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Gaerne
Polar MTB Competition Winter Boots. Around £108. Available
in sizes 37 to 49. These boots would get five stars if they weren't
as expensive as Gucci.
What are
they for?
Want warm dry feet in Winter ' whatever the weather?
Last year I spent two weeks over Xmas / New year mountain biking in
& around Aviemore and the Cairngorms with typical trail conditions
being sub zero with 6' of snow and my feet we so cold it was painful.
So after trying endless combinations of woollen socks / neoprene
overshoes / waterproof socks I finally gave in and bought some Winter
boots ' and why I didn't try them years ago I'll never know!
How
good are they really?
The Polar MTB Competition boots are simply fantastic ' no combination
of overshoes / waterproof sock will come close! You zip them up and
you're foot is totally waterproof right up to the top of the boot.
Under the zip, the tongue is stitched in and fully waterproof, so
there's no way water can get in unless it comes down your leg. Tuck
your cycling leggings over the top and water runs down your leg over
the boot. I've stood in a bog up to my knee (by accident) and still had
dry feet!
The boots are reasonably well insulated, so a pair of thin woollen socks is adequate for most
Winter days ' with thicker socks required if you're going to be pushing the bike in deep snow.
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The grip
of the sole is easily good enough for carrying your MTB up a scree
slope. The boots come with extra bolt on metal studs for the toe, but
I've never bothered fitting them. The sole is SPD cleat compatible and
I've only had minor problems with mud blocking the cleat up which was
cured by bashing sole against the pedal. Gaerne claim that the tread is
extremely resistant to abrasion and wear, which if it's true is
impressive given their solid grip performance.
What do they cost?
Well they're not cheap, Wiggle currently sell them for £116.99.
Summary
Winter boots are a bit like SPDs, you think there must be a catch but
once you've tried them you'll never go back to pedals (or in this case
overshoes). So, if you ride a lot in Winter ' these are the boots to go
for!
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