Cycling-specific, cold-weather boots have long seemed like a luxury item to me. That changed when I decided to get a fat bike for riding on snowy trails and decided to suck it up and pedal around my Colorado hometown all through winter. Suddenly, no overshoe was warm enough and no casual snow boot stiff or snug enough. After spending a few weeks with Bontrager’s brand-new and rather svelte-looking Old Man Winter (OMW) boots, I am completely sold on the idea.
If, like me, you have Raynaud’s syndrome (the cold-weather narrowing of the blood vessels in your extremities) keeping your fingers and toes warm sometimes seems impossible. The OMW helps allay that with a fleece-lined, removable inner bootie packed with 200 grams of 3M Thinsulate insulation. The stretchy outer boot is made of waterproof, breathable OutDry material and features sealed zippers. The inner bootie has a drawstring-type closure. Paired with two outer Velcro straps, the boots allow for a very snug fit and offer plenty of adjustment.
My only minor complaints are that it can be difficult to zip the ankle gaiter over the plastic pull tab on the laces and, if you don’t manage to raise the zipper completely to the top of the ankle, the pedaling motion will push it down.
[“source-bicycletimesmag”]