Hi All,
coming into my first winter cycling and noticed my feet/toes getting quite cold the last few days. What's the best way to keep the feet warm?
thicker socks? new shoes? overshoes? something else?
any help greatly appreciated...
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help
best way to keep feet warm?
(51 posts)- Started 10 years ago by Beano
- Latest reply from mercury1and2
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Posted 10 years ago #
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Neoprene overshoes are a good shout, they're nominally waterproof and windproof. They can get pretty hot though if its not very cold.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I get cold feet too.........and to manage your expectations, its not got cold yet !!
Sealskins work for me - waterproof and, due to their multilayered construction, keep my feet warm.
I dont change my footwear, but some people swear by waterproof or toastie boots.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Overshoes are good.
Sometime ago I saw someone cycling with battery heated socks.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Couple of thoughts - good on you for winter cycling - my favourite time of year:-).
I had this issue and found that thick socks on their own are not the answer. If my feet were squashed into my shoes with thick socks I felt colder. If they have a little wriggle room they are better. I just cycle in trainers and found loosening the laces helped big time. I read about this solution on another blog and it worked for me.
Socks wise, I got sealskins waterproof socks and they made a big difference, especially on wet days.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Mate of mine swears by these;
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-mw81-gore-tex-spd-winter-mountain-bike-boots/
If you're not clipped in, I guess any winter boot would do?
Posted 10 years ago # -
Overshoes do a grand job of keeping my feet warm once it gets cold.
(First tingly toes of season on Tuesday - I hadn't noticed my feet being distinctly cold on the ride in, but once I got onto the warmth at work my toes started stinging / tingling).
Posted 10 years ago # -
BTW - for those who wear Sealskinz, which type do you recommend? Was looking at a number of different pairs on Wiggle, and they all seemed much the same (as well as all being really expensive!)
I might add a pair to my list for Santa this year.
Posted 10 years ago # -
My top tip in addition to the above is regular wiggling of toes and fingers, does wonders! The body tends to divert blood where it's needed most and therefore away from extremities when cycling so it helps to get a bit of blood flowing!
Posted 10 years ago # -
Thanks all,
Been looking at sealskinz on Evans and some are 50% off...I would always check wiggle too though.I do clip in but I might try these sealskinz socks to get me started and then look at some overshoes for when it gets really cold.
I come across the forth bridge and the wind does get a little crazy...i'm sure it was Tuesday when it was cold...
Posted 10 years ago # -
I really like my Vulpine socks. I've done a lot in them, and so far they have never been too hot or too cold. And they don't smell!
However maybe they are not ideal in the wet.Posted 10 years ago # -
The Sealskinz are quite thick so make sure your feet aren't squashed in your shoes with them.
I got through last winter with a pair of Sealskinz over a thin pair of merino socks on the coldest days.
Posted 10 years ago # -
cancel that about the 50% off sealskinz at evans...unless you have tiny feet or massive feet :-(
Posted 10 years ago # -
I have a pair of the older variant of those boots noted above, but they're a bit of an extravagance perhaps for some people. After wearing through my 3rd pair of overshoes around the clip area / where the foot touches the ground, I gave up and invested in the boots. I still have the boots for their upcoming 4th winter and have never bought another pair of overshoes.
My regular commuting shoes have a goretex liner so are fairly water and wind proof they will do fine until it turns colder and/or wetter. Denser merino socks are good for additional insulation.
As mentioned above, thicker socks won't work if they just crush your feet and restrict circulation.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Sealskins and over shoes (not both at the same time though)
Tin foil over the toes when it's really cold! Seriously!
Posted 10 years ago # -
@Coxy
Brilliant! Thankfully no one on here wears a tin foil helmet liner....
Posted 10 years ago # -
This time of year I find thermal insoles are enough to keep feet cozy. When it gets colder the thin overshoes go on.
Combination of both seem to be enough for most conditions.
I have used thicker overshoes before but cold still comes in vents at bottom of cycling shoes.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Like Kaputnik I have a pair of those shimano goretex boots and can vouch for their longevity. Now on my 3rd winter and going strong. Despite the upfront cost, for me, it's working out cheaper in the long run. Your mileage may vary.
