offering a perfect fit around the heels.
Dials (e.g. BOA or ATOP): Winter cycling shoes with dials offer precise adjustment options and even pressure distribution over the entire foot. This is thanks to wire laces running across the foot like traditional laces. Yet, they are adjustable in length via a twist buckle. This allows for precise one-handed adjustment on the fly.
Which sole is right for me?
In order to also enjoy best power transfer to the pedal in winter, you are well-advised not to skimp on the sole. You can choose from a large number of different soles, ranging from traditional rubber soles through to composite soles with ultra-light and stiff carbon inserts. Here are the differences:
Rubber soles: Traditional sports shoes and flat pedal shoes usually come with rubber outsoles. Thanks to high flexibility, they offer particularly high comfort when walking. On flat pedals, the rubber sole ensures maximum grip, as the rubber wraps around the steel pins and offers high friction resistance with the slippery platform pedal. Rubber soles can only be found on MTB winter shoes.
Nylon soles: Classic nylon soles are mostly used on entry-level and all-rounder models. Nylon is harder than rubber, so that the soles offer improved power transfer to the pedal. Due to lower flexibility though, nylon soles are less comfortable when walking and offer less grip on slippery ground. Therefore, nylon soles of MTB winter shoes usually feature a non-slip rubber tread.
Reinforced nylon soles: Those who want to transfer even more power to the pedal can also go for mountain bike shoes with a nylon sole that comes with additional carbon or fibreglass reinforcements in the cleat area. This results in increased stiffness, helping you get even more power onto the pedal. Tread blocks made of non-slip rubber provide sufficient grip on off-the-bike sections.
Carbon composite soles: Cyclists who want a stiff sole but do not have the budget for a full carbon sole are recommended choosing a carbon composite sole. These soles are made from a nylon-carbon composite. This allows you to benefit from the best of both worlds: increased stiffness thanks to carbon, and a lower price and more comfort thanks to nylon. Tread blocks made of non-slip rubber provide sufficient grip on off-the-bike sections and slippery grounds.
What are you waiting for? Put your winter bike shoes on and get on your bike!
Discover our range of warm women’s and men’s winter shoes – some of them featuring the wind- and waterproof GORE-TEX membrane – in all common sizes by renowned brands like ROSE, SHIMANO, NORTHWAVE, MAVIC, SIDI and VAUDE.