Make riding with cold or achy plates-of-meat a thing of the past with these winter warmers
Cold or aching feet can ruin your ride, make riding with uncomfortable plates-of-meat a thing of the past with these winter warmers.
>>> Best mountain bike shoes in 2020: flat and clipless
What shoes?
You need shoes with cushioning to soften the trail buzz, decent protection around the toe and heel to fend off rocks, and above all, decent connection with the pedal. Nothing beats the Five Ten Freerider… except possibly the Freerider Contact, simply because it’s unbelievably grippy.
Giro’s Jacket can’t match it for grip, but it’s a better fit and it seems to work very well longer pinned flat pedals.
What socks?
There are two schools of thought here — keep feet dry with a combination of waterproof boots, socks and trousers, or accept you’re going to get wet, but keep them warm, with decent socks.
Some of the best dry shoes come from Shimano, the best dry socks from Sealskinz and the best trousers from Gore. If your feet are going to get wet, we’ve just discovered Drymax — they’re made from a funky hydrophobic material designed to dry fast (£12.98).
What about insoles?
Ditch your shoe’s standard crappy insole and replace it with something decent: a good insole will provide your foot with support and cushioning, and avoid that achy feeling from rocky trails or hardtail rides. The Fizik 3D Flex insole moulds to the shape of your foot, meaning it should distribute pressure evenly and avoid hotspots.
What pedals?
Steering, pedalling and body position all depend on your connection with the pedals, so make it a good one. One of the most exciting new flat pedals on the market is Burgtec MK4 Composite — the platform is a good size, the shape good and the grip excellent, with long pins… and they’re cheap (£39.99).
If you’re riding clipless pedals, the Crank Brothers Mallet DH is the ultimate pedal because it gives you a flat-pedal feel with a clipless connection.
Apres ride shoe?!
Salomon says the S-LAB RX 3.0 helps runners recover faster thanks to a really stretchy upper and a cushioned midsole. We don’t know much about jogging, but it’s probably the comfiest shoe we’ve ever tried for padding round the house after a ride.