I was fed up of my feet going numb. I love riding on those cold, clear and frosty mornings, but there's nothing worse tthan losing all sensation in your feet after an hour or so. My Sidi Inverno's weren't bad, but on those really cold mornings, when the temperature falls a few degrees below freezing, the Sidi's fell a bit short.
I'd been eyeing up these Lake boots for ages, but they aren't cheap, and it took a particularly cold, foot numbing ride, to convince me to take the plunge. I live and ride in South Wales, not the coldest place in the UK I'll be the first to admit. But riding the Skyline Trail in Glyncorrwg, during mid winter, can be dam chilly at times.
I'm normally a size 42/43, but I ordered a pair of 44's, to give my toes plenty of room. Out of the box the boots looked bulky, but not as ugly as I'd been expecting. Nor did I find them heavy to wear. When I slid my feet inside it was akin to donning a pair of your favorite slippers. The fit was great for me, although I was suspiscious of the closure system, I preffer velcro straps. I'd used a similar closure system before on a pair of Sidi Race shoes, and it had been rendered useless by mud clogging it up, so I was a little wary to see a similar system on this boot.. That said, the ability to adjust the fit around the heal, using velcro, worked well for me. The neoprene cuff at the top of the boot, felt warm and snug.
With the boots on, and wearing just a pair of thin summer socks, I well recall my first frosty outing wearing the Lake boots. It was well below freezing, well a couple of degrees below, and at no stage during the 3 hr ride did my feet even begin to feel cold. The boots did a great job of keeping the heat in, and keeping the cold (and everything else) out. The soles were stiff, and there was no problem using the boots with my Time Attack's. I was chuffed (very pleased), no more cold feet for me.
I've had the boots for a while now, and they are simply superb at keeping your feet warm and dry. Water will only get in via the neoprene cuff, so if it's a really wet ride, you'll need to cover the top of the boot, otherwise water will seep in there. Long waterproof trousers work fine for me. But as a boot to be worn on freezing cold days, I don't know of any other boot that comes close. I've ridden several 5hr plus rides using the boot, and there have been no issues regarding comfort No sore spots, just nice warm feet.
So in conclusion. This is THE boot to get to combat the cold. It's also very good at keeping out the wet, just cover the neoprene cuff. The boot is nice and snug on the foot. It also works well on those occasions when you need to walk. But it's not cheap.
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