Booties for XC?

[Hack On Wheels]

What are some good booties for my clipless shoes for in the muck and grime?
Ideally something with space for the tread on my shoes and that wont get shredded by rocks or my Mallets... any ideas?

And if anyone is confused by the term "booties", it might not be the right word, I am talking about waterproof shoe cover thingies.

[enduramil]

What are some good booties for my clipless shoes for in the muck and grime?
Ideally something with space for the tread on my shoes and that wont get shredded by rocks or my Mallets... any ideas?

And if anyone is confused by the term "booties", it might not be the right word, I am talking about waterproof shoe cover thingies.

Found something better.

Neoprene paddling socks from the paddling department. Harder to destroy, cheap $7, and keep your feet warm while wet.

[heckler]

I've run two types of booties. They're pretty annoying to put on and off, and they will get shredded.

The only answer are Shimano DX clipless shoes .

[enduramil]

Here you go,

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444189 4713&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302700471&bmUID=1174515558220

And there $7.50.

[Hack On Wheels]

I have a pair of those neoprene socks, but they aren't going to work all that well for me and my shoes. Not to mention I don't especially enjoy the feel of them...

Thanks heckler, I was afraid of that. But which booties did you try and which was better? At this point I am mainly sticking to low-key riding with my clipless and so I am not too worried about shredding the booties very quickly. If I get more comfortable with the clipless I may have to look into those Shimano shoes, the flat specific versions are good shoes too!

[heckler]

must go home to check what booties I have. One pair is already gone to a better place.

I only use them for road riding. Even then, the bottoms have some small tears in them from the pedals and cleats.

Mine are too small, and fit very snug on my shoes. Upside - I never notice them when riding. Downside - difficult to put on and off.

[Turn7]

I have the older Neoprene MEC covers.
I find they do not work well offroad. any walking, hiking, forces the water ( or snow) up under the base of the toe then eventually gets my toes wet.. Well then I have cold feet.

recently, I just bought sealskins socks. I find them comfy..[and I think I am picky..] My shoes were totally soaked on the weekend, and they were warm and cozy. I have even used them for running 7km in a downpour with the same results...

[mudhoney]

I've used sealskin socks, and two different types of booties:

From MEC: http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/Products/CyclingClothing/5009241_v1_m56577569830584339.jpg

From Sugoi: http://sugoi.com/prod.php?p=SUG95050U&k=59996

For off-road, I prefer the sealskins, but they don't fit in my XC shoes, too bulky.

The booties I've mainly used commuting (but on my XC bike since I have the opportunity to ride trails to and from work) and I prefer the Sugoi (keep my feet drier and warmer).

The bit under the toe on the Sugoi ones has gotten trashed a bit, mostly from walking home a couple of blocks one night when I got a flat (too lazy to change it in the pouring rain). But the the elastic trim still holds it nicely onto the shoe and they are still going strong after one year.

If you're staying clipped in, the lifespan should be pretty reasonable; if you're hiking around in them, they'll be trashed sooner. I usually only expect to get 2-3 years out of them whether I'm on the road or trail.

cheers,
pd

[Hack On Wheels]

I've used sealskin socks, and two different types of booties:

From MEC: http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/Products/CyclingClothing/5009241_v1_m56577569830584339.jpg

From Sugoi: http://sugoi.com/prod.php?p=SUG95050U&k=59996

For off-road, I prefer the sealskins, but they don't fit in my XC shoes, too bulky.

The booties I've mainly used commuting (but on my XC bike since I have the opportunity to ride trails to and from work) and I prefer the Sugoi (keep my feet drier and warmer).

The bit under the toe on the Sugoi ones has gotten trashed a bit, mostly from walking home a couple of blocks one night when I got a flat (too lazy to change it in the pouring rain). But the the elastic trim still holds it nicely onto the shoe and they are still going strong after one year.

If you're staying clipped in, the lifespan should be pretty reasonable; if you're hiking around in them, they'll be trashed sooner. I usually only expect to get 2-3 years out of them whether I'm on the road or trail.

cheers,
pd

Awesome! I do stay clipped in most of the time, so I think I will give them a try. I'm in the same boat as you, not enough space in my shoes for thicker socks; unfortunate, but perfect for nice weather!

Thanks for all the responses, and anything further is welcome!

[ChunkyMonkey]

Awesome! I do stay clipped in most of the time, so I think I will give them a try. I'm in the same boat as you, not enough space in my shoes for thicker socks; unfortunate, but perfect for nice weather!

Thanks for all the responses, and anything further is welcome!
If you're going with booties, bring your shoes with you for size fitting. I found the large size Sugoi perfect for me (9.5 shoes), when the approx. sizing chart said a medium was fine.

[Hack On Wheels]

If you're going with booties, bring your shoes with you for size fitting. I found the large size Sugoi perfect for me (9.5 shoes), when the approx. sizing chart said a medium was fine.

Ah yes, will do! Thanks.

[Circlip]

I've done really well with my Lake MXZ300 winter riding shoes, which leave the full lugged sole exposed (when required) and don't have the extra material to interfere with the cleat mechanism. Nice wool felt lining and high ankle cuff means I can continue to wear normal minimal socks underneath. There's several other companies that make true lined and/or waterproof winter MTB shoes also - Gaerne, Answer, Shimano (UK only), even SIDI. Certainly a much heavier investment in $$$ though than the bootie or sock solution.

[old_school_n00b]

I don't much care for my Sealskinz gloves and probably wouldn't buy their socks, but I can't say enough good things about the Rocky Gore-Tex socks at MEC. I wore them just about every day through the winter, and they're holding up just fine.

Neoprene just plain feels icky.

[Hack On Wheels]

I don't much care for my Sealskinz gloves and probably wouldn't buy their socks, but I can't say enough good things about the Rocky Gore-Tex socks at MEC. I wore them just about every day through the winter, and they're holding up just fine.

Neoprene just plain feels icky.

Definitely caught my interest there, but they sure are pricey! How thin are they? I don't think I can fit too much more into my shoes...

[old_school_n00b]

Definitely caught my interest there, but they sure are pricey! How thin are they? I don't think I can fit too much more into my shoes...

The Rocky socks are quite thin and fit comfortably under all of my regular shoes. You can't put a price on being warm and dry, especially when you work outdoors.

[Chief]

john if you are still looking for a solution you could try the socks i wear in my sailing boots they are quite warm , thin and are comfortable
http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d111000/e109796.asp
.5mm but i dont notice a difference from the super thick mec ones
also have a nice lining which the mec ones lack

[Hack On Wheels]

john if you are still looking for a solution you could try the socks i wear in my sailing boots they are quite warm , thin and are comfortable
http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d111000/e109796.asp
.5mm but i dont notice a difference from the super thick mec ones
also have a nice lining which the mec ones lack

Thanks Andy, I will look into those. I never liked the mec ones that I used for rowing all that much, so these may be a nice improvement over those, but ideally I was hoping to find a nice, rugged over-boot with lots of space for the lugs on my clipless shoes. I guess all the rowing time has made me steer away from anything that will have my feet get and stay wet for extended periods of time...

[Chief]

you could make custom boots haha get some gum boots and screw in the cleat haha
ps. saints rowing/bball is lame

[Hack On Wheels]

you could make custom boots haha get some gum boots and screw in the cleat haha
ps. saints rowing/bball is lame

Haha, oh man, I might just give that a shot if I get really bored someday.
ps. I don't care about saints rowing/bball.

[Chief]

Haha, oh man, I might just give that a shot if I get really bored someday.
ps. I don't care about saints rowing/bball.

good cuz they got owned by vc which i dont care about either