George's Weblog

With all the sub-freezing weather lately I picked up a pair of 45Nrth Wolvhammer boots from Cycle Fitters in Easton, PA. The inaugural ride went quite well, feet did not get cold despite an average temperature of just 5 degrees F. There was ample room in the toebox, these don't fit tight like road shoes. There was plenty of room for blood flow in the foot which helps keep things warm. Overall you get a real feeling of quzlity when you look at and wear these boots. I think 45Nrth has done a great job with the design.

Here is a rundown on the features of the Wolvhammer boots:

They are heavy. All that protection and insulation comes at the price of weight. Of course you're probably not going very fast to begin with if you are riding trails with ice and snow on them. The boots weigh 830 grams each, a total of 1.66 kilograms or 3.66 lbs. for the pair.

The boot is very stiff. They come up over your entire ankle and then some. The ankle support is amazing but you will be surprised if you are used to wearing below the ankle shoes or boots.

There is an inner boot and an outer shell. The inner boot is the insulation and the outer one is the weather protection. The inside part has a pull-up so you can hold onto it when inserting your foot.

The inner boot has a lace up closure. There is a leather piece at the top that you can use to pull them tight and then a pushbutton closure that you just slide down. I found the laces to be quite long but it looks like you could trim them back easily and retie the ends.

the outer shell as a zipper and then velcro over top. There is a velcro tab on the zipper pull to keep it where it belongs, it won't unzip on you.

Above the ankle there is a velcro strap that threads through a buckle and cinches up tight to keep the snow out.

The outer shell of the boot is heavy-duty cordora. It looks very durable and will likely hold up to several years of usage expecially considering that these boots are only worn on the coldest of days.

The sole of this model takes a standard Shimano SPD cleat. They also make a model that is just flat on the bottom. Clipping in was actually pretty easy, I didn't have any trouble finding the right position to lock in. The cleats do not come with the boots, you must purchase seperately. The soles are Vibram and are pretty comfortable for walking around other than for the stiffness of the boot upper.

There is an attachment point for the 45Nrth Bergraven gaitors if you want to add them. I guess they could be a good addition if you are in very deep snow.

On the sole of the toe there are two metal pieces that look like you could attach spikes or crampons there.

The boots are expensive. The price is $325 for the pair, not cheap. But if you are used to spending that much on road shoes, you're actually getting a whole lot more for your money when you buy these boots.

No riding today, I'm planning on riding in to work tomorrow and will get the extra miles then. Almost done!

Colder and a bit wet. I used the touring bike and I was glad I did. There were plenty of wet spots on the Chester Valley Trail. Got 66 miles today.

Unbelievable that it is in the 50's today. I stayed on the bike path for a total of about 65 miles.

Did a long one today. Average temperature 32F. This should bring me just about back on track for the mileage goal.