Northwave Flash Arctic GTX Winter Boots

Northwave's Flash Arctic GTX boots are very good winter all-rounders. They keep your feet warm and – for the most part – dry, and they're well designed and super-visible after dark. You're paying for the privilege, but if you're serious about winter riding you'll get your money's worth out of them.

• Pros: Warm and waterproof, pretty comfortable, 360° reflective
• Cons: Hard to get on, water can still get in the cuff, sized a bit big

Once the mercury drops it's your extremities that catch the worst of it, and your feet are often the first to go. Winter overshoes can be effective but also tend to be pretty bulky; these Flash Arctic GTX boots offer similar protection in a more compact package. They look a bit neater, give you more crank clearance, and they're probably a bit more aero if you care about such things.

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The boots are waterproof thanks to a Gore-Tex Koala membrane in the main body of the shoe, and a neoprene cuff that also has a membrane layer built in. That also makes the boots fully windproof, which on cold, dry rides is the most important thing. Both windproofing and waterproofing I've found to be excellent; the one proviso here is that on longer wet rides the rain can seep in around the top of the cuff, and once it's in it tends to stick around.

That's true of pretty much any winter boot design – you have to get your foot in and out somehow – and the Flash Arctic GTX boots are certainly better than some I've tried. If you're planning some wet weather epics you can always try the old audax trick of snipping the tops off a pair or rubber dishwashing gloves and fitting them as a kind of skin-tight garter over the top. It's not pretty, but hey, it works.

The outers of the boots are perforated as far as the membrane to help breathability, but realistically your feet getting hot and sweaty is the least of your worries here. You're more likely to be concerned about frostbite in your toes, so I'm happy to report that the Flash Arctic GTX boots are pretty effective at keeping the chills at bay.

> How to keep your feet warm while cycling in winter

The whole of the upper is lined with a low-density fleece, and the footbed is a four-layer aluminium and fleece construction that stops the cold seeping up from cold air under the boot, or road spray if it's wet. With a single pair of merino socks and temperatures hovering around zero, I found that my feet were less cold than with road shoes and neoprene overshoes after a couple of hours.

They're less bulky than a big overshoe too, which means you get a bit more clearance between the shoe and the crank. I have wide feet and often find that a thick overshoe rubs more or less continuously on the crank, which is annoying and not very good for your overshoes or your crank finish, especially when it's wet and gritty. With the Flash Arctic GTX boots I found it easy enough to set them up so they cleared the cranks, with only the odd minor rub when standing up out of the saddle.

In terms of the overall pedalling feel, they're pretty good. High-cuff boots never feel quite as free as shoes, but the neoprene cuff is the more flexible part of the boot and doesn't restrict you that much.

The sole is rated as an 8.0 on Northwave's own stiffness scale, which in the road category starts at 6.0 for the £75 Jet 2 shoe and tops out at 15.0 for its £340 Extreme Pro race slippers. That suggests they're, well, fairly stiff but not too stiff. And they are: they're certainly not race stiff, but they're stiff enough to tackle sharp climbs out of the saddle on the winter fixed bike without feeling sloppy.

The SLW2 dial closure is pretty easy to use, and opens up far enough to make it easy to slide your foot in once you've managed to work yourself past the cuff; Northwave has gone for a one-piece cuff with no closure, which helps to keep water out but is a bit of a faff when you're pulling them on. The SLW2 dial has a dual action release mechanism: push it in to release one click at a time or pull it out to undo in one go. It works well, and the single wire lace adjusts to keep an even pressure on your foot.

In terms of sizing they're fairly generous, perhaps because you might need extra room for thick socks. I was happy in the size 46 boots when I'd normally expect to be a 47. I didn't have any real problems with my heel moving about in the review pair, but if I'd gone for the size I'd normally wear then the extra space might have made it an issue.

Being seen in winter is part of the challenge, so it's great that these boots are covered in very effective reflective panels. The pull tab on the back of the cuff is reflective and there's a V-shaped panel on the heel that's especially good for getting you seen from behind. The upper of the boot is covered in reflective decals which aren't as bright but still catch headlights pretty well. There's a bit of fluoro chucked in for daytime visibility too.

Clearly, forking out over 200 quid is a lot more spendy than just adding some overshoes to your existing footwear repertoire, but if you're going to be committing to some long winter miles then keeping your feet happy is going to be high on your list of priorities, and these Flash Arctic GTX boots are certainly up to that task.

> Buyer's Guide: 12 of the best cycling overshoes

> Buyer's Guide: Cycling shoes

They're more expensive than some of the other options out there – Shimano's RW5, for example – but the performance is good enough that I'd not feel hard done by if it was my bank balance taking the hit. They're among the best-insulated road shoes I've tried, achieving that without being overly bulky or heavy, and the waterproofing is better than most too.

Verdict

Very good winter road boots that are comfortable and warm without being too restrictive or bulky