45NRTH Fasterkatt Test Ride / Report

Finally got my hands on them. After coming home from the Lakes we had a look down to Stokesley and called in past Westbrook Cycles to see Jason & Mark to collect my boots. When in the Lakes we called in past DC Cycles on the way back from the Zoo and seen the 2014 Wolvhammer & Fasterkatt models, they are fantastic boots and no other cycle boot out there comes near them.
First thoughts out of the box were good, the easiest way to describe them is like a winter mtb boot wrapped in an over shoe cover. Its more tricky to get into them and you have got to make sure that the collar of the inner boot dosent get tucked in on its self. At first i was using the toggle to pull the lacing system tight but after you zip them up the outer cover is that tight i dont need to use the pull chord toggle. The only problem is the over shoe material has no stretch in it and its not the easiest zip to pull up. Not sure if i have fat feet but they could have done with another 1/4" of material to make it easier to get the zip going. Once on they dont feel tight and are very comfy with space to wiggle my toes alittle. When i was in Westys they have the full range of 2014 Northwave Winter Boots on display inc the new extreme gtx model which i also tried on as a comparison. They are a comfy too and i like the new lace system but its the ankle section thats lets these boots down for me.
This morning i stuck a set of cleats on them and went for a quick 25miler blast with them. It was the first hard frost so was an ideal time to try them out. The min temperature was -2.1 degress and when i got back in it was +2.0 degress which was the max temperature during the ride. It was a dry ride with no rain and very little wet ground conditions so cannot comment on the water tightness of the boot yet but i will say that my feet was never cold or too warm. They felt very comfortable to ride in and after a few miles i didnt notice that i had them on. I didnt do alot of walking but the short distance i did walk was on hard ground, the boots were perefct and very easy to walk in. The sole is not too stiff to walk in but are stiff enough for comfortable riding, I could not feel any flex in the sole when riding. There are special pads built within the soles that are designed to grip better on sheet ice, they feel very sticky to the finger so will have to wait until we get some icy conditions to try them out. I should mention what type of winter socks that i use - well i dont like the feel of too thick a sock so have used x-socks winter model for well over 10 years now. They are slightly thicker than a standard mtb sock but thinner than a walking sock. Below are some more photos for your viewing. After after a few more rides i will report back on how they doing.