Specialized Defroster Shoes

This fall I finally made the plunge and purchased a pair of winter mountain bike shoes. Okay, actually my mom bought them for me, but I picked them out, and I would have paid for them if my mom wasn't feeling generous.


My original idea was that I would use these next year, a typical end-of-season sale purchase waiting for the next season to be used. But as you can see, springtime in Vermont has plenty of opportunities for a pair of shoes designed to ridden in cold, wet conditions.


These shoes are a lot like my regular mountain bike shoes, which are also made by Specialized. Like regular higher-end cycling shoes, they have a solid heel cup and toe protection. Unlike regular mountain bike shoes, these shoes are insulated instead of ventilated. They have dual velcro straps and a neoprene cuff that seals off your ankle. Although they don't have a ratcheting system to tighten down the straps, I have found that the velcro alone works well enough for my performance needs.


The neoprene cuffs effectively keep dirt and mud out. Like most mountain bike shoes, these have hard plastic soles that are designed to provide traction in mud.


I have put these through some pretty gnarly rides, including several that required me to wade through a fair amount of muck. On numerous occasions I have stepped into some pretty deep and cold river beds, and to my surprise, they actually are waterproof.

When I saw this promise on the outside of these shoes, I assumed it was too good to be true. "Sure, waterproof like all the crappy raingear I have owned over the years" was what I was thinking. Well, turns out they are really waterproof. Step into a puddle, and unless you go in over your ankle, no water gets in. I am impressed, and it is hard to express how much more pleasant it is to ride in shoes that are not soggy and squishing like an old sponge.


While these are waterproof they certainly are not breathable. I've found even with my nicer raingear that there's really no way to totally eliminate the trade-off between waterproofing and breathability. On a couple of rides that have taken place on the warmest of Vermont spring days, my feet have gotten wet from the inside, although I have to say that the temperature range of these shoes is quite a bit broader than I expected. Wearing a thin summer sock, using these when it's about 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) seems fine.

I have ridden when is about 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) and although my feet did not freeze I would say that this is at or below the lower limit for these shoes. Sock selection makes a big difference, and I suppose that with the right thin-but-hearty wool sock you might survive a bit colder. In windy conditions these shoes really shine. There's no sense that the wind is blowing through your toes at all, a welcome lack of discomfort for someone who's been wearing a regular pair of mountain bike shoes way too deep into the fall for years.

After a few months of pretty serious use, these shoes get an enthusiastic endorsement. Now, only their durability remains to be seen.

I am a big fan of Specialized cycling shoes. They are well-constructed, well-designed, and about as aesthetically pleasing as we can expect bikes shoes to be. My foot, which is on the narrow size, seems to be compatible with Specialized's "Body Geometry" design. Your foot might not be so friendly with this design, so definitely try these on in the store before you make the plunge.