Specialized Defroster mountain bike shoes review

The demise of the well loved Trail 110 and its carbon-soled Trail 120sl brother from the Specialized line is lessened slightly by the fact that the Defroster is almost as good. It’s built on the same out/mid-sole as the old trail 110 with a thermal demi-boot upper.

As a winter boot it’s outclassed by other models (Shimano’s MW80 is warmer), but the Defroster is chunky, well-made and crash-proof. The upper is waterproof and thermally lined, and the synthetic leather outer is free from too many seams or interruptions, making it a cinch to hose off after a muddy ride.

We’ve been wearing a pair over the past six months, and between bagging more than 400 miles we’ve kicked in about three miles of virgin singletrack. Booting rocks and tree stumps out of the way hasn’t phased them; they look a lot more up together than some of the others tested after less intensive schedules.