seeking water resistant cycling shoes

On Nov 27, 1:22*am, Ryan Cousineau wrote:
In article
,

*thirty-six wrote:
On 23 Nov, 09:58, bobdobbs wrote:
I'm looking for bicycle touring shoes that I can walk in and that are
also water resistant. I am not using clipless pedals. I've been using
some cool Shimanos and Lake shoes from the 1980's but nothing is
available like them. *I am not looking for any of the high tech stuff.
I've heard about Cannondale Roams but they seem stiff - any experience
with them? I realize there will be some trade offs, want some support
but also off-cycle availability.

Exustar have received acclaim for their touring style shoes in the
past.

I am one of their fans. I have both some Duegi winter boots, and the
Exustars, and I prefer the Exustars. The usual recommendation is to go
one size big and wear winter socks. I sized mine with thick socks, and
am happy. My preferred socks are wool hunting socks. I may try some
others.

My experience includes quite a few 3-hour rides on wet wintry days in
Vancouver; the Exustars and good socks make such rides perfectly
tolerable where neoprene booties didn't work for me.

http://www.exustar.com/sm450.php

I've got the low cut version that's based on. It's a boring mtb style
shoe in the best sense. All the stitching and cementing is just fine.
The key is the dead flat wide foot bed which can accept whatever
replacement you prefer--or thick socks, and the simple three velcro
closure. No goofy ratcheting crap to break. You never have to mess
with more than one strap unless you've switched sock thickness. It's a
flexible shoe, but not where the cleat connects, so no hot spot
issues--it just requires your feet to not be lazy clubs.

In article ],
Ryan Cousineau writes:
In article
,
thirty-six wrote:

On 23 Nov, 09:58, bobdobbs wrote:
I'm looking for bicycle touring shoes that I can walk in and that are
also water resistant. I am not using clipless pedals. I've been using.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

some cool Shimanos and Lake shoes from the 1980's but nothing is
available like them. *I am not looking for any of the high tech stuff.
I've heard about Cannondale Roams but they seem stiff - any experience
with them? I realize there will be some trade offs, want some support
but also off-cycle availability.

Exustar have received acclaim for their touring style shoes in the
past.

I am one of their fans. I have both some Duegi winter boots, and the
Exustars, and I prefer the Exustars. The usual recommendation is to go
one size big and wear winter socks. I sized mine with thick socks, and
am happy. My preferred socks are wool hunting socks. I may try some
others.

My experience includes quite a few 3-hour rides on wet wintry days in
Vancouver; the Exustars and good socks make such rides perfectly
tolerable where neoprene booties didn't work for me.

http://www.exustar.com/sm450.php

Strips of inner tube rubber wrapped around my
toe clips and fastened thereon with zipties
work wonders for me in terms of keeping my
street shoes dry and warm.

When awheel, I've found shoes commence to get
wet at the toe-end; further wetnwess ensues
as water soaks into your shoes' uppers from
front to back.

Just keeping rain off the front ends of your shoes
does very much to deter the soaking process.

You are certainly correct in noting that riding shoes
do not have to be completely mummified in neoprene
to keep them warm and dry.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On 28 Nov, 20:26, (Tom Keats) wrote:
In article ],
* * * * Ryan Cousineau writes: In article
,
*thirty-six wrote:

On 23 Nov, 09:58, bobdobbs wrote:
I'm looking for bicycle touring shoes that I can walk in and that are
also water resistant. I am not using clipless pedals. I've been using.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



some cool Shimanos and Lake shoes from the 1980's but nothing is
available like them. I am not looking for any of the high tech stuff..
I've heard about Cannondale Roams but they seem stiff - any experience
with them? I realize there will be some trade offs, want some support
but also off-cycle availability.

Exustar have received acclaim for their touring style shoes in the
past.

I am one of their fans. I have both some Duegi winter boots, and the
Exustars, and I prefer the Exustars. The usual recommendation is to go
one size big and wear winter socks. I sized mine with thick socks, and
am happy. My preferred socks are wool hunting socks. I may try some
others.

