Keeping feet warm

anita100

Hello
Dont know if anyone can help ... Am new to road cycling and have been out practically everyday during this cold weather - which has been great - but my feet have been like blocks of ice ! I have ordered some shoe covers Pro Endure neoprene but am also thinking of getting some winter boots ... the only problem is that there dont seem to be any that are women specific for winter. In your experiences will shoe covers suffice? and also have any women bought male boots and found them ok? Many thanks in advance

Brian B

Anita

I would not rush into buying boots just yet. The neoprene overshoes will make a BIG difference to the temp of your feet. I have been cycling through winter for a few years and I use overshoes and two pair of socks - one lightweight summer ones and a pair of winter thermal socks. Works for me even on long rides.

Dog Breath

I suppose a lot depends on how good your circulation is. I find when I'm walking or running, my feet never get cold as I assume the pounding promotes circulation.

However, on the bike, although I wear liner sock, Sealskinz, and overshoes, my feet are always freezing at the end of the ride. I'm sure they would be even worse if I did not have that combination of footwear, so they must do some good.

The thing I maight try next is replace the Sealskinz with some Smartwool (Merino) socks to see if that makes a difference.

DB

gtitim

Overshoes make a huge difference for me. I forgot to put them on yesterday and my feet were absolutely freezing!!!

bobtbuilder

If you still have cold feet with overshoes, someone just suggested to me in a different thread, that you should wear a pair of old socks (cut a cleat hole) over your shoes but under the overshoes. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds promising.

giant_man

If you were going down the boots route, and this is what I currently do anyway, is to get a size too large than you normally do, and get some thick winter bike socks eg. De Feet Woolie Boolies, creating 'warm air space' and this will keep your feet warm.

Must admit I have never seen women-specific boots. Normal cycling shoes that are too tight and have no space will stay cold.

Blonde

Do you wear wool socks? I find the De Feet Woolie boolies extremely good. I had previosuly used long ski socks (synthetic) but was still suffering with cold feet and the ski socks were really too bulky for use with cycling shoes anyway. Real wool works far better than synthetics, with less bulk, so your shoes won't feel too tight, yet your feet will still be toasty. I wear my 'summer' road shoes with wool socks and over shoes. I sometimes (when the temperature is below zero) use a very thin (mesh) pair of socks underneath the wool ones, but generally I wouldn't recommend that you go down the route of several bulky sock layers/too tight shoes, as this only makes matters worse - with blood flow and movement restricted you'll feel colder not warmer.

LittleB0b

anita100 wrote:

but am also thinking of getting some winter boots ... the only problem is that there dont seem to be any that are women specific for winter. In your experiences will shoe covers suffice? and also have any women bought male boots and found them ok? Many thanks in advance

Mens shoes can be fine but it can depend on your foot shape. The problem with mens (and unisex) shoes can be that often they only take the sizing down to 39/40, which is a UK 6 (I'm a 5 :roll: )

bobpzero

what about the assos (roubaix material) thermic socks? tho then assos have a winter plus sock thats made of natural wool fiber. much difference between the 2?
been using a pair of assos toe covers which have helped.

fooshnicken

I've also been suffering from cold hands and feet. The cold hands issue I managed to solve by buying a cheap pair of silk gloves from ebay to wear under my winter gloves. But my feet are just freezing even with two pairs of socks, and overshoes.

I've decided to buy some winter shoes now as I am finding that after a couple of hours of riding my feet stay cold for about 30 minutes when I get home. I know I don't have great circulation, and I think the other issue is that I am wearing NorthWave Lizzards, which are ventilated.

Anyway I am going for the winter shoes as they are also supposedly waterproof.

Blonde

LittleB0b wrote:

anita100 wrote:

but am also thinking of getting some winter boots ... the only problem is that there dont seem to be any that are women specific for winter. In your experiences will shoe covers suffice? and also have any women bought male boots and found them ok? Many thanks in advance

Mens shoes can be fine but it can depend on your foot shape. The problem with mens (and unisex) shoes can be that often they only take the sizing down to 39/40, which is a UK 6 (I'm a 5 :roll: )

You're right about the shape being important. I generally find mens' shoes (all, not just cycling ones) too wide in the heel cup and ankle, so they move around when pedalling/walking, which is not efficient or comfortable. I find the fit of Nike cycling shoes pretty good for ankle/heel retention, but Sidi are my real favourites. The women's Sidis' don't come with carbon fibre sole and are less readily available in bike shops, so I have men's, but the fit really is extremely good for my feet. If you're thinking of trying a new brand or model, try several on in a shop, so you can compare sizes, fit, brands and styles, rather than simply purchasing them on-line and basing your decision only on the photograph and description of the shoes.

mrushton

bobpzero wrote:

what about the assos (roubaix material) thermic socks? tho then assos have a winter plus sock thats made of natural wool fiber. much difference between the 2?
been using a pair of assos toe covers which have helped.

I've got both and I prefer the wool. The fleece might work better with a thin pair of socks underneath.

anita100

Some great suggestions and advice - thanks very much to all who responded
Anita

Blonde

cadseen wrote:

If you still suffer from cold feet then you will want to keep your legs warmer as well, this will stop the blood cooling as much on its way down to your toes. If the blood in your legs are cooled less, your toes will feel warmer.

That's a myth - it's not blood cooling exactly - but you are correct that it will help to wear longer socks or thicker tights/trousers, because the better insulated your core is, the more heat is left available for your extremities - so therefore a good baselayer and a warm windproof jacket will also help (more than thicker tights) to keep your hands and feet warm!

JGS

I always try to make sure I haven't done my shoes up race tight, which allows blood to flow through a bit better which usually helps.

BigLee1

I bought some neoprene overshoes and they`ve been the best £30 I`ve spent They keep my feet warm when it`s cold and wet, they don`t keep my feet dry as the water runs down into the shoes but like a wetsuit keeps them warm. It`s the windchill thats the killer.

bombdogs

Get clingfilm, wrap it around he outside of your road shoes a couple of times, then put a decent pair of waterproof overshoes on over them.
Don't forget a pair of msartwool/merino socks to keep your feet warm
They won't be completely toasty if you're going out in frezing cold and wet weather for hours on end, but they'll be a hell of a lot warmer - trust me
Before i started doing this, I just used a pair of cheap overshoes and two pairs of sock.
Had enough one day when i got back and my toes were actually blue in color - i always though that was just something people said.
Ended up having to sit in the bath for ages before the feeling returned.