Posted 10 years ago # -
@IWRATS - These Shimano boots are excellent, had the previous incarnation of them for 4 years and have never had cold feet, even when night biking when it was -6!!
I wear a pair of normal socks with them so don't need sealskins or over boots etc.
Bought the boots for £90 and have been worth every penny, use them in the summer as well and my feet don't overheat either.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I have a set of Shimano MT61Ithink normal trainer-like walkable-SPD shoes, which combine the wind-and-water-profosity-and-also-sweatiness-when-worn-indoors of Gore-Tex® with the incomparable grip of Vibram™ soles. The only way they usually get wet inside is when rain runs down my ankles.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I have the self same shoes as wingpig mentions. I originally bought them when my existing shoes fell apart just before a tour and I wanted something with a sole on them for light walking and also that might offer some grip when pushing a fully loaded bicyle up/down the slippery steel ramp of a Calmac ferry.
Turns out they're excellent for commuting too. And going to the shops. And the pub.
Posted 10 years ago # -
For the record, no shoe, shoecover or sock will keep your feet warm and dry on a day like today. Unless you gaffertape your wellies to your legs?
Posted 10 years ago # -
ThreefromLeith
I use the midweight ones - as others have noted, they do add thickness and you need to be sure they will be 'ok' with your shoes.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Aldi were selling their version of sealskinz for 12.99 I bought a pair. They seem fine. It is warm again now.
Had neoprene overshoes on tonight but waited until rain stopped, so they were a bit much.
I have Goretex socks, they are very thin and you wear some thin socks inside. They work until ingress then you have puddle inside sock, actually this can happen in sealskinz too.
You can buy toe warmers for outside of shoe. Did not know I needed them
Colleague at work gets very cold feet, he loves the boots. They are very dear.
You can attach poly bags over your shoes with elastic bands. This is very cheap but less classy.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I've tried the tin-foil trick. It extends the time it takes for my feet to chill by about 45 minutes. I am tempted to try Sealskinz at £20. Can't afford the boots but I imagine they would be the best solution.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I have the Shimano boots too. Excellent. Important not to tie the laces too tight since heat is about circulation. Otherwise, if your core's warm, your legs are warm and there's nothing wrong with your circulation, your feet should be warm.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I have often wondered why AFAIK no one has invented a "solid" old-school toe clip. I have toe clips on one bike, and when it's wet, think "if only the gaps between the bits of the clip were filled in, I would have mostly dry feet."
It would make the pedal look a bit like a clog though.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Because one of my hobbies is walking up hills, I have a number of pairs of wooly socks that have lost their bouncyness for hillwalking but are still warm. I wear them on my road bike in the winter. The thing about wool is that it is warm (or at least warmer) when wet. I also have overshoes which are also very useful (and hide the fact that I'm wearing wooly mountaineering socks inside triathlon-specific cycling shoes!)
Posted 10 years ago # -
"I have often wondered why AFAIK no one has invented a "solid" old-school toe clip."
It's a good question. I suspect the answer is party the obsession with weight, but in practical terms, the 'hole' makes it easier to deal with different shoe shapes.
One alternative to 'normal' toeclips is half clips.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=half+toe+clip&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch
These are for people worried about their feet slipping off, but who don't want to be clipped in.
They could be modified - perhaps just with a plastic bag - to give some protection from cold and wet.
Might even fit on many SPD type pedals!
Posted 10 years ago # -
It's obvious, but the thing about i.e. Sealskinz is that they don't do anything to stop your shoes getting soaked. Mine are still swimming-pool like after yesterday's ride home.
You won't have dry feet with Sealskinz or overshoes, but at least with the overshoes you'll generally find your shoes dry off before you next want to wear them (so you can potentially just change your socks and ride home dry).
I just wear my normal SPD shoes year round, generally without overshoes if I'm honest, but add a bit of fleece (the raw material you get off a sheep) under the insoles. I find otherwise the metal cleat plate really siphons heat out from my toes.
Posted 10 years ago #
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