My experience includes quite a few 3-hour rides on wet wintry days in
Vancouver; the Exustars and good socks make such rides perfectly
tolerable where neoprene booties didn't work for me.

http://www.exustar.com/sm450.php

Strips of inner tube rubber wrapped around my
toe clips and fastened thereon with zipties
work wonders for me in terms of keeping my
street shoes dry and warm.

When awheel, I've found shoes commence to get
wet at the toe-end; further wetnwess ensues
as water soaks into your shoes' uppers from
front to back.

Just keeping rain off the front ends of your shoes
does very much to deter the soaking process.

You are certainly correct in noting that riding shoes
do not have to be completely mummified in neoprene
to keep them warm and dry.


Wool socks over shoes and finished with sandwich bags and rubber
bands.

(Tom Keats) writes:

In article ],
Ryan Cousineau writes:
In article
,
thirty-six wrote:

On 23 Nov, 09:58, bobdobbs wrote:
I'm looking for bicycle touring shoes that I can walk in and that are
also water resistant. I am not using clipless pedals. I've been using.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

some cool Shimanos and Lake shoes from the 1980's but nothing is
available like them. Â*I am not looking for any of the high tech stuff.
I've heard about Cannondale Roams but they seem stiff - any experience
with them? I realize there will be some trade offs, want some support
but also off-cycle availability.

Exustar have received acclaim for their touring style shoes in the
past.

I am one of their fans. I have both some Duegi winter boots, and the
Exustars, and I prefer the Exustars. The usual recommendation is to go
one size big and wear winter socks. I sized mine with thick socks, and
am happy. My preferred socks are wool hunting socks. I may try some
others.

My experience includes quite a few 3-hour rides on wet wintry days in
Vancouver; the Exustars and good socks make such rides perfectly
tolerable where neoprene booties didn't work for me.

http://www.exustar.com/sm450.php

Strips of inner tube rubber wrapped around my
toe clips and fastened thereon with zipties
work wonders for me in terms of keeping my
street shoes dry and warm.

No they don't because they only protect the toe.


When awheel, I've found shoes commence to get
wet at the toe-end; further wetnwess ensues
as water soaks into your shoes' uppers from
front to back.

Unless you buy, err, waterproof shows. Believe it or not some clever sod
designed the equivalent of your, chuckle, inner tube rubber but no the
inside of the shoe outer fabric .....


Just keeping rain off the front ends of your shoes
does very much to deter the soaking process.

Well obviously. But not enough since rain comes of all angles.


You are certainly correct in noting that riding shoes
do not have to be completely mummified in neoprene
to keep them warm and dry.

Certainly. My Shimano shoes kept my feet totally dry in heavy storm weather.


cheers,
Tom

In article ,
Simon Lewis writes:

Strips of inner tube rubber wrapped around my
toe clips and fastened thereon with zipties
work wonders for me in terms of keeping my
street shoes dry and warm.

No they don't because they only protect the toe.

I speak from imperical experience. If you choose
to disbelieve me, that's fine.

When awheel, I've found shoes commence to get
wet at the toe-end; further wetnwess ensues
as water soaks into your shoes' uppers from
front to back.

Unless you buy, err, waterproof shows. Believe it or not some clever sod
designed the equivalent of your, chuckle, inner tube rubber but no the
inside of the shoe outer fabric .....


Just keeping rain off the front ends of your shoes
does very much to deter the soaking process.

Well obviously. But not enough since rain comes of all angles.

Rain that just falls on ya is inconsequential; the outer parts
of one's garb just gets wet. ScotchGuard and certain fabrics
deal quite handily with that.

The trick is to deal with rainwater that gets pounded and driven
into your clothing. It's not so much the drizzling rain a rider
has to contend with, it's the rain ~water~ with which riders
frontally collide.

The point I've learned while living in West Pluvia (AKA
Vancouver, BC) is to protect one's leading surfaces more
than one's topside or trailing surfaces from rain.
Even when walking in the rain, you'll see how it's the
front of you that gets wet, while the back parts stay
relatively dry.

Maybe a pair of $900 Kevlar/Gortex/digital shoes and
the opportunity for consumers to lighten their wallets
is the answer. I'm sure there'd be a market for 'em.

