feeling the cold???.

starsky007

Hi everybody, this might of been asked a thousand times before but im asking again because ive seen 09 boots on the market slowly popping up.
Im now starting to get very cold and numb toes on my rides so whats the best winter boots to buy and do they rearly work?. i mean rearly keep your feet warm after 20miles on the trails, i have a pair of adidas moro and there great summer shoes but not very good now its getting colder.

milkywhite

Overboots and waterproof socks probably work almost as well for less than half the cost of a decent pair of properly waterproof boots

starsky007

I wear both of them, and sealskin socks at that, but still get freezing cold feet.

supersonic

An old tip I heard was to stuff down feathers in your socks!

starsky007

I hope my other half dont find one of her pillows of the bed missing next time i go on the bike then, or im sleeping in the garage and thats cold in there too.

supersonic

I think Ray Mears was the originator of that one. Mind you he skinned the bird after hunting it lol

johnsav

yeah i did about 12 or so miles today and my feet where pretty cold by the end of it.

i was wearing aldi's finest cycling socks as well!
im thinking some water proof ones might be a good move

starsky007

Your feet will still be bloody freezing even with waterproof 25 pound socks on, like mine.
thats why im trying to find out if these winter boots are any good.

johnsav

what shoes are you using at the moment?

starsky007

Got a pair of adidas moro. they are a great alround spd shoe but there not a winter shoe as ive found out this week.

dunker

try not wearing them quite as tight to keep the circulation the best you can.

Northwind

Yeah, keeping core temps up helps, if you run slightly hotter than you normally would it can keep the extremities warmer- you might find frinstance that your legs feel comfortable cycling in shorts, still, but warming up your legs and reducing heat loss gets hotter blood to the feet, and more of it.

The Spiderman

I too find that Sealskinz aren`t so good when it comes to keeping feet warm.I think it may be partly due to the fact that they are quite bulky and restrict circulation when worn with close fitting cycling shoes.
I find merino wool socks,and overshoes to be the best solution,if you can`t afford proper winter shoes.
Some neoprene overshoes like Endura MT500 (£25) with Lewis kit wool or Woolie Boolie socks (£10-12) should do the job.

llamafarmer

Neoprene overshoes are definitely a good shout. I had to take mine off half way last weekend because might feet were too hot. With this cold snap I reckon they'll be about right now.

Mine are Northwave and they're great, but I found they started to ride up off the toe after a while, the Alturas might be a better choice.

Northwind

Oh, there's a thing, there's loads of different sealskinz, the ones usually marketed to cyclists are pretty thin... They do a merino thermal one with the porelle liner, it's bulkier but it should be a lot warmer.

guilliano

Shimano MW80 are toasty warm with a pair of wooly bullies underneath!

dunker

any link to them wooly bullies please? had a search on google and all i find are yarn shops in tallehassie heh.

guilliano

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id19440.html

dunker

thanks

dunker

hmm what size to buy, i'm about 9¼ the medium max range is 9 and the large minimum is 9½, what you think, medium or large?

dennisn

Don't know if they are available "over there" but here in the states most snow ski shops sell a toe warmer that activates upon opening the package, you stick it on your sock right
under the toes(doesn't take up much room), lasts about 6 or 8 hours, but is not reusable.
Then again it's not overly expensive. They definitely work when it's really cold on the slopes but I haven't used them riding. They also make hand warmers too. Can't think of
the name.

Dennis Noward

strodey

I wear thick neoprene socks (made for going under fishing waders) and don't bother with over shoes, if you get wet they stay warm, i find them great!

Dohboy78

So whats the general consensus then?? Wool or waterproof to keep the pinkies warm??

softlad

I use a pair of specialised defroster boots, although I have used neoprene overshoes previously and these also work well. The trouble with overshoes is that they are a real pain to get on over a treaded/spd shoe, but this is probably only a minor inconvenience. They will also fall to pieces very quickly if you do a lot of walking in them...

The defrosters are not the warmest shoe by any means - three hours round the dragons back at coed y brenin last friday was still enough to get my toes a bit chilly, but it was seriously cold up there last weekend and I was still fairly comfortable at the end of the ride (and that was just with lightweight socks on). Having said that, I reckon the defrosters are a good bet for everything but the longest, coldest outings, so unless you are a seriously hardcore, 'arctic wllderness' biker, they come with a recommendation from me

stevieboy

Polaris Overshoe, Northwave Summer Shoes and generic black trainer socks is more than enough IMO even down to sub zero.

Before I bought the overshoes I wore merino wool socks and the summer shoes - mainly the windchill caused me grief, especially when damp.

I've now however ditched the thick socks as my feet get too warm.

As for gloves - either my 661 summer gloves or at a push i've got some windproof Altura's - I really don't feel the cold like some.

I've only ever needed my sealskinz winter gloves when walking up Cairngorm, windchill was about -25C.

The one other thing I do use is a headband, just a 3" stretchy, breathable one. helps keep my forehead warm.