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In this guide
MICROspikes are the traction most walkers picture: an elastomer harness that stretches over a boot, with welded chains underneath carrying a dozen stainless spikes. Tiso sells Kahtoola's 'New Microspikes' in Black for £70, in four sizes S to XL. Its per-size weights match Kahtoola's current spec sheet, but the listing copy (3/8 inch spikes, a 13% saving over an earlier MICROspikes) and its photo look older than the fourth-generation version Kahtoola now shows, so compare the harness with Kahtoola's pictures when the pair arrives.
The UK range is narrower than the American one. Tiso stocks S, M, L and XL against UK shoe sizes 3 to 15, where Kahtoola's own shop runs XS to XXL. A British buyer therefore sizes from the UK chart on the listing, and the very smallest and largest bands are not orderable here. The price and the sizing are the local differences; the spikes and the question of what ground you walk on are the same.
Our verdict
The standard traction for hard ice on winter paths: twelve spikes per foot, four UK sizes and four years of defect cover at £70. More device than a cleared pavement needs.
- A good fit for
- Hikers meeting steep frozen path or refrozen snow who want traction that stays on for hours over boots or trail shoes.
- We would skip it if
- Your ice is flat pavement and car parks, where coil grips cost far less, or you count grams and would pay more for a lighter model.
Reasons to consider it
- Twelve 10.4 mm heat-treated 400-series stainless spikes per foot on welded stainless chains
- Elastomer harness with an integrated toe bail and reinforced chain eyelets
- Four-year limited defect warranty on purchases from 1 August 2025, from Kahtoola or an authorised reseller
The compromises
- 312 to 382 g per pair by size, the heaviest stretch-on traction in Kahtoola's range
- UK stock runs S to XL on UK shoe sizing, so the smallest and largest US bands are not orderable here
- Tiso change-of-mind returns cost postage from £4.50 and run 30 days, 14 for sale items
What we have not verified: Spike and chain lifespan in miles, behaviour over bare rock, and whether the harness stays put on low-cut trail runners are all unverified; Kahtoola publishes no mileage figure. Tiso's listing text and photo may describe an earlier harness than Kahtoola's current version.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
MICROspikes Footwear Traction, Black
Twelve 1 cm stainless spikes per foot on welded chains, an elastomer harness with a toe bail, four UK sizes and a four-year defect warranty at £70.
Before you buy: At 312 to 382 g per pair it is the heaviest stretch-on traction Kahtoola makes, and Tiso stocks only S to XL, so check the UK size chart against your footwear.
Price checked 10 November 2026. Retailer prices can change.Spikes against coils, and the ice that decides
Each foot carries twelve spikes of heat-treated 400-series stainless steel, 10.4 mm long by Kahtoola's spec (Tiso rounds it to 3/8 inch, or 1 cm), joined by welded stainless chains. That length bites into hard ice and crusted snow in a way a wound steel coil cannot; a coil works by friction across many small contacts and suits a surface that gives a little. The spikes are spread under the forefoot and heel rather than clustered, which is what makes a stable platform to walk on.
That distinction is the whole reason to spend £70 rather than the price of a coil grip. Coils are for packed snow on level ground and are damaged by bare concrete and gravel; MICROspikes are for slopes, refrozen path and the glazed ice that forms where meltwater runs across a trail. On a cleared pavement the spikes are more than the job needs; on a frozen switchback the coils are not enough.
Four UK sizes, and the weight on your feet
Tiso lists four sizes against UK shoe sizes: S for 3 to 6, M for 6.5 to 9.5, L for 10 to 13 and XL for 13.5 to 15. The harness is sized to the footwear you actually wear, so a bulky insulated boot may need a different band from a low-cut trail shoe of the same foot length. If you sit between bands, the listing's chart is the place to start rather than guessing from a US size.
A pair weighs 312 g in S, 338 g in M, 372 g in L and 382 g in XL, and packs to about 13 × 8 × 5 cm in the included sack, by Kahtoola's figures. The chains are the reason for the weight, and close to 400 g on the feet is noticeable over a long day. Kahtoola's lighter Ghost model, which Tiso does not stock, trades the chains for a moulded matrix to save weight; the original keeps the longer spike and the steel chains.
Four years of defect cover, on top of statutory rights
Kahtoola covers stretch-on traction with a four-year limited warranty for products bought on or after 1 August 2025; anything bought earlier keeps the previous two-year term. It applies to the original owner who bought new from Kahtoola or an authorised reseller (the warranty page lists no UK shops, so keep the receipt), covers manufacturing defects under normal use, and excludes normal wear and tear. Kahtoola repairs or replaces at its discretion and does not send pre-paid labels for claims.
That manufacturer warranty sits on top of your statutory rights against the retailer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which are the first route for a fault. For a change of mind rather than a fault, Tiso's own window is 30 days from delivery, 14 for sale items, with the goods unused and labels attached; a postal return costs from £4.50, while a return to a Tiso or Alpine Bikes store is free.
The £70 delivered, and when to skip it
The £70 list price carries VAT for a UK consumer under the Price Marking Order 2004, although Tiso shows no tax wording beside the figure. At £70 the order clears Tiso's £50 free-delivery threshold, so standard delivery adds nothing and arrives in 3 to 5 working days; under £50 it would be £3.99. Tiso dispatches to UK and Northern Ireland addresses only.
Skip it if your ice is the kind a town makes, on flat pavements, driveways and car parks, where a coil grip such as Yaktrax's Walker, £19 at Tiso, is the better match and stepping onto cleared concrete with spikes on is unpleasant and dulls the points. Pass too if every gram matters and a lighter model is worth the extra to you. The original MICROspikes suit a walker who wants long spikes and steel chains on steep frozen ground and does not mind carrying most of 400 g to get them.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- Tiso: Kahtoola New Microspikes, Black (opens in a new tab)
- Kahtoola: warranty policy (opens in a new tab)
- Tiso: delivery and collections (opens in a new tab)
- Tiso: returns (opens in a new tab)
- The Price Marking Order 2004, SI 2004/102, article 1(2) (opens in a new tab)
- Kahtoola: MICROspikes Footwear Traction (opens in a new tab)
