That Was Cold

NWLondoner

This morning i though i would give my winter gear it's first real test. Richmond park with some nice freezing fog rolling across the road 8)

The tights and jackets passed (just) but again my damn toes and fingers almost dropped off :shock:


I am wearing sealskin socks with overshoes on my feet plus a double layer of winter gloves but yet the cold still gets though :?

I am thinking about some Sidi Hydro Gore shoes but £200 is a lot to swallow plus new speedplay cleats etc to go with them etc.

I could try the sealskin liner thermal sock liner as well to see if it makes any difference :?: :idea:

edhornby

I struggle with cold hands as well, I've never found a truly warm pair of gloves for the coldest weather (you want to try scuba in the UK at this time of year! actually don't)

maybe you need an extra layer around your core? if the tights and jacket are only just keeping you warm your vascular systems may be cutting off the flow to the extremities to concentrate on the main muscle groups, hence the cold feet and hands?? do you have your head covered?

hope this helps....

mask of sanity

It could also be issues with the shoes themselves. Could they be to tight?

NWLondoner

edhornby wrote:

I struggle with cold hands as well, I've never found a truly warm pair of gloves for the coldest weather (you want to try scuba in the UK at this time of year! actually don't)

maybe you need an extra layer around your core? if the tights and jacket are only just keeping you warm your vascular systems may be cutting off the flow to the extremities to concentrate on the main muscle groups, hence the cold feet and hands?? do you have your head covered?

hope this helps....

I do wear skull cap all over my head. Having a shaven head I HAVE to.

When i took my base layer off it is usually full of sweat but today was dry

bexley5200

central heatings packed up,cold

Lagavulin

bexley5200 wrote:

central heatings packed up,cold

Ditto. A brand new Potterton combi too. Piece of sh!t!

Cold feet are the bane of my cycling in winter. I called it a day after 30 miles today as they were turning to blocks of ice. Pair of Woolie Boolies, Sealskinz waterproof socks, Castelli toecaps and still cold enough to spoil my ride. Rest of me was toasty warm. Head, hands and core all fine. Stupid feet.

NWLondoner

I am going to try seal sealskinz liners, sleaskinz sock and some Endura neoprene for my next ride.


I am also going to try wearing some latex glove in between the 2 layers of gloves.

Steveorow

I can sympathise up here in Gods little acre it was -2 this morning .

For feet Ive tried every sock combination / overshoe to no avail . Didnt solve this until I got a pair of cycling boots . Shimano ones got them 1/2 size bigger than normal put some fleecy shoe liners from the local pharmacist and put them inside and wear ski socks as well . Not sure if they are still made by Shimano but something like

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=35940

Hands cured by wearing glove liners from otdoor/mountaineering shops at a fiver and wearing my gore windstopper over them .

Hope this helps

APIII

My feet really suffered today. Anyone given heated insoles a go?

My local Maplin does these
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?moduleno=218156&C=AffilWin71959&U=1262040433zlh9lwtdva1sts7liws6kg
Might be worth a punt at £15

deptfordmarmoset

Cold feet, me too! I got a pun*ture this afternoon but as I was only about 2 miles from home, I figured why bother repairing it, why not walk some blood back into my toes. It's strange how I have no problem with fingers getting cold - those bottom of the range ALDI (or was it LiDL?) gloves keep my fingers perfectly warm. Maybe I should be wearing the gloves on my feet....

rake

snapped another driveside spoke today pumping up a long hill. poor qualty i think. it needs new spokes rebuilt but i dont want to be off the road. got the spokewrench out and managed to complete the ride so im happy. frozen feet.

markwalker

rake wrote:

snapped another driveside spoke today pumping up a long hill. poor qualty i think. it needs new spokes rebuilt but i dont want to be off the road. got the spokewrench out and managed to complete the ride so im happy. frozen feet.

you talk a right pile of shite

rake

thats what happened.

desweller

There might be something to the 'keep your core warm' answers. I'm finding my commute a lot warmer this winter than last, and the major difference is the addition of a good cycling jacket. I've been nice and toasty with just the jacket and a base layer beneath it.

Tried wearing a thin pair of socks over your normal cycling ones? Might help to trap air pockets between the two socks.

Fog is always really bad for heat conduction, mind.

Wooliferkins

edhornby wrote:

Maybe you need an extra layer around your core? if the tights and jacket are only just keeping you warm your vascular systems may be cutting off the flow to the extremities to concentrate on the main muscle groups, hence the cold feet and hands?

+1 here, good call.

desweller

Also, tip for central heating problems - if they are pressurised systems then they will have safety features built in to prevent activation if the pressure gets too low.

If you've been away from the house for a few days over XMas, the system pressure may have dropped too much in the cold (due to thermal contraction or a v. small leak opening up in the low temperature) and will need some water adding to it.

There should be a gauge or an error code to identify the fault. If it is low pressure (and you're sure you haven't a burst pipe or some reason for low pressure other than the system being very cold), you can add water at the fill point by - carefully!!! - opening the valve that isolates the heating from the cold water supply. Ensure that your boiler is not set to activate the heating while you're doing this.

DISCLAIMER: Any damage arising as a result of following this tip is not the responsibility of the author!

cougie

You dont want your shoes to be too cramped - you need wiggle space or they will get cold.

And try a higher cadence than normal - I find that warms me up a lot better than pushing the bigger gears round.

NWLondoner

It may also be that i do not have much wiggle room in my shoes, even with loose straps.


I am going to try this set-up on New Year's Day and see if it makes any difference.


Sealskinz Thermal Liner, Sealskinz Socks and Endura Overshoe.

On my upper will wear 2 base-layers and my Airjack 851 jacket.

Hopefully this works or i will have to by a nice pair of Sidi Hydro Gore-Tex Winter Boots. Obviously 1 size too large so I get that all important wiggle room. 8)

Diogenes

DesWeller wrote:

Also, tip for central heating problems - if they are pressurised systems then they will have safety features built in to prevent activation if the pressure gets too low.

If you've been away from the house for a few days over XMas, the system pressure may have dropped too much in the cold (due to thermal contraction or a v. small leak opening up in the low temperature) and will need some water adding to it.

There should be a gauge or an error code to identify the fault. If it is low pressure (and you're sure you haven't a burst pipe or some reason for low pressure other than the system being very cold), you can add water at the fill point by - carefully!!! - opening the valve that isolates the heating from the cold water supply. Ensure that your boiler is not set to activate the heating while you're doing this.

DISCLAIMER: Any damage arising as a result of following this tip is not the responsibility of the author!

Our boiler threw a wobbler earlier this month, after a bit a poking about in the garage I found the condensation line to the outside world had frozen. A 10 minute blast with the wifes hairdryer got the flow going again. Looks the the insulation did not manage to keep the pipe frost free at minus 9oC.

D :x

sheepworryingbhoy

Today the temperature rose by 7 degrees to zero but it's started snowing again......Most roads apart from the busy main ones are still rubbish, so still can't get out on the bike