Cold Feet

jweighell

My main discomfort this time of year seems to be cold feet.

I've tried a pair of overshoes - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_Hunston_Windproof_Overshoes/5360038387/ - but my feet still seem to be freezing! And not to mention looking an idiot wearing them... some kid shouted at me that I looked like a spaceman!

Would thermal socks be better?

Also, my shoes have a small hole near the toes, which I guess is nice for letting your feet breath in the summer. I've blocked this up with some tape, but would this still be letting in a lot of cold?

Jonathan

keef66

Thermal socks + overshoes + taping up any holes / vents should do the trick, as long as your shoes are not too tight.

Failing that I'd reccommend staying in bed with a 13.5 tog duvet and a nice warm wife.

hodsgod

I just use overshoes, they look Identical to yours and they work great for me. I do use winter socks though.

Lady Venom

merino wool socks. job done! oh and overshoes......

JohnnyAllez

I use a pair of these in winter

www.sealskinz.com/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi ... ,0,0,1|53|

John C.

I use rubber soled Mtb shoes with spds in winter, with a pair of plannett X overshoes and I'm nice and snugly, If I've got warm feet I don't give a dam what people call me.

gkerr4

i think at this time of year - when it isn't really time for full overshoes - the little toe-cover things can make a massive difference - and likewise in early spring.

I use the Pearl Izumi 'calien toes' - they just put a windproof on the toe of your shoe which if it is anything like mine (spesh road shoes) is just mesh - the cover is neat and unobtrusive but makes a massive difference - I think I got them for about £7 a couple of years ago (they are about a tenner now) - one of the best £7 ever spent. no, really.

cyclopsbiker

not sure if this is you, but if you put cold feet in socks/shoes then they'll stay cold. your feet need to be warm before donning gear...so, warm feet by rubbing them. mountaineers do this before putting on their heafty going up everest boots. principle is the same.

flanners1

The addidas clima booties on Chain Reaction are vert good windproof showerproof etc and look cool, great for £14!

lastwords

I suffer a lot from cold feet up until about 4 months ago was only using a mtb and i used sealskin socks and mtb shoes but feet would still get cold in icy conditions

On road bike i wear my normal road cycle shoes which are well vented with the seal skins socks, however i have also bought a set of enduro neopreme overshoes and they are really warm i would imagine the combination of both the socks and overshoes will be fine in the cold of winter.

People may think i look daft with overshoes on but i dont give a damn as long as my feet are warm.

Meds1962

The Endura overshoes are good for warmth, probably too warm at present until we get some chilly weather.

I've been putting them on over tights but the problen then is that if the tights get soaked, the water weeps through the material into the overshoes. I might try wearing the tights over the overshoes to see if that helps.

bompington

Are your shoes too tight? My old ones certainly were (Shimano, very narrow fitting) and there really wasn't a lot I could do about it - it could take 30 minutes including a hot shower before the strange purple/white marbled effect faded. New ones (DHB) much better.

cjessop

1 pair mountaineering socks, double overshoes (assos & edura - 1 bigger size than the other) and mountain bike shoes do the trick for me. Yes my feet look stupid but they stay warm n toastie!

Tonymufc

If your feet are stuffed into your shoes tightly or your shoes are to small you restrict the blood flow to the feet resulting in cold feet. If you wear a thick pair of socks you should still be able to flex your toes. Hope this helps.

ride_whenever

feet expand once you have been riding for a bit, make sure you re-adjust your shoes so the blood keeps flowing.

Velonutter

I suffer a lot with cold feet and was put onto some Woolie Bolie Sock which are mostly Marino wool, used in conjunction with Bontrager overshoes my feet were much better.

I then bought some Assos Winter socks and my feet are even better now, the trick is to cut out the wind and make sure you don't stand on anything cold like grass before riding.

MichaelW

You really have to get a different type of shoe for winter. It should be bigger and it shouldnt have mesh or holes in. You should also consider the grip, rubber is better than hard plastic and MTB shoes are usually better than road-race.

disney

i purchased some northwave winter boots. Problem solved for my cold feet.

Bhima

:idea: Some things i've learned this past year:

If you start to get wind chill and your hands/feet are going numb, a spare pair of socks and gloves will keep the chill out for about another 15 miles, even if your shoes/handlebars are soaked. Change over when it's dry. If it rains again, you're looking at about 3-5 miles before the chill returns.

If you get home with numb feet, DONT heat them up, just let them adapt back to normal room temperature slowly. This can mean delaying a shower - If you stick them in hot water immediately, you will be in unbearable pain. :shock:

On a side note, try to avoid the rain by looking at the clouds and wind - generaly, If it's raining and there's a tailwind, you're moving with the rain cloud, so stop and wait for it to move away. If it's a headwind, look ahead to see how much cloud there is to come and work out if it's worth stopping or not. This saved me getting soaked today!

giant_man

Cold feet - thin socks and normal cycling shoes (probably with part-mesh covering) that are too tight.

Warm feet - decent winter socks such as Woolie Boolies or Sealskinz Mid Thermals or similar, cycing shoes + overshoes/oversocks OR winter boots 1 size larger than you would normally get = 'warm air space' = warm feet.