Specialized Defroster Trail Winter Shoes

Winter sometimes presents some of the best riding of the year. What's better than the hero grip that accompanies a snowless freeze up? Our forests are never as sweet as when it gets dank and foggy and slipping around in mud, on trails that can take it, is a blast. And forget brown pow; snow riding can create the most predictable drift conditions ever and you'll be thinking a call-up from the Coastal Crew is inevitable. Chilly riding often brings some of my best rides of the year but if your feet are cold you may as well limp home because the fun is over.

One of the bonuses for me switching back to clipless pedals has been the opportunity to find a winter shoe that will keep my lower digits warm and dry, and the selection seems to be getting better all the time. The idea with the Defroster was to completely seal out the elements with a wrap around tongue and a tall gaiter closure while retaining the ability to adjust tension. A single Boa closure on each foot is exposed by a circular window in the tongue cover. Shoes that are too tight restrict circulation leading to premature toeside icicling. When the riding is less intense you can quickly create some room with a single gloved hand and then crank it some when the party begins. 

I've ridden in some relatively frigid conditions, down to -5º Celsius (23º Fahrenheit). Unfortunately thus far this winter the mercury hasn't dropped much below that on the North Shore. My toes cool easily so I'm a good candidate for this testing and I've remained comfortable in the Defrosters. The toe box is roomy enough for a chemical heating pad like a hotshot if needed and the ample wiggle room helps keep the blood flowing. 

I have had an issue with these shoes and their tendency to expose me to the sting of gravity. The interface between shoe and Shimano XT and XTR Trail pedals is a snug one. This produces a very satisfying stomped feeling and the Defrosters give me the most solid pedal feel of any clipless shoe I've worn. The downside is that I have had three hard low speed crashes caused by late releases. At first I thought this might be related to the cleat channel, which is substantially narrower than any other shoes I measured. I wondered if the rubber of the sole was making contact with the pedal mechanism before I engaged the release spring, which is what it feels like. If true this issue wouldn't be affected by pedal tension, which I run at max, so I left it unchanged and continued to bail. Further investigation revealed no issue with the channel, while the cleat recess was outed as the culprit. I dislike the wobbly sensation of cleats that have too little recess but the Defrosters' slightly deeper recess creates tension between sole and pedal - meaning I was fighting rubber on aluminum friction before I even engaged the spring. Reducing pedal tension has helped some, and I haven't fallen since. It would also be possible to space the cleat downward to reduce the recess. I like the feel too much to pursue that strategy so hopefully I'll get accustomed to releasing with the now reduced tension. 

As Andrew mentioned in his Mavic Waterproof shoe review most water gets in from the top of your shoe. The tall gaiter of these shoes addresses much of that but apparel plays a large role. On Friday's ride we had to do a creek crossing three times and it poured for two solid hours. I decided to wear long socks for extra warmth but they would wick water splashes down into the shoes, eventually making me cold when I stopped to fix a flat. Are MTB-specfic external gaiters a thing? If not long pants or shorter socks seems to be the way forward. That situation aside, the Defrosters are extremely well sealed and I have stood in a creek and sprayed my feet with a hose without getting wet.

Usually the left Boa closure on shoes is set up to tighten counter clockwise to make it easier to adjust from the saddle but for some reason these are not. It's not a deal breaker but after finally getting used to that orientation with other shoes I've had a hard time unlearning it. 

Aside from my clumsy fall issues these shoes leave me much to praise and little to bitch about. The SlipNot™ rubber sole does the job on snow and wet roots and rocks, warmth and waterproofing are solid and the shoes manage all this without feeling too heavy or bulky. With cleats the size 45s weighed 630 grams apiece. Thinsulate keeps your feet cozy along with a reflective heat-loss barrier in the sole.

These are the best winter shoes I've used to date. MSRP is 200 USD. More on the Defroster here...