My inner tube rubber strips are cheap, and readily available.
And they work elegantly, despite your doubts.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On 28 Nov, 20:26, (Tom Keats) wrote:


Strips of inner tube rubber wrapped around my
toe clips and fastened thereon with zipties
work wonders for me in terms of keeping my
street shoes dry and warm.

Are you just protecting the welt or are you creating a full toe cap?

Are these also the broad plastic toe clips or steel?



When awheel, I've found shoes commence to get
wet at the toe-end; further wetnwess ensues
as water soaks into your shoes' uppers from
front to back.

Just keeping rain off the front ends of your shoes
does very much to deter the soaking process.

You are certainly correct in noting that riding shoes
do not have to be completely mummified in neoprene
to keep them warm and dry.

thirty-six wrote:

Wool socks over shoes and finished with sandwich bags and rubber
bands.

Awesome.

In article ,
thirty-six writes:
On 28 Nov, 20:26, (Tom Keats) wrote:


Strips of inner tube rubber wrapped around my
toe clips and fastened thereon with zipties
work wonders for me in terms of keeping my
street shoes dry and warm.

Are you just protecting the welt or are you creating a full toe cap?

Are these also the broad plastic toe clips or steel?

They are the broad plastic MTB toe clips with roomy, square
toe boxes, and my inner tube rubber strips go all the way
around them. They provide coverage from the toe ends of my
shoes to about half-way up the instep.

When riding in pluvial conditions I find my shins
get wetter than my shoes, because they more frontally
bear the brunt of the weather I'm riding into. My
tactics for that consist of either wearing rain pants,
or rain cape + knee-high gaiters. At any rate, I can
ride in a rainstorm and come back home drier than if
I had walked.

A nice byproduct of the rubber strips on toeclips thing
is that it also keeps that icy northerly winter wind off
my li'l toesies. The rubber strips are basically fairings.

One doesn't need fancy neoprene scuba gear to ride
comfortably in the rain. One also doesn't have to
outlay a bunch of expense. That's a good thing, n'est pas?


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On 30 Nov, 02:43, (Tom Keats) wrote:
In article ,
* * * * thirty-six writes:

On 28 Nov, 20:26, (Tom Keats) wrote:

Strips of inner tube rubber wrapped around my
toe clips and fastened thereon with zipties
work wonders for me in terms of keeping my
street shoes dry and warm.

Are you just protecting the welt or are you creating a full toe cap?

Are these also the broad plastic toe clips or steel?

They are the broad plastic MTB toe clips with roomy, square
toe boxes, and my inner tube rubber strips go all the way
around them. *They provide coverage from the toe ends of my
shoes to about half-way up the instep.

When riding in pluvial conditions I find my shins
get wetter than my shoes, because they more frontally
bear the brunt of the weather I'm riding into. *My
tactics for that consist of either wearing rain pants,
or rain cape + knee-high gaiters. *At any rate, I can
ride in a rainstorm and come back home drier than if
I had walked.

A nice byproduct of the rubber strips on toeclips thing
is that it also keeps that icy northerly winter wind off
my li'l toesies. *The rubber strips are basically fairings.

One doesn't need fancy neoprene scuba gear to ride
comfortably in the rain. *One also doesn't have to
outlay a bunch of expense. *That's a good thing, n'est pas?

I think I'll revert to toeclipped pedals on bike #2 unless I can work
a toe box onto the spd style pedal and it still be usable. Do you
think a toebox of say 1.1/4 depth will be a comforting as using
spats, but without the hassle?

On 30 Nov, 01:38, Chalo wrote:
thirty-six wrote:

Wool socks over shoes and finished with sandwich bags and rubber
bands.

Awesome.

That's what we had to use with mesh racing shoes through the winter
before neoprene booties were available. Or there was, I think leather
toe boxes or you could use spats.

It seems to have rained most days here over the last month and the
water's getting colder. Time to rethink protection.

My mesh shoes only come out in warm weather and should it still rain,
as it does here, I still have emergency toe protectors to guard
against road spray when I use them. It's easy to slip the polythene
under a strap closure to hold the bag in place and the bands just
neaten things up. No room taken up in the bar bag.